Psalms 38:3

38:3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; ¹ 

I am deprived of health because of my sin. ² 

Psalms 38:5

38:5 My wounds ³  are infected and starting to smell, ⁴ 

because of my foolish sins. ⁵ 

[38:3]  ¹ tn Heb “there is no soundness in my flesh from before your anger.” “Anger” here refers metonymically to divine judgment, which is the practical effect of God’s anger at the psalmist’s sin.

[38:3]  ² tn Heb “there is no health in my bones from before my sin.”

[38:5]  ³ sn The reference to wounds may be an extension of the metaphorical language of v. 2. The psalmist pictures himself as one whose flesh is ripped and torn by arrows.

[38:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “my wounds stink, they are festering” (cf. NEB).

[38:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “from before my foolishness.”