Psalm 6 1

Psalm 6:1 kjv

O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Psalm 6:1 nkjv

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

Psalm 6:1 niv

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.

Psalm 6:1 esv

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

Psalm 6:1 nlt

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

Psalm 6 verses

Psalm 6 1 Meaning

Psalm 6:1 is a heartfelt plea from one suffering greatly, seeking the Lord's intervention and mercy. It expresses a fervent prayer that God, the covenant LORD, would not correct or discipline the psalmist out of a consuming, destructive wrath, but rather with a measured hand. The psalmist acknowledges the right of God to rebuke and chasten but fears the full extent of His "anger" and "hot displeasure," suggesting an understanding of divine judgment that can be severe and overwhelming, akin to complete destruction. This verse opens a penitential psalm, reflecting a state of deep distress, likely spiritual, emotional, and physical, stemming from a perceived consequence of sin or a severe trial.

Psalm 6 1 Context

Psalm 6 is the first of seven "Penitential Psalms" (Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), which express confession, remorse, and an appeal for forgiveness and healing from distress caused by sin or its consequences. While the exact historical context for David's suffering is not specified, it is clearly a period of intense personal anguish—both physical illness and spiritual desolation—alongside affliction from adversaries. The psalm as a whole depicts a soul utterly overwhelmed, weary from groaning, and pleading for deliverance from a combination of illness and enemies. Verse 1 serves as the opening lament and initial request, setting the tone for a prayer that distinguishes between God's disciplinary correction for improvement and His destructive, consuming judgment that might annihilate. The psalmist desires the former, fearing the latter.

Psalm 6 1 Word analysis

• O LORD (יהוה - YHWH): The sacred, covenant name of God, frequently rendered "LORD" in all capitals. It signifies God's self-existent, eternal, and unchanging nature, as well as His faithful relationship with His people. Addressing God by this name emphasizes the personal and covenantal bond, implying a right to appeal based on God's established character and promises. It suggests a plea from one in relationship, not just any deity.
• rebuke (גָּעַר - ga'ar): To strongly reprove, warn, or reprimand, often with an inherent sense of authority and power, suggesting a decisive, sometimes sharp, intervention. It can carry the connotation of checking or restraining with a threat. Here, it implies a severity that the psalmist seeks to avoid in its full force.
• me (מִּבַי - bi): This simple pronoun highlights the intense personal nature of the prayer. It is David's direct appeal concerning his own specific circumstances and fears.
• not (אַל - al): A strong negative particle, indicating a direct prohibition or earnest plea for avoidance. It signifies the core request of the verse.
• in Your anger (בְאַפֶּךָ - be'appeḵā): From אַף (aph), literally meaning "nostril" or "face," and by extension, "anger," particularly a passionate, sometimes swift and fierce, form of indignation, often accompanied by strong emotion. This is a manifestation of God's just wrath.
• nor (וְאַל - ve'al): And not. This conjunction further connects and strengthens the parallel plea, preventing the second clause from being an entirely separate request.
• chasten (תְיַסְּרֵנִי - tǝyassereni): From יָסַר (yasar), which means to discipline, instruct, correct, or chastise, often implying parental education or training through hardship for growth and improvement. This is a purposeful correction intended for good, contrasting with uncontrolled destructive fury.
• in Your hot displeasure (בַּחֲמָתֶךָ - baḥǎmāṯeḵā): From חֵמָה (chema), meaning "heat," "rage," or "fierce anger/wrath." This term signifies a stronger, more intense, and potentially consuming and destructive wrath than aph. It speaks of burning indignation and passionate fury. The parallelism shows an escalation, from aph to chema, highlighting the ultimate intensity of divine judgment the psalmist desperately seeks to avert.

• "rebuke me not in Your anger": This phrase captures the immediate, forceful restraint from divine reproof driven by hot emotion. It is a prayer for mercy even in discipline.
• "nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure": This parallel intensifies the plea, specifically against a discipline that springs from devastating, consuming rage. It differentiates God's measured, corrective hand from His ultimate, destructive judgment against sin.
• The parallelism of "anger" (aph) and "hot displeasure" (chema): Shows synonymous parallelism with increasing intensity. While both denote divine wrath, chema generally indicates a more intense, overflowing, and potentially destructive rage. The psalmist's deep distress causes him to appeal not just against immediate, passionate anger but against its fiercest manifestation that would bring annihilation. This distinguishes between parental discipline (which still might involve pain) and punitive judgment unto destruction.

Psalm 6 1 Bonus section

The Penitential Psalms became highly significant in early Christian practice, particularly during Lent, as prayers reflecting confession of sin and seeking divine mercy and renewal. Psalm 6:1 specifically reveals an important theological understanding that God's anger, while real and just against sin, is not arbitrary or uncontrollably destructive towards His covenant people when they seek Him. Instead, it is meant to lead to repentance and holiness. This aligns with the New Testament concept that God disciplines those He loves (Heb 12:6). The underlying fear is not of God ceasing to be God, but of experiencing the severity of His judgment without His tempering mercy, a judgment akin to that reserved for the utterly unrepentant. This foundational understanding allows for humble confession and the expectation of restorative grace, not utter destruction.

Psalm 6 1 Commentary

Psalm 6:1 is a desperate and honest cry from a soul aware of divine justice but appealing to divine mercy. The psalmist, likely David, is experiencing a consequence, perhaps of his own sin or some profound trial, that feels like God's displeasure. Yet, he understands that there are degrees to God's dealings. He welcomes correction that brings repentance and restoration, seeing it as God's disciplinary hand (implied by yasar in other contexts), but recoils from the consuming, annihilating wrath (chema) that could entirely obliterate him. This distinction highlights God's sovereignty over both discipline and judgment, and the believer's fervent hope that God's heart of compassion, which is slow to anger, will prevail. It implicitly appeals to God's nature as merciful and gracious, urging Him to remember mercy even in wrath, ensuring that His corrective action is redemptive rather than destructive. This verse is a testament to the fact that even in distress, one can humbly approach God, trusting in His greater purposes beyond immediate suffering.Examples:

• A parent chastising a child for disobedience to teach them, rather than utterly disowning them.
• A physician giving painful medicine to cure an illness, as opposed to abandoning the patient to their disease.