For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read "my strength fails because of my iniquity" as just a general confession of sin causing trouble. But here, the Hebrew word for "iniquity" can also mean "suffering" or "punishment." This suggests David isn't just saying sin is the cause of his pain, but that his pain itself feels like the consequence or suffering for his iniquity, blending the experience of punishment with the cause.
For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Psalmist is deep in personal anguish, describing a life consumed by sorrow and physical decay. He laments his failing strength, attributing it to his own wrongdoing, and feels utterly abandoned and despised by everyone around him, even his closest acquaintances. This verse comes amidst a cry for God's mercy and protection from enemies who are plotting his downfall and spreading rumors against him.
The Psalmist declares his entire life is 'spent with grief' and his years 'with sighing.' What does it mean for life itself to be 'spent' this way?
A Life Drained
David isn't just describing a bad day or a tough season; he's expressing a profound sense of his entire existence being characterized by deep sorrow and groaning. The Hebrew word translated 'spent' can imply being worn out, wasted, or even consumed.
David connects his failing strength and wasting bones directly to 'iniquity.' What does this mean when facing hardship?
The Source of the Drain
David identifies 'iniquity' as the root cause of his physical and spiritual exhaustion. This isn't just about outward circumstances; it's about an internal reality.
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Understand the original words
'avon · Hebrew Noun
A twisting, perversion, or crookedness. It refers to moral failure or sin and the resulting guilt that impacts the life of the individual before God.
This Psalm likely arose from a period of intense personal suffering, possibly related to rebellion or betrayal during David's reign. The lament speaks to the deep emotional and physical toll of distress, acknowledging sin as a contributing factor to hardship.
c. 1000 BC
David's Reign as King of Israel
David, the acclaimed king, is the traditional author of many Psalms. This period was marked by both significant triumphs and profound personal struggles, including rebellions and betrayals.
c. 1000-950 BC— this verse
Period of David's Troubles and Exile
Psalms reflecting deep distress are often attributed to times when David faced intense opposition, such as during Absalom's rebellion or earlier periods of persecution by Saul.
c. 950 BC
Solomon's Reign Begins
Following David's death, his son Solomon became king. The later Psalms might reflect anxieties or situations arising during this transition and the early years of Solomon's rule.
This verse echoes the lament of Job, who describes his suffering and groaning as if it were his daily bread, mirroring David's experience of life being 'spent with sorrow'.
Jeremiah 8:18Jeremiah expresses a similar deep sorrow, stating 'My joy is swallowed up in grief,' which resonates with David's profound sense of life being consumed by sadness.
Lamentations 1:20The prophet laments the state of Jerusalem, describing its people as looking for 'comfort, but none is given,' a sentiment of profound grief and despair that aligns with David's feeling of his strength failing under sorrow.
Romans 7:24Paul's cry, 'Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death!' reflects a similar struggle with iniquity leading to a profound sense of misery and a desperate need for deliverance, mirroring David's feeling of strength failing because of his iniquity.
calvinPsalms 31:9-13: "Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly."
- Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah! for I am in trouble: mine eye, my soul, and my belly, are consumed by reason of anger. 10. For my life is wasted by reason of grief, and my years with groaning; my strength faileth in my sorrow, and my bones are consumed. 11. I was a reproach by reason of all mine enemies, yea, exceedingly to my neighbors, and a fear to my acquaintances…
cambridgePsalms 31:10: "For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed."
10 . grief ] R.V. sorrow, as in Psalm 13:2 ; Jeremiah 8:18 . sighing ] Or, groaning , as in Psalm 6:6 . my strength &c.] My strength totters because of mine Iniquity, and my bones are wasted away. There was then some sin which called for chastisement, or required the discipline of suffering. But the LXX, Syr., and Symmachus read affliction instead…
It's easy to read "my strength fails because of my iniquity" as just a general confession of sin causing trouble. But here, the Hebrew word for "iniquity" can also mean "suffering" or "punishment." This suggests David isn't just saying sin is the cause of his pain, but that his pain itself feels like the consequence or suffering for his iniquity, blending the experience of punishment with the cause.
The Psalmist is deep in personal anguish, describing a life consumed by sorrow and physical decay. He laments his failing strength, attributing it to his own wrongdoing, and feels utterly abandoned and despised by everyone around him, even his closest acquaintances. This verse comes amidst a cry for God's mercy and protection from enemies who are plotting his downfall and spreading rumors against him.
The Psalmist is deep in personal anguish, describing a life consumed by sorrow and physical decay. He laments his failing strength, attributing it to his own wrongdoing, and feels utterly abandoned and despised by everyone around him, even his closest acquaintances. This verse comes amidst a cry for God's mercy and protection from enemies who are plotting his downfall and spreading rumors against him.
"For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away." — It's easy to read "my strength fails because of my iniquity" as just a general confession of sin causing trouble. But here, the Hebrew word for "iniquity" can also mean "suffering" or "punishment." T…
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Last reviewed October 2026