I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse reveals a profound exhaustion that isn't just physical, but stems from the sheer weight of groaning itself. The imagery isn't just about crying a lot, but about the relentless, night-long nature of the sorrow, so intense it literally saturates the physical space of rest.
I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is pouring out his heart in deep anguish and distress, feeling the weight of God's displeasure. He’s overwhelmed with sorrow, so much so that his nights are sleepless, consumed by constant weeping. This intense emotional suffering, described with vivid hyperbole, sets the stage for his plea for mercy and deliverance, directly following his confession of vulnerability and fear.
Have you ever felt so overwhelmed by sadness that you physically ache and long for rest? David expresses a profound weariness that goes beyond simple tiredness.
The Weight of Perpetual Sorrow
David declares, 'I am weary with my groaning.' This isn't just a casual complaint; it speaks to a deep, soul-level exhaustion. His groaning has become so constant, so intense, that it has drained his strength.
This weariness highlights the immense suffering David is enduring, a suffering so profound it impacts his very physical being.
Imagine your tears being so plentiful they could flood your surroundings. David's sorrow isn't a fleeting emotion; it's an overwhelming flood that consumes his nights.
Hyperbole as Honest Expression
David uses vivid, exaggerated language to convey the sheer volume of his weeping: 'every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.'
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David isn't trying to be dramatic; he's using the strongest language available to express the depth of his pain and the lack of respite.
Understand the original words
yaga'ti · Hebrew Verb
A state of physical or spiritual exhaustion, often resulting from prolonged suffering, adversity, or spiritual conflict. It reflects a condition where one's inner resources are depleted, turning the sufferer toward God for renewal.
anachah · Hebrew Noun
A mournful groan, lament, or audible expression of deep distress. In the Psalms, it represents the act of pouring out one's pain before God in times of crisis.
ka'as · Hebrew Noun
The state of internal sorrow or emotional pain, often connected to suffering, bereavement, or the oppression of enemies. It denotes a heavy heart that manifests physically.
tsorer · Hebrew Noun
Those who set themselves in opposition to the psalmist, often representing the wicked who oppose God and His anointed. They represent external threats and the spiritual forces of darkness that seek to destroy the righteous.
The profound sorrow expressed in Psalm 6, particularly the overwhelming weeping, resonates most powerfully when understood against the backdrop of David's personal anguish during Absalom's rebellion. It reveals how even a king, a man after God's own heart, can be brought to such depths of despair by betrayal and loss.
c. 1010 BC— this verse
Absalom's Rebellion
David's own son, Absalom, leads a rebellion against him, forcing David to flee Jerusalem in disgrace. This deeply personal betrayal and crisis shakes David to his core.
c. 1010 BC
David Flees Jerusalem
David, heartbroken and exposed, flees his own capital city, weeping as he goes. This event represents a profound low point, filled with grief, fear, and a sense of God's displeasure.
c. 1010 BC
David's Exile and Return
David spends time in exile, wrestling with his situation and seeking God's intervention. He eventually returns to power, but the emotional scars of the rebellion remain.
This psalm echoes the theme of deep sorrow and crying out to God, highlighting the intensity of spiritual anguish and the longing for divine mercy.
Job 3:24This verse expresses a similar profound weariness and sorrow, where groaning has become a constant companion, illustrating the depth of suffering the psalmist is experiencing.
Jeremiah 9:1The prophet Jeremiah also uses the imagery of weeping and moaning to express deep grief over the sin and destruction of his people, paralleling the psalmist's overwhelming sorrow.
Luke 7:38This passage describes a woman weeping at Jesus' feet, with her tears watering them, showing a tangible, emotional outpouring of grief and devotion that resonates with the psalmist's tears.
Psalm 42:3This psalm speaks of tears being one's food day and night, vividly portraying a state of constant sorrow and longing for God's presence, much like the psalmist's night-long weeping.
barnesPsalms 6:6: "I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears."
I am weary with my groaning - I am exhausted or worn out with it. That is, his sorrows were so deep, and his groaning was so constant, that his strength failed. He became "faint" under the weight of his sorrows. All persons in trouble have experienced this effect - the sense of weariness or exhaustion from sorrow. All the night make I my bed to swim - That is, he wept so much that his…
poolePsalms 6:6: "I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears."
All the night; he mentions this time, by way of aggravation of his misery, because that season, which is to others by God’s appointment a time of rest, was to him very sad and doleful, whether from his disease, which then came upon him more strongly, as it is usual; or from the opportunity which the solitude or silence of the night gave him to think of his own sins, or his enemies’ pe…
This verse reveals a profound exhaustion that isn't just physical, but stems from the sheer weight of groaning itself. The imagery isn't just about crying a lot, but about the relentless, night-long nature of the sorrow, so intense it literally saturates the physical space of rest.
The psalmist is pouring out his heart in deep anguish and distress, feeling the weight of God's displeasure. He’s overwhelmed with sorrow, so much so that his nights are sleepless, consumed by constant weeping. This intense emotional suffering, described with vivid hyperbole, sets the stage for his plea for mercy and deliverance, directly following his confession of vulnerability and fear.
The psalmist is pouring out his heart in deep anguish and distress, feeling the weight of God's displeasure. He’s overwhelmed with sorrow, so much so that his nights are sleepless, consumed by constant weeping. This intense emotional suffering, described with vivid hyperbole, sets the stage for his plea for mercy and deliverance, directly following his confession of vulnerability and fear.
"I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes." — This verse reveals a profound exhaustion that isn't just physical, but stems from the sheer weight of groaning itself. The imagery isn't just about crying a lot, but about the relentless, night-lon…
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Last reviewed October 2026