Psalms 38:5

5 My wounds smell rotten. They fester because of my stupidity.

Psalms 38:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 38:5

My wounds stink, [and] are corrupt
Meaning his sins, which had wounded him, and for which there is no healing but in a wounded Saviour, and by his stripes we are healed, ( Isaiah 53:5 ) ; where the same word is used as here; Christ's black and blue stripes and wounds, as the word signifies, are the healing of ours, both of sins, and of the effects of them; which, to a sensible sinner, are as nauseous and loathsome as an old wound that is festered and corrupt;

because of my foolishness:
as all sin arises from foolishness, which is bound in the hearts of men, and from whence it arises, ( Mark 7:22 ) ; perhaps the psalmist may have respect to his folly with Bathsheba, which had been the occasion of all the distress that is spoken of both before and afterwards.

Psalms 38:5 In-Context

3 No healthy spot is left on my body because of your rage. There is no peace in my bones because of my sin.

4 My guilt has overwhelmed me. Like a heavy load, it is more than I can bear.

5 My wounds smell rotten. They fester because of my stupidity.

6 I am bent over and bowed down very low. All day I walk around in mourning.

7 My insides are filled with burning pain, and no healthy spot is left on my body.