Psaume 39:1-7

1 Au chef des chantres. A Jeduthun, Psaume de David. Je disais: Je veillerai sur mes voies, De peur de pécher par ma langue; Je mettrai un frein à ma bouche, Tant que le méchant sera devant moi.

2 Je suis resté muet, dans le silence; Je me suis tu, quoique malheureux; Et ma douleur n'était pas moins vive.

3 Mon coeur brûlait au dedans de moi, Un feu intérieur me consumait, Et la parole est venue sur ma langue.

4 Eternel! dis-moi quel est le terme de ma vie, Quelle est la mesure de mes jours; Que je sache combien je suis fragile.

5 Voici, tu as donné à mes jours la largeur de la main, Et ma vie est comme un rien devant toi. Oui, tout homme debout n'est qu'un souffle. -Pause.

6 Oui, l'homme se promène comme une ombre, Il s'agite vainement; Il amasse, et il ne sait qui recueillera.

7 Maintenant, Seigneur, que puis-je espérer? En toi est mon espérance.

Psaume 39:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, [even] to Jeduthun, a Psalm of David. Some take Jeduthun to be the name of a musical instrument, as Jarchi, on which, and others the first word of a song, to the tune of which, this psalm was sung, as Aben Ezra; though it seems best, with Kimchi and others, to understand it as the name of the chief musician, to whom this psalm was sent to be made use of in public service; since Jeduthun was, with his sons, appointed by David to prophesy with harps and psalteries, and to give praise and thanks unto the Lord, 1 Chronicles 16:41; he is the same with Ethan {s}. The occasion of it is thought, by some, to be the rebellion of his son Absalom; so Theodoret thinks it was written when he fled from Absalom, and was cursed by Shimei; or rather it may be some sore affliction, which lay upon David for the chastisement of him; see Psalm 39:9; and the argument of the psalm seems to be much the same with that of the preceding one, as Kimchi observes.

{s} Vid. Hiller. Onomastic. Sacr. p. 513, 805.