I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
What does Psalms 6:6 mean?
These verses speak the language of a heart truly humbled, of a broken and contrite spirit under great afflictions, sent to awaken conscience and mortify corruption.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 6:6
I am weary with my groaning - I am exhausted or worn out with it. That is, his sorrows were so deep, and his groaning was so constant, that his strength failed. He became "faint" under the weight of his sorrows. All persons in trouble have experienced this effect - the sense of weariness or exhaustion from sorrow. All the night make I my bed to swim - That is, he wept so much that his bed seemed to be immersed in tears. This is, of course, hyperbolical language, expressing in a strong and emphatic manner the depth of his sorrows.
Key words
- weary
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I am weary with my groanings,.
- groaning
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I am weary with my groanings,.
Context in Psalms 6
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Psalms 6 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book I. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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