Psalm 38 1

Psalm 38:1 kjv

O lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Psalm 38:1 nkjv

A Psalm of David. To bring to remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!

Psalm 38:1 niv

A psalm of David. A petition. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

Psalm 38:1 esv

O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!

Psalm 38:1 nlt

O LORD, don't rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage!

Psalm 38 verses

Psalm 38 1 Meaning

Psalm 38:1 opens a profound prayer of confession and lament. It is a plea from an individual (King David, traditionally) who is experiencing severe distress—physical, emotional, and social—which he interprets as the disciplinary hand of God for his sins. The verse asks God not to judge or discipline him in His full, unbridled wrath or consuming hot displeasure. The psalmist acknowledges God’s right to bring correction due to his transgressions, but he earnestly appeals for that discipline to be tempered with mercy, designed for repentance and restoration rather than utter destruction.

Psalm 38 1 Context

Psalm 38 is one of the seven penitential psalms, profoundly expressing confession, remorse, and suffering related to sin. It is ascribed to David and described as a "Miktam" (a term with uncertain meaning, possibly referring to a golden psalm or one offering expiation). The psalm paints a vivid picture of the psalmist’s intense physical ailment, likely seen as a direct consequence of his sin, compounded by social alienation and opposition from enemies. He is utterly burdened by his iniquity, which he describes as overwhelming. Verse 1 serves as the opening plea within this context of deep personal suffering and recognized guilt, seeking a specific type of divine response – correction, yes, but without the consuming fire of God's full, unreserved wrath, acknowledging His ultimate right to mete out justice. The plea reflects an understanding of God’s nature: that while He is righteous and judges sin, He is also merciful and slow to anger towards those who repent and seek His grace.

Psalm 38 1 Word analysis

• "O Lord" (יהוה - YHWH): This addresses the covenant God, the personal and revealed name of the Creator. It highlights a relationship, however strained by sin, indicating that the psalmist appeals to God's covenant faithfulness and longsuffering character. It is a plea to the sovereign One who has made Himself known and revealed His attributes.
• "rebuke" (יכח - yakhaḥ): Means to correct, reprove, convict, judge, or decide. It suggests a legal or moral rectification. The psalmist acknowledges he deserves a rightful judgment or bringing of truth, but not one delivered with overwhelming force. It implies God's truth-telling and moral order are in play.
• "me not" (אל - ’al): This particle creates a strong prohibition, similar to "do not" or "let not." It clearly indicates that the psalmist is asking for restraint, not for the absence of any divine dealing, but specifically not a dealing motivated purely by wrath or destructive fury.
• "in thy wrath" (באפך - be’appeḵā): Literally "in your nose" (אף - aph), which is an idiom for anger due to the flaring of nostrils during indignation. It denotes intense displeasure, indignation, or hot anger. This is the punitive aspect of divine emotion towards sin, often leading to severe consequences. The psalmist desires that this anger not be expressed in its fullest, overwhelming intensity.
• "neither" (ואל - wĕ’al): An intensifying conjunction ("and not"), it parallels the preceding phrase, strengthening the negative plea and broadening its scope. It signifies that the second half of the verse reinforces the first.
• "chasten" (יסר - yāsar): This term carries the connotation of discipline, instruction, training, or correction, often likened to the way a parent corrects a child for their education and benefit. It is intended to produce improvement and lead to righteous behavior, distinct from pure punishment without redemptive purpose.
• "me" (ני - ni): The suffix simply indicates the first-person singular object, directing the action to the psalmist himself.
• "in thy hot displeasure" (בחמתך - baḥamāṭeḵā): Refers to burning anger, fierce indignation, or wrath, derived from the root meaning "to be hot." This word (חמה - chema) often signifies a more intense, consuming, and devastating fury than aph. The psalmist specifically prays against this ultimate, possibly annihilating, manifestation of God's righteous anger.
• Words-group by words-group:
  • "rebuke me not in thy wrath": This phrase expresses the fundamental request: to be disciplined by God’s righteousness and justice, but without the destructive aspect of His fierce indignation. It's a prayer that correction would not cross the line into complete judgment or abandonment.
  • "neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure": This line intensifies and re-emphasizes the previous plea through poetic parallelism. By linking "chasten" (which usually implies instruction and discipline) with "hot displeasure" (a term for extreme, burning fury), the psalmist conveys his fear of discipline that feels utterly overwhelming, punitive beyond measure, and devoid of the restorative purpose typically associated with chastening. It's a desperate cry for God to restrain the ultimate expression of His anger, which could feel like a consuming fire.

Psalm 38 1 Bonus section

This verse, directly echoing Psalm 6:1, underscores a common theological truth: God's dealings with His people, even in their sin, often aim for restoration rather than annihilation. While God's wrath is real and terrifying for the impenitent, for His covenant people who confess their sin, His discipline is fundamentally corrective, a sign of His fatherly love. The psalmist's deep awareness of the weight of sin and its physical and emotional consequences is crucial to understanding this plea. He knows he is accountable and that God’s anger is righteous. His plea is thus not from a sense of innocence, but from an overwhelming desire for divine grace that saves from the finality of unmitigated wrath, holding onto the hope that God's discipline, even severe, will ultimately serve to purify and draw him back into closer fellowship rather than casting him away.

Psalm 38 1 Commentary

Psalm 38:1 serves as a profound entry point into David’s penitential psalm. The verse does not attempt to deny the reality of sin or the necessity of divine consequence; rather, it highlights a deep understanding of God's just character combined with an earnest plea for His mercy. David differentiates between corrective discipline, which he accepts as warranted for his transgressions, and the unbridled, consuming fury of God’s ultimate wrath. He is not asking to avoid all judgment, but that the form and intensity of God's dealings with him be aimed at his repentance and restoration, rather than his utter destruction or overwhelming condemnation. This request relies entirely on God's attribute of longsuffering and grace, echoing promises like God being "slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." It is a model for any believer who stands guilty before a holy God, confessing their failings yet clinging to hope in divine compassion that tempers justice with mercy. This verse reminds us that while God justly opposes sin, His desire is for redemption, and even in discipline, He offers a pathway back to Him.