Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 6:3
My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
3. Mind as well as body, the inner self as well as its outer organism, is dismayed. Our Lord appropriates these words, in view of His approaching Passion (Joh 12:27), using the Greek word ( ) employed by the LXX.
how long?] Cp. Psa 90:13. How pregnant is the aposiopesis! How long wilt Thou be angry? How long wilt Thou hide Thy face and refuse to hear me? Cp. Psa 13:1.
It is recorded of Calvin in his last painful illness that he uttered no word of complaint unworthy of a Christian man; only raising his eyes to heaven he would say Usquequo Domine (Lord, how long?) for even when he was in health, this was a kind of watchword with him, in reference to the troubles of the brethren ( Vita: Opp. Tom. 1).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
My soul is also sore vexed – The word soul here is used in the sense in which it is commonly with us, as denoting the mind. The idea is, that his sorrows were not merely those of the bodily frame. They had a deeper seat than even the bones. His mind, his soul, was full of anguish also, in view of the circumstances which surrounded him, and which had brought on these bodily afflictions.
But thou, O Lord – This is a broken sentence, as if he had commenced an address to God, but did not complete it. It is as if he had said, Here I suffer and languish; my sorrows are deep and unmitigated; as for thee, O Lord – as if he were about to say that he had hoped God would interpose; or, that his dealings were mysterious; or, that they seemed strange or severe; but he ends the sentence by no language of complaint or complaining, but by simply asking how long these sorrows were to continue.
How long? – That is, how long wilt thou leave me thus to suffer? How long shall my unmitigated anguish continue? How long will it be ere thou wilt interpose to relieve me? The language implies that in his apprehension it was already a long time – as time usually seems long to a sufferer (compare Job 7:2-4), and that he was constantly looking out for God to interpose and help him. This is language such as all persons may be inclined to use on beds of pain and languishing. It seems indeed long to them now; it will, however, seem short when they look back upon it from the glories of the heavenly world. Compare 2Co 4:17-18.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 6:3
My soul is sore vexed.
Yoke fellows in sin, yoke fellows in punishment
Yoke fellows in sin are yoke fellows in pain; the soul is punished for informing, the body for performing, and as both the informer and performer, the cause and the instrument, so shall the stirrer up of sin and executor be punished. (A. Symson, B. D.)
But Thou, O Lord, how long?—
The delays of God
1. That there is an appointed time, which God hath measured, for the crosses of all His children, before which time they shall not be delivered, and for which they must patiently attend, not thinking to prescribe time to God for their delivery or limit the Holy One of Israel. The Israelites remained in Egypt till the complete number of 430 years were accomplished. Joseph was three years and more in the prison till the appointed time of his delivery came. The Jews remained 70 years in Babylon. So that as the physician appointeth certain times to the patient, both wherein he must fast and be dieted, and wherein he must take recreation: so God knoweth the convenient times both of our humiliation and exaltation.
2. See the impatiency of our natures in our miseries, our flesh still rebelling against the Spirit, which oftentimes forgetteth itself so far that it will enter into reasoning with God, and quarrelling with Him, as we may read of Job, Jonas, etc., and here also of David.
3. Albeit the Lord delay His coming to relieve His saints, yet He hath great cause if we ponder it; for, when we were in the heat of our sins, many times He cried by the mouth of His prophets, O fools, how long will you continue in your folly? and we would not hear. And therefore, when we are in the heat of our pains, thinking long, yea, every day a year till we are delivered, no wonder it is if God will not hear. Let us consider with ourselves the just dealing of God with us, that as He cried, and we would not hear; so now we cry, and He will not hear. (A. Symson, B. D.)
Broken prayers
I. An instance of what may be called a broken prayer. Dr. Maclaren calls it daring and pregnant in its incompleteness. Is it not natural that prayer should often be incomplete? The man who has never broken down in his prayer has hardly yet learned to pray.
1. Prayer must be broken at times, because some petitions we would offer we may not. Prayer has sometimes to be restrained.
2. Because we cannot tell how to pray. True piety has its dilemmas. What may precisely meet our need cannot always be defined.
3. Because words cannot compass our desires. The intensest feelings of our hearts cannot find adequate expression.
II. Broken prayers may be the most earnest expressions of the soul. The Psalmists very earnestness brings him to a standstill. Such a break is the safety valve of the impassioned soul. Prayer is often most sincere when it is least eloquent. A sob may be a real prayer.
III. That prayers are broken does not prevent them from being heard and answered. If this Psalm opens amid the thick gloom of troublous misgiving, it does not close till a new light has chased these shadows away. However poor and faltering our own words, we shall not be disappointed about an answer. God can interpret the prayer that has never even found utterance. When a man begins to pray, however brokenly, light is not far off. (G. Edward Young.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. How long?] How long shall I continue under this malady? How long will it be before thou speak peace to my troubled heart?
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
My soul is also sore vexed; partly by sympathy with my body; and partly with the burden of my sins, and the sense of thine anger, and my own danger and misery.
How long wilt thou suffer me to lie and languish in this condition? It is a figure called aposiopesis, very agreeable to men in pain or anguish, who use to cut their words short.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. how long?shall this be so(compare Ps 79:5).
butor, “and.”
thouThe sentence isincomplete as expressive of strong emotion.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My soul is also sore vexed,…. Or “exceedingly troubled” c, and even frightened and thrown into a consternation with indwelling sin, and on account of actual transgressions, and by reason of the hidings of God’s face, and through the temptations of Satan, and because of the fear of death; to which Old Testament saints were very incident.
But thou, O Lord, how long? it is an abrupt expression, the whole he designed is not spoken, being hindered through the grief and sorrow with which his heart was overwhelmed; and is to be supplied after this manner,
“shall I have refreshment?”
as the Chaldee paraphrase; or,
“wilt thou look and not heal me?”
as Jarchi; or
“my soul be troubled?”
as Aben Ezra; or
“shall I be afflicted, and thou wilt not heal me?”
as Kimchi; or
“wilt thou afflict me, and not arise to my help?”
see Ps 13:1.
c “turbata est valde”, V. L. “conturbata”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “territa valde”: Pagninus, Montanus; “consternata valde”, Cocceius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. And thou, O Jehovah, how long? This elliptical form of expression serves to express more strongly the vehemence of grief, which not only holds the minds of men bound up, but likewise their tongues, breaking and cutting short their speech in the middle of the sentence. The meaning, however, in this abrupt expression is doubtful. Some, to complete the sentence, supply the words, Wilt thou afflict me, or continue to chasten me ? Others read, How long wilt thou delay thy mercy ? But what is stated in the next verse shows that this second sense is the more probable, for he there prays to the Lord to look upon him with an eye of favor and compassion. He, therefore, complains that God has now forsaken him, or has no regard to him, just as God seems to be far of from us whenever his assistance or grace does not actually manifest itself in our behalf. God, in his compassion towards us, permits us to pray to him to make haste to succor us; but when we have freely complained of his long delay, that our prayers or sorrow, on this account, may not pass beyond bounds we must submit our case entirely to his will, and not wish him to make greater haste than shall seem good to him.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) But thou, O Lord, how long?Comp. Psa. 90:13. This is belief in unbelief. Domine quousque was Calvins motto. The most intense grief, it was said, could never extract from him another word. In its national form this faith amid despair is shown in Zec. 1:12. (Comp Rev. 6:10.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3, 4. My soul is sore vexed Causes of mental, not less than of physical, trouble existed. Body and soul lay under the consuming force of the wrathful judgment. The word used to describe the effect upon his bones (“vexed, troubled”) is the same as defines the state of his soul. Delitzsch gives the sense of outward overthrow and inward consternation, the effect of fright, which disconcerts one, and of excitement, that deprives one of self-control.
How long Literally, till when? The interrogation is emphatic, and supposes the answer delayed, and the evil complained of such as cannot long be endured. See Exo 10:3; Psa 90:13; Isa 6:11. With this the perfect tense of the preceding verb (my soul has been vexed) agrees, as also the earnest return, (Psa 6:4,) as if God had gone away from him. Compare 2Co 4:8: “Perplexed, but not in despair.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 6:3. But thou, O Lord, how long? There seems to be an ellipsis here, which is thus supplied by the Chaldee paraphrast; How long wilt thou defer to give me some refreshment? In the version of our liturgy it is: But, Lord, how long wilt thou punish me?
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The Reader will not fail to discover Christ in this supplication, when he recollects how Jesus complained in the garden, when he said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death. Mat 26:38 . .Reader! think how blessed and accommodating this view of Jesus is to the lesser sorrows of his people! And think also how sure the cries of his people are to be heard by him, when we call to mind that in all things Jesus was made like to his people, that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest; and in that he hath suffered, being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Heb 2:17-18 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 6:3 My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
Ver. 3. My soul is also sore vexed ] This was worse than all the rest. A light load to a raw shoulder is very grievous; a little water in a leaden vessel is heavy, so is a little outward grief to a laden soul. Hence Job so complaineth; and Jeremiah prayeth, Be not thou a terror unto me, O Lord; and then I much matter not what becomes of me.
But thou, O Lord, how long
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
My soul = I. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
sore vexed = troubled. Same as Joh 12:27. Compare Psa 42:5, Psa 42:6.
how long? = until when? Figure of speech Erotesis; and, before and after these words, the Figure of speech Aposiopesis. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
My: Psa 22:14, Psa 31:9, Psa 31:10, Psa 38:8, Psa 42:5, Psa 42:11, Psa 77:2, Psa 77:3, Pro 18:14, Mat 26:38
how: Psa 13:1, Psa 13:2, Psa 77:7, Psa 90:13, Luk 18:7
Reciprocal: Job 7:19 – How long Job 19:2 – vex Psa 35:17 – how Psa 51:8 – bones Psa 55:4 – My Psa 102:4 – heart Jer 15:18 – my pain Rom 8:26 – with
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 6:3. My soul is sore vexed Partly by sympathy with my body, and partly with the burden of my sins, and the sense of thine anger, and my own danger and misery. O Lord, how long? Wilt thou suffer me to lie and languish in this condition? or, as the Chaldee paraphrast supplies the ellipses, How long wilt thou defer to give me some refreshment?
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
6:3 {c} My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
(c) His conscience is also touched with the fear of God’s judgment.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
His suffering was not just physical. It had led to the distress of his soul (Heb. nephesh, entire life) as well. "How long?" expresses the frustration he felt.