Psalm 6:6 kjv
I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
Psalm 6:6 nkjv
I am weary with my groaning; All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.
Psalm 6:6 niv
I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.
Psalm 6:6 esv
I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
Psalm 6:6 nlt
I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
Psalm 6 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 30:5 | Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. | Contrast: sorrow temporary, joy follows. |
| Ps 42:3 | My tears have been my food day and night, while they say... "Where is your God?" | Continuous weeping, reproach from others. |
| Ps 56:8 | You have kept count of my wanderings; put my tears in your bottle. | God remembers and treasures every tear. |
| Ps 77:2-3 | In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out... My soul refused to be comforted. | Persistent lament at night, inconsolable grief. |
| Job 16:20 | My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God. | Crying directly to God in anguish. |
| Lam 2:18 | Their heart cried to the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears stream down like a torrent... | Extreme collective lament and tears. |
| Isa 38:5 | Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. | God hears prayer and sees tears; responds. |
| Jer 9:1 | Oh that my head were waters and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night... | Desired abundant weeping over destruction. |
| Rom 9:2 | I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. | Apostle Paul's profound emotional distress. |
| 2 Cor 2:4 | For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears... | Paul's tears signify deep pastoral care. |
| Heb 5:7 | In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears... | Christ's human experience of sorrow and tears. |
| Ps 31:9-10 | Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief... my life is spent with sorrow... | Physical decay from prolonged sorrow. |
| Ps 38:3-8 | There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation... my loins are filled with searing pain, and there is no soundness in my flesh. | Physical effects of God's hand on a sinner. |
| Ps 102:3-5 | For my days pass away like smoke... my bones burn like a furnace. My heart is struck down... I forget to eat my bread. | Physical and emotional wasting away. |
| Job 7:3-4 | So I am allotted months of emptiness and nights of misery are appointed to me... I am full of tossings till dawn. | Sleeplessness and misery in night. |
| Ps 119:147 | I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. | Early morning prayer, driven by hope. |
| Heb 12:6 | For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. | Context of divine discipline causing distress. |
| Rev 21:4 | He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore... | Future hope of ultimate cessation of tears. |
| Ps 137:1 | By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. | Collective weeping in exile. |
| Eccl 7:4 | The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. | Wisdom associated with understanding sorrow. |
Psalm 6 verses
Psalm 6 6 Meaning
Psalm 6:6 depicts King David's profound suffering and relentless grief under divine discipline. His "groaning" indicates deep inner anguish, not just physical pain. The hyperbole of his tears "drenching" his bed and "making his couch swim" vividly portrays the overwhelming sorrow that consumes his nights, leaving him exhausted. This verse conveys an intense spiritual and emotional torment, manifesting in physical debilitation, signifying the extremity of his lament before God.
Psalm 6 6 Context
Psalm 6 is one of the seven penitential psalms (along with 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), distinguished by their theme of repentance, confession, and plea for forgiveness for sin. As the first among these, it sets the tone for deep distress felt under divine displeasure. The psalmist, presumed to be David, describes himself physically wasted away, weary, sleepless, and heartbroken due to his sin and God's anger. The immediate verses preceding verse 6 speak of the Lord's wrath and his bones trembling (v. 2) and soul being greatly troubled (v. 3). Verse 6 graphically extends this picture to the depths of his nightly suffering. This intensity of lament contrasts with ancient Near Eastern polytheistic beliefs where gods were often capricious and distant, highlighting the personal and responsive nature of Yahweh, even in judgment. David’s open appeal to God, expressing such raw emotion and seeking mercy despite deserving judgment, is unique and foundational to Israelite faith.
Psalm 6 6 Word analysis
- I am weary (
נָמַק, namoq): Implies wasting away, decaying, or dissolving. More than mere fatigue, it suggests being utterly spent and withered from suffering, potentially hinting at a physical sickness linked to spiritual anguish. - with my groaning (
בַּאֲנַחְתִּי, ba'anachti): Groaning signifies a deep, internal sound of anguish that often cannot be articulated in words. It's the sound of a burdened spirit, a prayer of desperation when no words suffice. - all night long (
בְּכָל־לַיְלָה, bekol-lailah): Emphasizes the duration and ceaselessness of his suffering. Nights, typically for rest, become a period of exacerbated agony, amplifying his torment. This underscores chronic and debilitating distress. - I make my bed swim (
אַשְׁחֶה מִטָּתִי, ashkhe mittati): The verbאַשְׁחֶה(ashkhe, Hiphil imperfect ofשָׂחָה, sacha) means "to make something swim" or "to cause to flow." This is powerful hyperbole, not a literal statement. It vividly depicts the enormous volume of tears shed, overwhelming even the largest object like a bed, representing the totality of his grief. - I drench (
אַמְסֶה, amse): Fromמָסָס(masas), meaning to melt, dissolve, or cause to melt. Here, "drench" or "dissolve" carries the weight of liquid saturation, reinforcing the earlier image of overflowing tears. It could also suggest the melting or breaking down of the psalmist himself, alongside his tears. - my couch (
עַרְשִׂי, arshi): A term for a bed or lounge, often implying a place of intimate rest or slumber. The saturation of his personal resting place underscores that there is no escape or respite from his pain, even in sleep.
Words-group analysis:
- "I am weary with my groaning; all night long I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.": This entire verse employs parallelism and intense imagery. The phrases "make my bed swim" and "drench my couch with my tears" serve as synonymous parallelism, reiterating and intensifying the extent of his weeping. The shift from "bed" to "couch" suggests both his common sleeping place and perhaps another place where he seeks rest but finds only sorrow. The physical expressions of grief—weariness, groaning, overflowing tears—reveal the complete exhaustion and deep despondency of the psalmist. His lament is not just mental but has physically debilitating consequences.
Psalm 6 6 Bonus section
The intense, graphic language of Psalm 6:6 serves to emphasize the truly visceral nature of the psalmist's suffering. It's not just a poetic flourish but a theological statement about how deeply the soul can be affected when experiencing God's discipline. This kind of lament tradition, where suffering leads to outpouring before God, is critical for understanding biblical spirituality. It teaches that expressing profound pain and grief honestly is a valid and even necessary component of a relationship with a righteous God. Furthermore, it hints at the interconnectedness of the spiritual and physical well-being: spiritual anguish often manifests in physical symptoms like fatigue and restlessness, reflecting the holistic nature of biblical anthropology.
Psalm 6 6 Commentary
Psalm 6:6 is a potent articulation of human suffering under God's righteous displeasure. David's experience, detailed through a hyperbole of tears, underscores the intensity of sorrow that flows from conviction of sin and perception of divine absence. His nights, usually periods of repose, are transformed into ceaseless vigils of grief, emphasizing a pervasive and unrelenting agony that touches the deepest core of his being. This isn't merely sadness but a profound affliction affecting soul, mind, and body, leaving him utterly depleted. Yet, even in such despair, the very act of lament is a turning towards God, a hope-filled plea to the one who can relieve. The excessive tears portray not just emotional outpouring, but a sacrificial act of raw honesty and desperate supplication, appealing to God’s mercy even through judgment. For the believer, it shows that even figures like David experienced such profound distress and provides a script for authentic, heart-wrenching prayer during seasons of trial or sin-induced pain.