The Cry of the Penitent
Psalm 6:1-10
O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure.…


The strains of this Psalm are two — vers. 1-7, the petition to God for himself; and vers. 8-10, an insultation over his enemies.

I. THE PETITION.

1. A deprecation of evil. He prays God to avert His wrath.

2. A petition of good. He entreats to be partaker of God's favour, both to his body and to his soul. The petition he enforceth upon divers and weighty reasons: from the quantity and degrees of his calamity; from the continuance of it; from the consequences that were like to follow. That he was brought to death's door is seen by three symptoms, sighs and groans, tears, eyes melted away. Moreover, he had many ill-willers.

II. THE INSULTATION. At last, receiving joy and comfort from his penitential tears, he begins to look up, and from his complaint he turns upon his enemies, who gaped after his death, and over them he insults (an old word for "he glories"). He rejects these reprobates from him with scorn and indignation. He assigns the cause in effect, because God had been moved by his prayer to reject them. Then follows his imprecation; made up of three ingredients, which he prays may light on them — shame and confusion, vexation, eversion. These two last he aggravates by the weight and speed. He desires that their vexation should be nor easy, nor mild, but very sore; and that their shame and overthrow linger not, but be present, hasty, and sudden.

(William Nicholson, D. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: {To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.} O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

WEB: Yahweh, don't rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.




The Anger of God as Pure as His Mercy
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