Psalms 38:2-3
For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The original text uses the same verb twice, translated as "sunk into" and "come down on." This isn't just about arrows and a hand; it highlights a relentless, descending force, showing how God's judgments felt like they were both piercing and crushing the psalmist, one after another. It emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the affliction, not just its pain.
The psalmist is in deep distress, feeling overwhelmed by God's judgment, which he perceives as sharp "arrows" that have penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down on him. This personal agony stems from a profound sense of sin and God's displeasure, leading to intense suffering, possibly both physical and emotional. He is pouring out his lament to God, detailing the depth of his pain and the feeling of being struck by divine wrath, setting the stage for a plea for mercy and restoration.
The Psalmist describes feeling struck by sharp, penetrating pain. What are these 'arrows' and why are they described this way?
The imagery of "arrows" in Scripture often refers to divine judgments or afflictions sent by God. These aren't random events, but deliberate actions that can feel intensely personal and painful.
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Beyond the sharp arrows, there's a sense of overwhelming pressure. What does it mean for God's "hand" to "press down"?
The second part of the verse, "your hand has come down on me," adds another layer to the suffering. It shifts from sharp pain to a heavy, oppressive force.
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.
metom · Hebrew Noun
A general state of wholeness, well-being, or health, particularly referring to the physical or moral integrity of a person.
zaam · Hebrew Noun
The manifestation of God's holy displeasure against sin; it reflects His intense and settled opposition to moral failing.
shalom · Hebrew Noun
The state of being complete, well, or safe; it conveys the idea of a wholeness that has been broken by external or internal affliction.
chattath · Hebrew Noun
A broad term for moral failure, wrongdoing, or "missing the mark" of God's perfect standard, which separates humanity from God.
Psalm 38 isn't just about general suffering; it's a raw, personal cry born from the devastating consequences of King David's specific sin with Bathsheba. The 'arrows' and 'hand' are God's judgments and the resulting inner turmoil and physical distress that followed his repentance.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
David's Sin with Bathsheba
King David commits adultery with Bathsheba and orchestrates the death of her husband, Uriah. This event marks a significant moral and spiritual crisis in his life.
c. 1000 BC
Nathan Confronts David
The prophet Nathan confronts David with his sin using a parable, leading David to confess his wrongdoing. This confrontation initiates a period of deep repentance.
c. 1000 BC
David's Repentance
Following Nathan's confrontation, David enters a season of profound sorrow and repentance, famously expressed in Psalm 51. Psalm 38 is often seen as a reflection of the anguish during this time.
c. 1000 BC
Consequences of David's Sin
God forgives David but declares that the child born of Bathsheba will die and that 'trouble will stir up against you from within your own house.' This introduces ongoing familial and personal suffering.
This passage directly uses the imagery of God's arrows as instruments of judgment and destruction, echoing the psalmist's feeling of being struck by divine displeasure.
Job 6:4Job also uses the metaphor of God's arrows piercing him, highlighting a shared experience of intense suffering and the perception of divine judgment.
Lamentations 3:12Similar to the psalmist, Jeremiah describes being shot with arrows by God, portraying a deep personal anguish and sense of divine affliction.
Isaiah 53:5This prophecy of the suffering servant speaks of him being pierced and wounded, offering a prophetic foreshadowing of Christ's suffering which the psalmist's words can be seen to anticipate.
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 original text uses the same verb twice, translated as "sunk into" and "come down on." This isn't just about arrows and a hand; it highlights a relentless, descending force, showing how God's judgments felt like they were both piercing and crushing the psalmist, one after another. It emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the affliction, not just its pain.
The psalmist is in deep distress, feeling overwhelmed by God's judgment, which he perceives as sharp "arrows" that have penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down on him. This personal agony stems from a profound sense of sin and God's displeasure, leading to intense suffering, possibly both physical and emotional. He is pouring out his lament to God, detailing the depth of his pain and the feeling of being struck by divine wrath, setting the stage for a plea for mercy and restoration.
The psalmist is in deep distress, feeling overwhelmed by God's judgment, which he perceives as sharp "arrows" that have penetrated him and a heavy "hand" pressing down on him. This personal agony stems from a profound sense of sin and God's displeasure, leading to intense suffering, possibly both physical and emotional. He is pouring out his lament to God, detailing the depth of his pain and the feeling of being struck by divine wrath, setting the stage for a plea for mercy and restoration.
"For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin." — The original text uses the same verb twice, translated as "sunk into" and "come down on." This isn't just about arrows and a hand; it highlights a relentless, descending force, showing how God's ju…
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