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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Psalm 38:2 For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/38-2.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/3/19_Psa_038_002.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Psalm 38:2 - Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me." /><script type="application/javascript" 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href="/bsb/psalms/38.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/psalms/38.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/psalms/38.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/psalms/38.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/psalms/38.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/psalms/38.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/psalms/38.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/psalms/38.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/psalms/38.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/psalms/38.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />For Thine arrows have sunk deep into me, And Thy hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/psalms/38.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />For Your arrows have pressed deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down upon me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/psalms/38.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />For Your arrows have sunk into me <i>and</i> penetrate deeply, And Your hand has pressed down on me <i>and</i> greatly disciplined me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/psalms/38.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/psalms/38.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />For Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has pressed down on me. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/psalms/38.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />For thine arrows stick fast in me, And thy hand presseth me sore.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/psalms/38.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />You shot me with your arrows, and you struck me with your hand. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/psalms/38.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/psalms/38.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Your arrows have struck me. Your hand has struck me hard.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/psalms/38.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />You have wounded me with your arrows; you have struck me down. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/psalms/38.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />because your arrows have sunk deep into me, and your hand has come down hard on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/psalms/38.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />For Your arrows have pierced me deeply, and Your hand has pressed down on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/psalms/38.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/psalms/38.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/psalms/38.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />For thy arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand falleth heavy upon me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/psalms/38.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/psalms/38.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />For Your arrows have come down on me, "" And You let down Your hand on me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/psalms/38.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> For Thine arrows have come down on me, And Thou lettest down upon me Thy hand.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/psalms/38.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />O Jehovah, thou wilt not reprove me in thy wrath, and thou wilt not correct me in thine anger.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/psalms/38.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />For thy arrows are fastened in me : and thy hand hath been strong upon me. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/psalms/38.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br /><V 37:3>For your arrows have been driven into me, and your hand has been confirmed over me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/psalms/38.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Your arrows have sunk deep in me; your hand has come down upon me. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/psalms/38.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />For your arrows have sunk into me, and your hand has come down on me.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/psalms/38.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand rests heavily upon me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/psalms/38.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />For your arrows have stuck in me and your hand has pressed against me.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/psalms/38.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />For Thine arrows are gone deep into me, And Thy hand is come down upon me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/psalms/38.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />For thy weapons are fixed in me, and thou hast pressed thy hand heavily upon me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/psalms/38-2.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFaD2oDhKPc?start=4402" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/psalms/38.htm">Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger</a></span><br><span class="reftext">1</span>A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. <span class="reftext">2</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî- (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">For</a> <a href="/hebrew/2671.htm" title="2671: ḥiṣ·ṣe·ḵā (N-mpc:: 2ms) -- From chatsats; properly, a piercer, i.e. An arrow; by implication, a wound; figuratively, thunder-bolt; the shaft of a spear.">Your arrows</a> <a href="/hebrew/5181.htm" title="5181: ni·ḥă·ṯū (V-Nifal-Perf-3cp) -- To go down, descend. A primitive root; to sink, i.e. Descend; causatively, to press or lead down.">have pierced me deeply,</a> <a href="/hebrew/ḇî (Prep:: 1cs) -- "></a> <a href="/hebrew/3027.htm" title="3027: yā·ḏe·ḵā (N-fsc:: 2ms) -- Hand (indicating power, means, direction, etc.)">and Your hand</a> <a href="/hebrew/5181.htm" title="5181: wat·tin·ḥaṯ (Conj-w:: V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3fs) -- To go down, descend. A primitive root; to sink, i.e. Descend; causatively, to press or lead down.">has pressed down</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·lay (Prep:: 1cs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">on me.</a> </span><span class="reftext">3</span>There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/6-4.htm">Job 6:4</a></span><br />For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/lamentations/3-12.htm">Lamentations 3:12-13</a></span><br />He bent His bow and set me as the target for His arrow. / He pierced my kidneys with His arrows.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/deuteronomy/32-23.htm">Deuteronomy 32:23</a></span><br />I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend My arrows against them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/16-12.htm">Job 16:12-14</a></span><br />I was at ease, but He shattered me; He seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has set me up as His target; / His archers surround me. He pierces my kidneys without mercy and spills my gall on the ground. / He breaks me with wound upon wound; He rushes me like a mighty warrior.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/7-12.htm">Psalm 7:12-13</a></span><br />If one does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow. / He has prepared His deadly weapons; He ordains His arrows with fire.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/21-12.htm">Psalm 21:12</a></span><br />For You will put them to flight when Your bow is trained upon them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/45-5.htm">Psalm 45:5</a></span><br />Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s foes; the nations fall beneath your feet.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/64-7.htm">Psalm 64:7</a></span><br />But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/127-4.htm">Psalm 127:4</a></span><br />Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/7-23.htm">Proverbs 7:23</a></span><br />until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-28.htm">Isaiah 5:28</a></span><br />Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/49-2.htm">Isaiah 49:2</a></span><br />He made My mouth like a sharp sword; He hid Me in the shadow of His hand. He made Me like a polished arrow; He hid Me in His quiver.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/50-9.htm">Jeremiah 50:9</a></span><br />For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/habakkuk/3-11.htm">Habakkuk 3:11</a></span><br />Sun and moon stood still in their places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/zechariah/9-14.htm">Zechariah 9:14</a></span><br />Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">For your arrows stick fast in me, and your hand presses me sore.</p><p class="hdg">thine</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/21-12.htm">Psalm 21:12</a></b></br> Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, <i>when</i> thou shalt make ready <i>thine arrows</i> upon thy strings against the face of them.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/64-7.htm">Psalm 64:7</a></b></br> But God shall shoot at them <i>with</i> an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/6-4.htm">Job 6:4</a></b></br> For the arrows of the Almighty <i>are</i> within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.</p><p class="hdg">thy hand</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/32-4.htm">Psalm 32:4</a></b></br> For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/39-10.htm">Psalm 39:10,11</a></b></br> Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/2-15.htm">Deuteronomy 2:15</a></b></br> For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/21-12.htm">Arrows</a> <a href="/psalms/34-18.htm">Crushed</a> <a href="/psalms/36-6.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/psalms/37-24.htm">Falleth</a> <a href="/psalms/33-11.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/psalms/27-2.htm">Flesh</a> <a href="/psalms/38-1.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/psalms/21-8.htm">Hard</a> <a href="/psalms/32-4.htm">Heavy</a> <a href="/job/15-13.htm">Lettest</a> <a href="/psalms/22-16.htm">Pierced</a> <a href="/esther/8-14.htm">Pressed</a> <a href="/job/24-11.htm">Presses</a> <a href="/2_kings/5-16.htm">Presseth</a> <a href="/psalms/6-10.htm">Sore</a> <a href="/job/41-29.htm">Stick</a> <a href="/psalms/9-15.htm">Sunk</a> <a href="/psalms/32-4.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/45-5.htm">Arrows</a> <a href="/psalms/38-8.htm">Crushed</a> <a href="/psalms/39-3.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/proverbs/11-5.htm">Falleth</a> <a href="/psalms/41-8.htm">Fast</a> <a href="/psalms/38-3.htm">Flesh</a> <a href="/psalms/39-10.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/psalms/39-10.htm">Hard</a> <a href="/psalms/38-4.htm">Heavy</a> <a href="/luke/2-29.htm">Lettest</a> <a href="/psalms/40-6.htm">Pierced</a> <a href="/isaiah/1-6.htm">Pressed</a> <a href="/proverbs/3-10.htm">Presses</a> <a href="/amos/2-13.htm">Presseth</a> <a href="/psalms/38-8.htm">Sore</a> <a href="/psalms/102-5.htm">Stick</a> <a href="/psalms/44-25.htm">Sunk</a> <a href="/psalms/38-4.htm">Weight</a><div class="vheading2">Psalm 38</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/38-1.htm">David moves God to take compassion on his pitiful case</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/38.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/psalms/38.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>For Your arrows have pierced me deeply</b><br>This phrase uses the metaphor of arrows to describe the intense conviction and discipline from God. In biblical times, arrows were common weapons of war, symbolizing swift and penetrating judgment. The imagery suggests that the psalmist feels deeply wounded by God's corrective actions. This can be connected to <a href="/job/6-4.htm">Job 6:4</a>, where Job speaks of the "arrows of the Almighty" being within him, indicating a profound sense of divine chastisement. Theologically, this reflects the belief that God disciplines those He loves (<a href="/hebrews/12-6.htm">Hebrews 12:6</a>), and the piercing nature of the arrows signifies the depth of the psalmist's awareness of his sin and the resulting divine displeasure.<p><b>and Your hand has pressed down on me</b><br>The hand of God is often used in Scripture to denote His power and authority. Here, it signifies the weight of God's discipline and the overwhelming sense of His presence in judgment. This imagery is consistent with other biblical passages where God's hand represents both protection and correction (e.g., <a href="/psalms/32-4.htm">Psalm 32:4</a>, where David speaks of God's hand being heavy upon him). The pressing down suggests an inescapable burden, reflecting the psalmist's acute awareness of his sin and the resulting consequences. This can be seen as a type of Christ, who bore the full weight of God's wrath for sin on the cross, providing a way for believers to be reconciled with God.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/d/david.htm">David</a></b><br>- Traditionally attributed as the author of <a href="/bsb/psalms/38.htm">Psalm 38</a>, David is expressing his deep sense of distress and conviction of sin.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>- The divine being to whom David is speaking, acknowledging His role in the discipline and conviction David feels.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/a/arrows.htm">Arrows</a></b><br>- Symbolic of God's judgment or conviction, representing the deep impact of God's discipline on David.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/h/hand_of_god.htm">Hand of God</a></b><br>- Represents God's power and authority, pressing down on David as a form of correction or discipline.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/i/israel.htm">Israel</a></b><br>- The nation to which David belonged, often experiencing collective discipline from God due to sin.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_divine_discipline.htm">Understanding Divine Discipline</a></b><br>Recognize that God's discipline is a sign of His love and care for us, intended to bring us back to righteousness.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_weight_of_sin.htm">The Weight of Sin</a></b><br>Acknowledge the seriousness of sin and its consequences, as David does, feeling the weight of God's hand upon him.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_confession.htm">The Role of Confession</a></b><br>Emphasize the importance of confession and repentance in alleviating the burden of sin and restoring fellowship with God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_in_correction.htm">God's Sovereignty in Correction</a></b><br>Trust in God's sovereignty and wisdom in how He chooses to correct and guide us, knowing it is for our ultimate good.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/seeking_god's_mercy.htm">Seeking God's Mercy</a></b><br>Encourage seeking God's mercy and forgiveness, understanding that His discipline is not punitive but restorative.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_psalm_38.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 38</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_psalm_38_align_with_hope.htm">How do we reconcile Psalm 38’s extreme self-condemnation with other biblical passages that offer hope and forgiveness?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_divine_arrows_explain_job's_suffering.htm">In Job 6:4, how could divine arrows filled with poison be reconciled with any natural or historical cause of Job’s suffering? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/pierced_or_like_a_lion_in_psalm_22_16.htm">Is it 'pierced' or 'like a lion' in Psalm 22:16?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/evidence_for_david's_psalm_38_affliction.htm">If David wrote Psalm 38, is there historical or archaeological evidence supporting his severe affliction described here?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/38.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(2) <span class= "bld">For thine arrows . . .</span>--The same figure is used of the disease from which Job suffered (elephantiasis? <a href="/job/6-4.htm" title="For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinks up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.">Job 6:4</a>); of famine (<a href="/ezekiel/5-16.htm" title="When I shall send on them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for their destruction, and which I will send to destroy you: and I will increase the famine on you, and will break your staff of bread:">Ezekiel 5:16</a>); and generally of divine judgments (<a href="/deuteronomy/32-23.htm" title="I will heap mischiefs on them; I will spend my arrows on them.">Deuteronomy 32:23</a>). By itself it therefore decides nothing as to the particular cause of the Psalmist's grief.<p><span class= "bld">Stick fast.</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">have sunk into, </span>from a root meaning <span class= "ital">to descend. Presseth, </span>in the next clause, is from the same verb. Translate, therefore,<p>For thine arrows have fallen deep into me,<p>And fallen upon me has thine hand.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/38.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">For thine arrows stick fast in me</span>. (On the "arrows" of the Almighty, see above, <a href="/psalms/7-13.htm">Psalm 7:13</a>; and comp. <a href="/job/6-4.htm">Job 6:4</a>; <a href="/psalms/18-14.htm">Psalm 18:14</a>; <a href="/psalms/45-5.htm">Psalm 45:5</a>; <a href="/psalms/64-7.htm">Psalm 64:7</a>; <a href="/psalms/77-17.htm">Psalm 77:17</a>, etc.) It has been maintained that by "God's arrows" only sickness is meant (Hitzig); but the contrary appears from <a href="/deuteronomy/32-23.htm">Deuteronomy 32:23-25</a>. Hengstenberg is right, "The arrows of the Almighty denote all the chastisements of sin depending on God." And thy hand presseth me sore. The verb used is the same in both clauses; but it is difficult to express both ideas by one term in English. Dr. Kay makes the attempt by translating, "For thine arrows have sunk deep in me; yea, thine hand sank heavily on me." <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/psalms/38-2.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">For</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּֽי־</span> <span class="translit">(kî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Your arrows</span><br /><span class="heb">חִ֭צֶּיךָ</span> <span class="translit">(ḥiṣ·ṣe·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2671.htm">Strong's 2671: </a> </span><span class="str2">A piercer, an arrow, a wound, thunderbolt, the shaft of a, spear</span><br /><br /><span class="word">have pierced me deeply,</span><br /><span class="heb">נִ֣חֲתוּ</span> <span class="translit">(ni·ḥă·ṯū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5181.htm">Strong's 5181: </a> </span><span class="str2">To sink, descend, to press, lead down</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and Your hand</span><br /><span class="heb">יָדֶֽךָ׃</span> <span class="translit">(yā·ḏe·ḵā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3027.htm">Strong's 3027: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hand</span><br /><br /><span class="word">has pressed down</span><br /><span class="heb">וַתִּנְחַ֖ת</span> <span class="translit">(wat·tin·ḥaṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5181.htm">Strong's 5181: </a> </span><span class="str2">To sink, descend, to press, lead down</span><br /><br /><span class="word">on me.</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלַ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·lay)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/psalms/38-2.htm">Psalm 38:2 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/psalms/38-2.htm">OT Poetry: Psalm 38:2 For your arrows have pierced me your (Psalm Ps Psa.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/psalms/38-1.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Psalm 38:1"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Psalm 38:1" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/psalms/38-3.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Psalm 38:3"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Psalm 38:3" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>