But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist isn't just struggling with a difficult question; he's admitting that trying to solve it with his own intellect felt like an overwhelming, even painful, burden. This highlights how some of life's biggest mysteries can't be figured out by sheer force of will or raw brainpower alone.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist, Asaph, has been deeply troubled by the apparent prosperity of wicked people, which seems to contradict God's justice and goodness towards the righteous. He confesses that wrestling with this puzzle in his own mind felt like an overwhelming and agonizing burden.
Ever felt like grappling with a big question just made your head hurt more? The psalmist knew that feeling well.
This verse captures the psalmist's deep struggle. He wasn't just confused; he was in pain because he couldn't understand why the wicked prospered while the righteous suffered.
The Weight of the Problem:
He tried to 'know this' – to figure out the reasons behind God's dealings. This wasn't a casual thought; it was a serious effort to reconcile what he saw with what he believed about God's goodness.
More Than Just Confusion:
'Too painful' or 'wearisome task' shows this wasn't a simple intellectual puzzle. It was emotionally and mentally draining. The sheer difficulty of reconciling apparent injustice with God's character felt overwhelming, like a burden too heavy to bear alone.
We often trust our own thinking to solve life's problems, but sometimes, that's not enough.
The psalmist's attempt to understand God's ways through his own reasoning alone proved futile and painful.
The Limits of Human Logic:
He poured over the issue, trying to work it out in his own mind. But human logic has its boundaries, especially when dealing with divine justice and providence. The commentary notes that this problem 'is not to be solved by the mere light of nature.'
The Need for Divine Insight:
This verse highlights that some truths are beyond our natural comprehension. Our own understanding can become a 'wearisome task' if we expect it to unravel all of God's mysterious ways. True wisdom often requires looking beyond our own intellect.
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This passage directly echoes the psalmist's confusion, questioning why the wicked prosper and live long while others suffer.
Ecclesiastes 8:17Solomon expresses a similar sentiment, acknowledging that the full scope of God's work and the reasons for the wicked's success are beyond human comprehension.
Jeremiah 12:1-2The prophet Jeremiah wrestles with the same problem, asking God why the way of the wicked prospers and why evildoers are at ease, highlighting the difficulty of understanding God's justice.
Habakkuk 1:13Habakkuk also expresses bewilderment at God allowing the wicked to succeed, revealing a shared human struggle to grasp divine dealings when they contradict our sense of justice.
clarkePsalms 73:16: "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;"
When I thought to know this - When I reviewed the history of our fathers, I saw that, though thou hadst from time to time hidden thy face because of their sins, yet thou hadst never utterly abandoned them to their adversaries; and it was not reasonable to conclude that thou wouldst do now what thou hadst never done before; and yet the continuance of our captivity, the oppressive hardships which we suffer, and the small pros…
bensonPsalms 73:16: "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;"
Psalm 73:16 . When I thought to know this — To find out the reason and meaning of this mysterious course of Divine Providence, it was too painful for me — I found it too hard a task to attain satisfaction, as to these points, by my own meditations and reasonings. Indeed, it is a problem not to be solved by the mere light of nature; for if there were not another life after this, we could not fully reconcile the prosperity of…
The psalmist isn't just struggling with a difficult question; he's admitting that trying to solve it with his own intellect felt like an overwhelming, even painful, burden. This highlights how some of life's biggest mysteries can't be figured out by sheer force of will or raw brainpower alone.
The psalmist, Asaph, has been deeply troubled by the apparent prosperity of wicked people, which seems to contradict God's justice and goodness towards the righteous. He confesses that wrestling with this puzzle in his own mind felt like an overwhelming and agonizing burden.
The psalmist, Asaph, has been deeply troubled by the apparent prosperity of wicked people, which seems to contradict God's justice and goodness towards the righteous. He confesses that wrestling with this puzzle in his own mind felt like an overwhelming and agonizing burden.
"But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task," — The psalmist isn't just struggling with a difficult question; he's admitting that trying to solve it with his own intellect felt like an overwhelming, even painful, burden. This highlights how some o…
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Last reviewed October 2026