Psalms 41:1-7

1 Happy are those who are concerned for the poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble.

2 The Lord will protect them and preserve their lives; he will make them happy in the land; he will not abandon them to the power of their enemies.

3 The Lord will help them when they are sick and will restore them to health.

4 I said, "I have sinned against you, Lord; be merciful to me and heal me."

5 My enemies say cruel things about me. They want me to die and be forgotten.

6 Those who come to see me are not sincere; they gather bad news about me and then go out and tell it everywhere.

7 All who hate me whisper to each other about me, they imagine the worst about me.

Psalms 41:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. In this psalm is a prophecy concerning Christ, and concerning Judas Iscariot, as runs part of the title in the Syriac version; and in the Arabic version it is called a prophecy concerning the incarnation, and the salutation of Judas; and certain it is that Psalm 41:9 is to be understood of him, and of his betraying Christ into the hands of his enemies, since it is cited and applied to him by our Lord himself, John 13:18; so that having such a sure rule of interpretation, we may safely venture to explain the whole psalm of Christ, which treats both of his humiliation and exaltation; for it neither agrees with David wholly, nor with Hezekiah, to whom some ascribe it, as Theodoret remarks.

Footnotes

• [a]. imagine the worst about; [or] make evil plans to harm.