Psalm 6 describes the agony of King David. He suffers from both physical and mental pain, although the mental pain is the worst. We can best learn lessons from demoralizing situations from David. He asks nothing for himself. He fully realizes that he doesn’t deserve this. He therefore asks G-d to relieve his soul from the pressure he is experiencing. When we praise HaShem, enlightenment is near.
- Text Psalm 6
- Hebrew text of Psalm 6 – תהילים ו
- Listen to Psalm 6
- Explanation of Psalm 6 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Rashi’s commentary on Psalm 6
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 6
A Psalm of David. O Lord, do not punish me in your anger, do not chastise me in your anger. Have mercy, O Lord, for I am wasting away. Heal me, O Lord, I am terrified, I fear for my life. How long, Eternal, must I wait?
……….Away from me , all you who do evil! The Eternal hears how loudly I cry, the Eternal hears my cry for mercy, the Eternal accepts my supplication. Ashamed and terrified, my enemies turn, covered in shame in an instant.
Hebrew text of Psalm 6 – תהילים ו
A for playing a hymn to David on the octave. O Jehovah, in your mercy, reprove me, and in your mercy, forgive me. 3 Have mercy on me, Jehovah, for I am miserable; heal me, Jehovah, for I am afraid. 4 And my soul was greatly troubled, and (and you) Jehovah until my death. Return, Jehovah, redeem my soul, save me for the sake of your mercy. And because there is no remembrance of you in death, who will thank you. Z I reached with my sigh Ashcha every night I lay down with my tears carrying my cradle. 8 The anger of my eyes has become a copy in all my eyes. 9 All evildoers are removed from me, for Jehovah has heard the voice of my cry. Yahweh hear my plea, Yahweh will take my prayer. Oh, let them dry up and be very afraid of all my enemies, they will return, let them dry up a moment.
Listen to Psalm 6
Listen to Psalm 6 in Hebrew
Explanation of Psalm 6 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
Psalm 6 is recited by many Jews almost every day.
King David cries so much on his sickbed that his sheets have to be changed several times a day because of the tears. Such pain is beyond understanding. And yet many Jews recite the words of this Psalm almost every day. Apparently the words have meaning for the Jews.
mental and physical suffering King David’s words are not just poetry. They are real for our own experience and are meant to connect with the innermost being of the human being that so often suffers both mentally and physically. In this Psalm it is said, Heal me HaShem from the disease that has penetrated my bones. This refers to physical pain. But the soul is also anxious.
King David suffers more mentally than physically Me’am Lo’ez tells us that King David suffers more pain in his soul than his body. As long as his mind is strong, he could bear the physical pain. But when the soul was struck, he feared for his eternity.
Since Adam and Eve, humanity has not been able to live in total peace with itself. Since Adam and Eve, humanity has not been able to live in total peace with itself. T his is the result of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. The test in life is to form as much peace as one can and accept that this will always be difficult. It took King David thirteen years to recover. What he teaches us is that the ultimate healing comes from HaShem.
demoralizing situations: don’t think about yourself but praise HaShem. Lessons from demoralizing situations can best be learned from David. He asks nothing for himself. He fully realizes that he doesn’t deserve this. He therefore asks God to relieve his soul of the pressure he experiences. “Save me ,” David pleads. ,Return, O Lord, deliver my soul; deliver me for your lovingkindness., And David cries, “For in death there is no remembrance of You; who will praise You in Hades?” As evidence of his changed behavior, David declares that his sole motivation for begging for the restoration of his health is to use the gift of life to praise HaShem.
turning difficulties into spiritual growth King David teaches us to turn difficulties we face as human beings into spiritual growth. We can channel our prayers into true enlightenment. When we praise HaShem, enlightenment is near.
helping our loved ones Our loved ones also have problems. The Torah gives duties to help our neighbors from the depths of despair. We do n’t have to play psychologist, but we can express empathy. We may wonder what our loved ones are concerned about. How can I help?
the grave is not the hope Some people think that death brings the solution. But that ‘s not true. We must turn our hearts to HaShem. The first step is the most difficult, but it provides immediate relief. All we need to realize is that to help ourselves, we must first offer help to others.
Rashi’s commentary on Psalm 6
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
To the conductor with melodies on the sheminith, a song of David.
on the sheminith : a harp of eight strings, known as sheminith, and so we find (in I Chronicles 15:21): ,To accompany So-and-so and his sons on the sheminith.,
Verse 3
Be merciful to me, O Lord, because I am wasting away; heal me, O Lord, because my bones are afraid.
languish : אמלל, desolate and poor in strength, konfondouc in Old French, confused, bewildered as ,these weak Jews (האמללים),, from Ezra (Nehemiah 3:34).
Verse 4
And my soul is in great fear, and You, O Lord, how long?
and You, O Lord, how long : Will You look upon me and not heal [me]?
Verse 5
Return, O Lord, save my soul; save me for Your loving-kindness’ sake.
Return, O Lord : from your wrath.
save my soul : from my illness.
Verse 7
I am weary with my groaning; every night I defile my bed; I wet my couch with my tears.
every night I defile my bed : Heb. אשׂחה an expression of (Lam 3:45): ,scum (סחי) and reject,; (Isaiah 5:25), “and their carcasses were like spittle (כסוחה).” I soil my bed with tears. However, Menachem (p.172) associated it with (Isaiah 25:11), ,while the swimmer (השׂחה) spreads out his hands to swim (לשׂחות),, and with (Ezekiel 47:5), ,Water for swimming (שׂחו).”
I wet my couch with my tears : I moisten and wet it as with water.
Verse 8
My eye is dim with anger; it is outdated because of all my opponents.
is dimmed : Heb. עשׁשׁה, an expression of a lantern (עשׁשׁית), an eye that has damaged its sight and seems to see through the glass [before its eyes]. Menachem defines it as an expression of decay, and thus any expression of עשׁ, such as (under 31:11) ,and my bones are thrown away (עשׁשׁו).,
it is outdated : Heb. עתקה. My eye has aged and grown old because the light has dimmed. Menachem (p.139) associated it with (Genesis 12:8): ,And he went (ויעתק) from there to the mountain.,
because of all my opponents : because of the problems that hurt me.
Verse 11
All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly afraid; they will turn back and be ashamed in a moment.
will be ashamed and very afraid, etc. What is the meaning of ,that they will return and be ashamed, the second time? Rabbi Johanan said: ,In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will judge the wicked of the nations of the world and condemn them to Gehinnom. Because they will complain to Him, He will take them back and show them their reports again, and He brings them back to Gehinnom. This is a double shame. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani says: In the future, every nation will call to its god, but it will not answer. Consequently, they will call to the Holy One, blessed be He. He will speak to them say, ,If you had called me first, I would have answered you. Now you have made the idols of primary importance and Me of secondary import. Therefore I will not answer, ,for it is written (under 18:42):, They pray, but no one saves them. “This refers to the idols and then to” the Lord, but He did not answer them. “Therefore it is said, “They shall return and be ashamed.”
in a moment : in a little while.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
In this Psalm the view of Judaism regarding the Fall is very clearly expressed. According to Judaism, after the Fall of Adam, man is inclined to sin because the balance between the spiritual and the material is disturbed. Judaism does not believe in Christianity’s dogma that man is doomed to sin (original sin does not appear in the Torah!). No matter how deeply we sin, through sincere repentance it is always possible to return to God. If man were doomed to sin, he would never again be able to make the choice between good and evil. After all, everything man does is wrong or sinful. In that case, man would be a puppet of G-d. Judaism thinks differently about this. Although G-d determines the entire life of every person down to the last detail, man has been given free will to choose G-d or not. G-d wants man to choose for him. This is how man can receive ultimate pleasure. G-d wants man to grow spiritually. With original sin, spiritual growth is impossible. King David teaches us how to overcome our difficulties. We can draw closer to G-d through prayer.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.