Psalm 73:21-22
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The psalmist reveals a deep, internal turmoil by describing his heart as "embittered" or "soured" and his "reins" (often representing his deepest emotions) as "pricked." This isn't just intellectual doubt, but a profound emotional pain stemming from envy and confusion about God's justice.
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist describes the intense inner turmoil and confusion he experienced when his faith was shaken by the apparent prosperity of wicked people. He admits to feeling bitter and foolish, like an animal lacking understanding, as he wrestled with why God seemed to bless those who did evil. This verse captures the depth of his distress before he found resolution by going into God's sanctuary.
Ever felt like the wicked are getting all the good stuff while you're struggling? That sharp, bitter feeling can twist you up inside.
The psalmist, Asaph, describes a raw, internal struggle. He uses vivid language to capture the intense emotional and mental turmoil he experienced:
This wasn't about understanding a complex theological problem; it was about a visceral reaction to seeing apparent injustice in God's world. His heart was churning with these feelings, like dough rising with yeast, but in a negative, 'soured' way.
When envy takes over, we can feel unbelievably foolish, like we're missing something obvious. How does our understanding get so warped?
The psalmist doesn't stop at describing his feelings; he offers a searing self-rebuke. He calls himself out for his distorted thinking:
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His struggle highlights a critical truth: when we focus solely on the visible, present circumstances (like the prosperity of the wicked) without considering God's overarching plan and eternal perspective, our reasoning becomes clouded. We cease to think like God's people and instead react like creatures without His light.
Understand the original words
nephesh · Hebrew Noun
The immaterial part of a human being, often seat of emotions, will, and life itself; it represents the whole person in their interior experience.
chamets · Hebrew Verb
To be or become sour, provoked, or deeply grieved; it refers to intense inner turmoil, bitterness, or resentment.
shanan · Hebrew Verb
To be sharp, pierced, or wounded; metaphorically, it refers to the deep piercing of one's conscience or feelings, often due to conviction or painful insight.
lebab · Hebrew Noun
The physical organ, but more importantly, the center of human intellect, moral discernment, and volition; it is the seat of the inner person.
ba'ar · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
Often used to describe one who lacks spiritual insight, wisdom, or understanding; it denotes a state of moral or spiritual density.
yada' · Hebrew Verb/Adjective
Lacking knowledge or awareness, specifically in a moral or theological sense; being devoid of the fear of God or understanding of His ways.
behemah · Hebrew Noun
A living creature; often used in contrast to humans to describe animalistic, instinctive, or irrational behavior lacking higher spiritual awareness.
This passage shares the psalmist's struggle, detailing the perplexing prosperity of the wicked and the lament of Job who questions God's justice in allowing it.
Jeremiah 12:1-4Jeremiah voices similar anguish and bewilderment over the success of the wicked, feeling God's apparent inaction, which mirrors the psalmist's internal turmoil.
Habakkuk 1:1-4Habakkuk cries out to God in distress over the injustice and violence he witnesses, questioning why God permits the wicked to prevail and remain silent.
Luke 15:11-24This parable, while about repentance, touches on the 'prodigal' state of being lost and inwardly troubled, paralleling the psalmist's 'brutish' and ignorant state before his spiritual restoration.
clarkePsalms 73:21: "Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins."
Thus may heart was grieved - The different views which I got of this subject quite confounded me; I was equally astonished at their sudden overthrow and my own ignorance. I felt as if I were a beast in stupidity. I permitted my mind to be wholly occupied with sensible things, like the beasts that perish and did not look into a future state; nor did I consider, nor submit to, the wise designs of an unerring Providence.
poolePsalms 73:21: "Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins."
Thus; so as I have above expressed; for this particle so taken, doth not belong to what he had now wisely and piously said in the next foregoing verses, but to what he had unadvisedly spoken in the former verses, as is evident from the following verse. Or, nevertheless , as this particle is oft used. Although I knew very. well that the prosperity of sinners would have a sudden and dismal end, yet I was so foolish as to be…
The psalmist reveals a deep, internal turmoil by describing his heart as "embittered" or "soured" and his "reins" (often representing his deepest emotions) as "pricked." This isn't just intellectual doubt, but a profound emotional pain stemming from envy and confusion about God's justice.
The psalmist describes the intense inner turmoil and confusion he experienced when his faith was shaken by the apparent prosperity of wicked people. He admits to feeling bitter and foolish, like an animal lacking understanding, as he wrestled with why God seemed to bless those who did evil. This verse captures the depth of his distress before he found resolution by going into God's sanctuary.
The psalmist describes the intense inner turmoil and confusion he experienced when his faith was shaken by the apparent prosperity of wicked people. He admits to feeling bitter and foolish, like an animal lacking understanding, as he wrestled with why God seemed to bless those who did evil. This verse captures the depth of his distress before he found resolution by going into God's sanctuary.
"When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you." — The psalmist reveals a deep, internal turmoil by describing his heart as "embittered" or "soured" and his "reins" (often representing his deepest emotions) as "pricked." This isn't just intellectual…
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Last reviewed October 2026
