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Sunday, August 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

Psalms 38:2

For Thine arrows have come down on me, And Thou lettest down upon me Thy hand.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Arrow;   Conviction;   Remorse;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Arrows;   Diseases;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Arrow;   Psalms, the Book of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Chastisement;   Suffering;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Pit;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Arrows;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Hand;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Psalms;   Sin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Arrows;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;   Zion;  

Encyclopedias:

- Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Arrow;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For your arrows have sunk into me,and your hand has pressed down on me.
Hebrew Names Version
For your arrows have pierced me, Your hand presses hard on me.
King James Version
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
English Standard Version
For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
New Century Version
Your arrows have wounded me, and your hand has come down on me.
New English Translation
For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down.
Amplified Bible
For Your arrows have sunk into me and penetrate deeply, And Your hand has pressed down on me and greatly disciplined me.
New American Standard Bible
For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me.
World English Bible
For your arrows have pierced me, Your hand presses hard on me.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For thine arrowes haue light vpon me, and thine hand lyeth vpon me.
Legacy Standard Bible
For Your arrows have pressed deep into me,And Your hand has pressed down upon me.
Berean Standard Bible
For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.
Contemporary English Version
You shot me with your arrows, and you struck me with your hand.
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai , don't rebuke me when you are angry or discipline me when you are enraged,
Darby Translation
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand cometh down upon me.
Easy-to-Read Version
You have hurt me. You punished me and hurt me deeply.
George Lamsa Translation
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand rests heavily upon me.
Good News Translation
You have wounded me with your arrows; you have struck me down.
Lexham English Bible
For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me.
Literal Translation
For Your arrows sink in me, and Your hand presses heavily on me.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For thy arowes stick fast in me, and thy honde presseth me sore.
American Standard Version
For thine arrows stick fast in me, And thy hand presseth me sore.
Bible in Basic English
For your arrows have gone into my flesh, and I am crushed under the weight of your hand.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
O LORD, rebuke me not in Thine anger; neither chasten me in Thy wrath.
King James Version (1611)
For thine arrowes sticke fast in me; and thy hand presseth me sore.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For thyne arrowes sticke fast in me: and thy hande presseth me sore.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For thy weapons are fixed in me, and thou hast pressed thy hand heavily upon me.
English Revised Version
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For thin arowis ben fitchid in me; and thou hast confermed thin hond on me.
Update Bible Version
For your arrows stick fast in me, And your hand presses me intensely.
Webster's Bible Translation
For thy arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand falleth heavy upon me.
New King James Version
For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.
New Living Translation
Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me.
New Life Bible
For Your arrows have cut deep into me. And Your hand has come down upon me.
New Revised Standard
For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, thine arrows, have sunk down into me, and thy hand, presseth heavily upon me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(37-3) For thy arrows are fastened in me: and thy hand hath been strong upon me.
Revised Standard Version
For thy arrows have sunk into me, and thy hand has come down on me.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me.

Contextual Overview

1 A Psalm of David, `To cause to remember.' Jehovah, in Thy wrath reprove me not, Nor in Thy fury chastise me. 2 For Thine arrows have come down on me, And Thou lettest down upon me Thy hand. 3 Soundness is not in my flesh, Because of Thine indignation, Peace is not in my bones because of my sin. 4 For mine iniquities have passed over my head, As a heavy burden -- too heavy for me. 5 Stunk -- become corrupt have my wounds, Because of my folly. 6 I have been bent down, I have been bowed down -- unto excess, All the day I have gone mourning. 7 For my flanks have been full of drought, And soundness is not in my flesh. 8 I have been feeble and smitten -- unto excess, I have roared from disquietude of heart. 9 Lord, before Thee [is] all my desire, And my sighing from Thee hath not been hid. 10 My heart [is] panting, my power hath forsaken me, And the light of mine eyes, Even they are not with me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thine: Psalms 21:12, Psalms 64:7, Job 6:4, Lamentations 3:12

thy hand: Psalms 32:4, Psalms 39:10, Psalms 39:11, Deuteronomy 2:15, Ruth 1:13, 1 Samuel 5:6, 1 Samuel 5:11, 1 Samuel 6:9

Reciprocal: Job 2:5 - put forth Job 19:21 - the hand Job 30:17 - My bones Psalms 45:5 - Thine Psalms 88:16 - fierce Proverbs 18:14 - but Lamentations 3:4 - My flesh Acts 13:11 - hand Romans 7:24 - wretched

Cross-References

Genesis 3:6
And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat;
Genesis 6:2
and sons of God see the daughters of men that they [are] fair, and they take to themselves women of all whom they have chosen.
Genesis 6:4
The fallen ones were in the earth in those days, and even afterwards when sons of God come in unto daughters of men, and they have borne to them -- they [are] the heroes, who, from of old, [are] the men of name.
Genesis 24:3
and I cause thee to swear by Jehovah, God of the heavens, and God of the earth, that thou dost not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanite, in the midst of whom I am dwelling;
Genesis 34:2
and Shechem, son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the land, seeth her, and taketh her, and lieth with her, and humbleth her;
Genesis 46:12
And sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah, (and Er and Onan die in the land of Canaan.) And sons of Pharez are Hezron and Hamul.
Judges 14:2
and cometh up and declareth to his father, and to his mother, and saith, `A woman I have seen in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines; and now, take her for me for a wife.'
Judges 16:1
And Samson goeth to Gaza, and seeth there a woman, a harlot, and goeth in unto her;
2 Samuel 11:2
and it cometh to pass, at evening-time, that David riseth from off his couch, and walketh up and down on the roof of the king's house, and seeth from the roof a woman bathing, and the woman [is] of very good appearance,
1 Chronicles 2:3
Sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, three have been born to him of a daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, first-born of Judah, is evil in the eyes of Jehovah, and He putteth him to death.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For thine arrows stick fast in me,.... Meaning either words with which as a father the Lord rebuked him; and which were sharp and cutting, entered into him and abode with him, and gave him much pain and uneasiness; and by which he concluded that his rebukes were in wrath and hot displeasure; such as those in 2 Samuel 12:11; so the words of men are compared to arrows, Psalms 57:4 or outward afflictions, attended with inward trouble of soul; for as judgments are the arrows of God, such as famine, pestilence, c. Ezekiel 5:16

Deuteronomy 32:21 so the chastening dispensations of Providence, under which the people of God themselves are, are so called, because they oftentimes come swiftly, suddenly, and at unawares, and are very pungent and distressing; and sometimes stick fast and continue long, by reason of which they are inwardly wounded, and conceive of God as sorely displeased with them; see Job 6:4;

and thy hand presseth me sore; the afflicting hand of God, which lay heavy upon him; and is a mighty hand when laid on such worms as mortal sinful men are, who cannot bear up under it, unless they have divine supports; see Job 19:21. This is by some supposed to be some bodily disease inflicted on him; some have thought of the leprosy, which was a stroke from the hand of God; but this is not likely, since he must have been deposed and shut up; the Jews indeed say e that he was a leper six months, and that the divine Presence was taken from him; a late learned man f thinks it was the smallpox, from the unsoundness of his flesh, the soreness of the disease, the stench of it, temporary blindness, and his friends standing aloof from him; though perhaps no other than affliction of mired for sin, comparable to the disease described, is meant.

e In R. Obadiah in loc. f De Laney's Life of King David, vol. 2. p. 146.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For thine arrows stick fast in me - See the notes at Job 6:4. The word rendered “stick fast” - נחת nâchath - means properly to go or come down; to descend; and the literal idea here would be, “thine arrows come down upon me.” It is not so much the idea of their “sticking fast” when in the wound or flesh; it is that they come down upon one, and pierce him. The meaning is, that he was afflicted “as if” God had wounded him with arrows - arrows which pierced deep in his flesh. Compare the notes at Psalms 45:5. The allusion is to the disease with which he was afflicted.

And thy hand presseth me sore - The same word is used here which in the former part of the verse is rendered “stick fast.” The idea is, that the hand of God had “descended” or “come down” upon him, prostrating his strength, and laying him on a bed of pain.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 38:2. Thine arrows stick fast in me — This no doubt, refers to the acute pains which he endured; each appearing to his feeling as if an arrow were shot into his body.


 
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