Psalm 38:16

16 For I said, "May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, ¹would magnify themselves against me."

Psalm 38:16 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 38:16

For I said, [hear me]
This he had expressed in prayer to God; he had committed his cause to him, and entreated him that he would hear and answer him; giving this as a reason,

lest [otherwise] they should rejoice over me;
at his misfortunes and calamities, at the continuance of his trouble and distress, both of body and mind;

when my foot slippeth;
as it sometimes did through the corruptions of nature, the temptations of Satan, and the snares of the world; which is more or less the case of all the people of God, who are all subject to slips and falls, though they shall not finally and totally fall away;

they magnify [themselves] against me;
that is, his enemies exulted and triumphed over him: this was what he found by experience; and therefore makes use of it as an argument with God, that he would hear and answer and deliver him out of his trouble, and preserve him from falling.

Psalm 38:16 In-Context

14 Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments.

15 For I hope in You, O LORD ; You will answer, O Lord my God.

16 For I said, "May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me."

17 For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me.

18 For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 35:26