For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The ancient Hebrew words for "arrows" and "hand" here actually come from the same root, describing a forceful descent. This suggests David wasn't just feeling attacked, but that he experienced God's judgment like a heavy object being brought down upon him with overwhelming force.
For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is overwhelmed by what he perceives as God's intense displeasure and judgment against him. He describes this affliction as sharp "arrows" that have deeply penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down, indicating the severity and inescapable nature of his suffering. This raw lament sets the stage for a deep exploration of sin, suffering, and a desperate plea for divine mercy.
Have you ever felt like God's discipline is sharp and personal? This verse paints a vivid picture of that experience.
The Sharpness of God's Discipline
David uses powerful imagery to describe his suffering: "your arrows have sunk into me." These aren't just random misfortunes; they are understood by David as divine judgments, like sharp arrows shot directly from God's hand.
Beyond sharp pain, David feels an overwhelming pressure. What does it mean to have God's hand 'press down' on you?
The Overwhelming Pressure of God's Hand
Following the imagery of sharp arrows, David adds another layer of suffering: "your hand has come down on me." This shifts the focus from sharp piercing to heavy, crushing pressure.
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Understand the original words
chets · Hebrew Noun
In poetic and prophetic language, these symbolize the piercing, painful, and targeted judgments or afflictions sent by God to bring a person to their senses.
yad · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for God's power, intervention, or heavy providential involvement in the life of an individual, whether for blessing or, as in this context, for pressing down in judgment.
This psalm likely springs from a time of deep personal crisis for David, possibly related to his sin with Bathsheba and its ongoing repercussions, a stark reminder that even God's chosen leaders face severe consequences.
c. 1000 BC
David's Reign as King
David is established as the king of Israel, a period marked by both significant victories and personal failings.
c. 1000-970 BC— this verse
David's Sin and Consequences
David commits adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrates the death of Uriah, leading to prophetic judgment and deep personal suffering.
c. 990 BC
Nathan's Rebuke
The prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin, leading to David's profound repentance as recorded in Psalm 51.
c. 990 BC
Absalom's Rebellion
David's own son, Absalom, rebels against him, causing immense turmoil and personal anguish for David.
This passage uses the imagery of God's arrows to represent His judgments, directly paralleling the Psalmist's sense of being struck by divine displeasure.
Job 6:4Job also speaks of God's arrows piercing him and His terrifying power falling upon him, echoing the Psalmist's profound sense of suffering under God's hand.
Lamentations 3:12In this passage, the prophet describes being made the target of God's arrows and being shot through, which aligns with the Psalmist's feeling of being personally afflicted by God.
Isaiah 53:5This Suffering Servant passage speaks of Him being wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, offering a profound theological connection to suffering as a consequence of sin and divine judgment, albeit in a redemptive context.
jfbPsalms 38:2: "For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore."
- arrows … and thy hand—the sharp and heavy afflictions he suffered (De 32:23).
ellicottPsalms 38:2: "For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore."
(2) For thine arrows . . . —The same figure is used of the disease from which Job suffered (elephantiasis? Job 6:4 ); of famine ( Ezekiel 5:16 ); and generally of divine judgments ( Deuteronomy 32:23 ). By itself it therefore decides nothing as to the particular cause of the Psalmist’s grief. Stick fast.—Better, have sunk into, from a root meaning to descend. Presseth, in the next clause, is from the same verb. Tra…
The ancient Hebrew words for "arrows" and "hand" here actually come from the same root, describing a forceful descent. This suggests David wasn't just feeling attacked, but that he experienced God's judgment like a heavy object being brought down upon him with overwhelming force.
The psalmist is overwhelmed by what he perceives as God's intense displeasure and judgment against him. He describes this affliction as sharp "arrows" that have deeply penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down, indicating the severity and inescapable nature of his suffering. This raw lament sets the stage for a deep exploration of sin, suffering, and a desperate plea for divine mercy.
The psalmist is overwhelmed by what he perceives as God's intense displeasure and judgment against him. He describes this affliction as sharp "arrows" that have deeply penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down, indicating the severity and inescapable nature of his suffering. This raw lament sets the stage for a deep exploration of sin, suffering, and a desperate plea for divine mercy.
"For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me." — The ancient Hebrew words for "arrows" and "hand" here actually come from the same root, describing a forceful descent. This suggests David wasn't just feeling attacked, but that he experienced God's…
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Last reviewed October 2026