Psalm 6

Psalm 6 is the 6th psalm from the Book of Psalms. The Psalm gives its author as King David and traditionally this has been accepted. David's supposed intention in writing the psalm was that it would be for anyone suffering from sickness or distress or for the state of the Kingdom of Israel while suffering through oppression.

The Geneva Bible (1599) gives the following summary:

The psalm is the first of the seven Penitential Psalms, as identified by Cassiodorus in a commentary of the 6th century AD. Many translations have been made of these psalms, and musical settings have been made by many composers.

The psalm was frequently chosen for illumination in medieval Books of Hours, to open the section containing the penitential psalms.

The Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (15th century)

A Book of Hours from Namur

A 15th-century Book of Hours from the south of France. Surrounding the penitents are the dead in their graves.

From Augustine's Enarrationes till Eduard König and the advent of the form-critical method in the early 20th century this was considered one of the penitential psalms.

Since then Hermann Gunkel has classed it as a one of the Individual Lamentations, as one of the"Sick Psalms".

For Martin Luther, the 6th Psalm was very important. It illustrated various central points of his theology.

Psalm 6 is in three parts, distinguished by the person.

The psalmist expresses his distress in parts 1 and 2 and uses a rich palette of words to describe this distress, "powerless," "bone shaking," "extreme distress". He even expresses his distress by the excessiveness "of tears bathed layer", "eye consumed by grief," ...

In stating the enemies of the Psalmist, we understand that this distress is caused by relational problem. But it is unclear if he is innocent. However, he says he will be reinstated and that his opponents will be confounded. Trouble seems primarily psychological, but is also expressed through the body. It is as much the body as the soul of the psalmist cries out to God. In fact, it is also touched in his spiritual being, faced with the abandonment of God. In the absence of God emerges the final hope of the Psalmist, expressed confidence cry in the last three verses.

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