Psalms 32:4
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
This psalm, though it speaks not of Christ, as many of the psalms we have hitherto met with have done, has yet a great deal of gospel in it. The apostle tells us that David, in this psalm, describes "the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without words," Rom 4:6. We have here a summary, I. Of gospel grace in the pardon of sin (Psa 32:1, Psa 32:2), in divine protection (Psa 32:7), and divine guidance (Psa 32:8). II. Of gospel duty. To confess sin (Psa 32:3-5), to pray (Psa 32:6), to govern ourselves well (Psa 32:9, Psa 32:10), and to rejoice in God (Psa 32:11). The way to obtain these privileges is to make conscience of these duties, which we ought to think of - of the former for our comfort, of the latter for our quickening, when we sing this psalm. Grotius thinks it was designed to be sung on the day of atonement. A psalm of David, Maschil.
Open source ↗32:4 The psalmist attributes his suffering directly to the Lord’s hand of discipline (cp. 38:2; 39:10).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
Then the Ekronites assembled all the rulers of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel. It must return to its place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For a deadly confusion had pervaded the city; the hand of God was heavy upon it.
Surely no fear of me should terrify you; nor will my hand be heavy upon you.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
Our skin is as hot as an oven with fever from our hunger.
Oh, that a man might plead with God as he pleads with his neighbor!
My skin grows black and peels, and my bones burn with fever.
But now their appearance is blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick.
But after they had moved the ark to Gath, the LORD’s hand was also against that city, throwing it into great confusion and afflicting the men of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.