Psalm 38:5-7

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Psalm 38:5 sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.
2. Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).
3. Psalm 38:5 tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”
4. Psalm 38:6 tn The verb’s precise shade of meaning in this context is not entirely clear. The verb, which literally means “to bend,” may refer to the psalmist’s posture. In Isa 21:3 it seems to mean “be confused, dazed.”
5. Psalm 38:6 tn Heb “I am bowed down to excess.”
6. Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “for my loins are filled with shame.” The “loins” are viewed here as the seat of the psalmist’s emotions. The present translation assumes that נִקְלֶה (niqleh) is derived from קָלָה (qalah, “be dishonored”). Some derive it instead from a homonymic root קָלָה (qalah), meaning “to roast.” In this case one might translate “fever” (cf. NEB “my loins burn with fever”).
7. Psalm 38:7 tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh” (see v. 3).