Psalm 6 Study Notes

6:4-5 The plea has a twofold motivation. First, the appeal for the Lord to act is because of his faithful love (Hb chesed). This is the covenant loyalty that Yahweh has for his people and is the basis for the psalmist’s trust (13:5; 26:3; 136). Second, the psalmist spoke of a loss of praise to the Lord if he was allowed to go to Sheol (i.e., to die). This seems rather bold, but such appeals are common in lament psalms as a means of motivating God to act (30:9; 88:10,12; 115:17).

6:6-7 The extent of the psalmist’s emotional distress is highlighted in these verses. His crying was so intense that his bed was soaked with tears. The second image (drench my couch) is hyperbolic and literally reads “make my bed swim.” The mention of enemies introduces another dimension to the suffering: helplessness before enemies because of the psalmist’s condition of sickness.

6:8-10 The enemies of v. 7 are further described as evildoers. It is likely from the statement in v. 9 that the enemies were taunting the psalmist by saying that God would not deliver him (3:2; 22:7-8; 71:11). Instead of their perception of God’s inactivity, these enemies would be shaken with terror. The word shake is the same Hebrew verb used twice in vv. 2-3 to describe the condition of the psalmist in his suffering. In essence, the prayer ends with a statement of confidence that God will take away his suffering and inflict it upon his enemies.