Psalms 38:13

But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
deaf	כְ֭חֵרֵשׁ Khe.che.resh	H2795	deaf (whether literally or spiritual) · preposition + adjective, masculine singular absolute
heard	אֶשְׁמָ֑ע 'esh.Ma'	H8085	to hear intelligently (often with implication of attent… · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
man	וּ֝כְאִלֵּ֗ם u.khe.'i.Lem	H483	speechless · conjunction + preposition + adjective, masculine singular absolute
openeth	יִפְתַּח yif.tach-	H6605	to open wide (literally or figuratively) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
mouth	פִּֽיו Piv	H6310	the mouth (as the means of blowing) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Psalms 39:9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her she…
Psalms 39:2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
1 Peter 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:
2 Samuel 16:10-12 And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? so let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David. Who s…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 38:12–end

In these verses, I. David complains of the power and malice of his enemies, who, it should seem, not only took occasion from the weakness of his body and the trouble of his mind to insult over him, but took advantage thence to do him a mischief. He has a great deal to say against them, which he humbly offers as a reason why God should appear for him, as Psa 25:19, Consider my enemies. 1. "They are very spiteful and cruel: They seek my hurt; nay, they seek after my life," Psa 38:12. That life which was so precious in the sight of the Lord and all good men was aimed at, as if it had been forfeited, or a public nuisance. Such is the enmity of the serpent's seed against the seed of the woman; it…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 38:13

He patiently submits, uttering no reproaches or replies (Joh 19:9) to their insulting speeches;

John Gill on Psalms 38:13

But I, as a deaf man, heard not,.... He acted the part of a deaf man, and made as if he did not hear the mischievous things his enemies spoke; as Saul, when the sons of Belial spoke against him and despised him, 1 Samuel 10:27; and as our Lord when his enemies accused him, Matthew 27:12; and I was as a dumb man, that openeth not his mouth; made no reply to what they said, and did not render railing for railing; in which Christ was the antitype of him, Isaiah 53:7.

John Calvin on Psalms 38:11-14

Psalm 38:11-14 11. My friends and my companions stand away from my sore; and my kinsfolk stand afar off. 12. They also that sought for my life have laid snares for me; and they that sought after my hurt have talked of treachery, and imagine deceit daily. 13. But I, as a deaf man, hear not; and am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth. 14. And I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs. 11 My friends and my companions stand away from my sore Here David enumerates other circumstances to show the aggravated character of his misery, that he might excite the compassion of God. One of these is, that he finds no help or solace among men. In saying that his friends stan…

The Church Fathers

He says then, "But I as a deaf man heard not" [Psalm 38:13]. He who replied not to what He heard, did, as it were, not hear them. "But I as a deaf man heard not. And I was as a dumb man that opens not his mouth." And he repeats the same things again.
— Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 38

The just person will want to conform his life to the image and likeness of Jesus, and though accused, he will be silent; if he is hurt, he will forgive. Wrongs done to him he will cover up, not opening his mouth. In this way he will be imitating him who like a lamb was led to the slaughter, never opening his mouth. Though he could have made an answer, he preferred silence to speech. For the Lord Jesus was silent when they accused him, and when they struck him he did not strike back.… You too, my friend, if you are given cause to answer back with a sharp rebuke, be silent. It will be better so. If you answer back in the same tone as your aggressor, it could lead to uproar and loud wrangling. Better to hide the injury done to you than, by arguing back, to gain some point or other. Good is the dumb person who knows not how to speak evil and from whose lips no injurious words can pass. Truly blessed is this dumb person, for inwardly he is saying, "Lord, give me a learned tongue when it is my duty to break into speech."
— Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Conviction · OF SIN — OF SIN
Diseases · Mentioned in scripture: Deafness — Mentioned in scripture: Deafness
Meekness · .David — .David

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 38:13

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 38:12–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 38:13

John Gill on Psalms 38:13

John Calvin on Psalms 38:11-14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 38:13

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 38:12–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 38:13

John Gill on Psalms 38:13

John Calvin on Psalms 38:11-14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 38:9-14

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 38:13

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 38:13