Psalm 41:3

3 May the Lord help him upon the bed of his pain; thou hast made all his bed in his sickness.

Psalm 41:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 41:3

The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing
When on a sick bed, or a death bed, where he lies languishing, and ready to expire; when his natural strength, spirits, and heart fail him, then the Lord strengthens him with strength in his soul; and is the strength of his heart, and his portion for ever. The Targum is,

``the Word of the Lord shall help him in his life, and shall appear to him on the bed of his illness, to quicken him;''

thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness;
or "all his bed thou hast turned" or "wilt turn in his sickness" ^F20; meaning not the recovery of him from a bed of sickness to a state of health, which is the sense given by many; much less a turning him from a state of ease and rest into trouble and distress; but making him easy and comfortable on a bed of sickness; which, in a literal sense, is done when a sick person's bed is turned or made, or he is turned upon it from side to side; so the Lord, by the comforts of his Spirit, makes a sick and death bed easy to them that believe in Christ, and often puts that triumphant song into their mouths in their dying moments, "O death! where is that sting?" &c. ( 1 Corinthians 15:55 ) ; and this is the peaceful end and blissful state of such who wisely consider Christ and believe in him; low estate, through the sins of his the insults of his enemies, and the treachery of one of his disciples, is described in the following verses.

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 (tkph) "versasti", Pagninus, Montanus; "vertisti", Vatablus; "ita vertes", Michaelis; so Ainsworth; (demnia oi meteyhken) , Apollinarius.

Psalm 41:3 In-Context

1 Blessed is the man who thinks, on the poor and needy: the Lord shall deliver him in an evil day.

2 May the Lord preserve him and keep him alive, and bless him on the earth, and not deliver him into the hands of his enemy.

3 May the Lord help him upon the bed of his pain; thou hast made all his bed in his sickness.

4 I said, O Lord, have mercy upon me; heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

5 Mine enemies have spoken evil against me, saying, When shall he die, and his name perish?

6 And if he came to see me, his heart spoke vainly; he gathered iniquity to himself; he went forth and spoke in like manner.

7 All my enemies whispered against me; against me they devised my hurt.

8 They denounced a wicked word against me, saying, Now that he lies, shall he not rise up again?

9 For even the man of my peace, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, lifted up his heel against me.

10 But thou, O Lord, have compassion upon me, and raise me up, and I shall requite them.

11 By this I know that thou hast delighted in me, because mine enemy shall not rejoice over me.

12 But thou didst help me because of mine innocence, and hast established me before thee for ever.

13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. So be it, so be it.