This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psalms 32:1-11 ; Psalms 38:1-22 ; Psalms 51:1-19 ; Psalms 102:1-28 ; Psalms 130:1-8 ; Psalms 143:1-12 . The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying “octave.”
The elements of the psalmist’s sorrow are given in Psalms 6:1-7 . The pressure of God’s displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy’s opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea- I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin’s lips- How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.
The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psalms 6:8-10 . The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1 John 5:15 . Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The r.v. turns the imprecation of Psalms 6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back.
Bibliographical Information Meyer, Frederick Brotherton. "Commentary on Psalms 6". "F. B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/fbm/psalms-6.html. 1914.
Verses 1-10
Deliverance in Trouble
Psalms 6:1-10
This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psalms 32:1-11 ; Psalms 38:1-22 ; Psalms 51:1-19 ; Psalms 102:1-28 ; Psalms 130:1-8 ; Psalms 143:1-12 . The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying “octave.”
The elements of the psalmist’s sorrow are given in Psalms 6:1-7 . The pressure of God’s displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy’s opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea- I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin’s lips- How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.
The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psalms 6:8-10 . The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1 John 5:15 . Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The r.v. turns the imprecation of Psalms 6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back.