Bible Commentaries
Psalms 6

Verses 1-10

This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psalms 32:1-11 ; Psalms 38:1-22 ; Psalms 51:1-19 ; Psalms 102:1-28 ; Psalms 130:1-8 ; Psalms 143:1-12 . The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying “octave.”

The elements of the psalmist’s sorrow are given in Psalms 6:1-7 . The pressure of God’s displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy’s opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea- I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin’s lips- How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.

The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psalms 6:8-10 . The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1 John 5:15 . Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The r.v. turns the imprecation of Psalms 6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back.