Psalm 6/Context

Context

Figures of Speech

• Figurative/evocative language seems especially prominent in section 3 (vv.7-8).
• Rhetorical questions mark the ends of section 1 (v.4b) and section 2 (v.6b) (ephiphora).,

Historical background

"There is no reason why the psalm could not have come from the life of David, even though it is impossible to identify an experience in his life that would be the setting.",

Cultural background

• Sheol (v.6, שְׁאוֹל) – "According to common OT belief (though there are exceptions, e.g., 23:6), those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss. 30:9; 88:10-12; Isa. 38:18). In his effort to motivate a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!

Sheol is a proper name for "the underworld." It is depicted as a place of great depth (e.g., Deut. 32:22), guarded by gates (e.g., Isa. 38:10), associated with darkness (e.g., Job 17:13), dust (e.g., Job 17:16), and silence (e.g., Ps. 31:18). Contrary to the view that Sheol is a name for the underworld, R.L. Harris has argued that Sheol is a poetic synonym for קֶבֶר, referring merely to the grave. "Its usage does not give us a picture of the state of the dead in gloom, darkness, chaos, or silence, unremembered, unable to praise God, knowing nothing... Rather, this view gives us a picture of a typical Palestinian tomb, dark, dusty, with mingled bones and where 'this poor lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.'"

• Enemies (vv.8-11) – "The reference to 'enemies' may reflect the popular, but erroneous opinion that sick people were great sinners and hence being punished by God (e.g., Job 4:7-11, 8:1-22, 11:13-20). On the other hand, Terrien suggests that 'the poet is the victim of sorcerers...professional magicians' (The Psalms, 114), but this is rather too specific and unsupportable by the textual evidence." Since the psalmist is also the king (v.1, לדוד), the enemies may have been political adversaries, whether inside or outside of David's kingdom, seeking to take advantage of the king's illness.,

Implicit information

• God's anger/wrath (v.2ab) is against David's sin. This has long been recognized, and Psalm 6 has traditionally been included among the seven penitential psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). "Broyles argues that there is no confession of sin in this psalm... (Psalms, p. 63). But there seems enough in this first verse to support the conclusion that the psalmist saw such a connection in his case." This conclusion is further supported by reference to 2 Sam. 7:14-15 (see below).

• Yahweh is David's father, and David is his son. The father/son relationship is implied in the verbs of v.2ab (see above) as well as the reference to 2 Sam. 7:14-15 (see below).

• The word חֶסֶד (v.5b) implies a covenant relationship.,

Reference/allusions

• 2 Sam. 7:14-15a
  

‎ אֲנִי֙ אֶהְיֶה־לּ֣וֹ לְאָ֔ב וְה֖וּא יִהְיֶה־לִּ֣י לְבֵ֑ן אֲשֶׁר֙ בְּהַ֣עֲוֹת֔וֹ וְהֹֽכַחְתִּיו֙ בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט אֲנָשִׁ֔ים וּבְנִגְעֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃ וְחַסְדִּ֖י לֹא־יָס֣וּר מִמֶּ֑נּוּ

In 2 Sam. 7, Yahweh promises to be a father to David and his descendants (2 Sam. 7:14a; cf. Ps. 2:7) and to discipline them (וְהוֹכַחְתִּיו) when they sin (7:14b). In Psalm 6, King David (v.1, לדוד) prays that Yahweh's discipline (v.2a, תוֹכִיחֵנִי) would not be carried out in wrath. Presumably, David had committed some iniquity (עֲוֹן, cf. 2 Sam. 7:14), and Yahweh responded with discipline according to the covenant. Yet just as Yahweh promised, "I will discipline him... but my love (חֶסֶד) will not leave him" (2 Sam. 7:14-15), so David appeals to Yahweh's חֶסֶד as the basis for his plea (v.5b). In addition to these connections, note the similarity between Ps. 6:9 [סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי] and 2 Sam. 7:15 [יָסוּר מִמֶּנּוּ].),

Alluded to in NT

• Ps. 6:4-5. In John 12:27, Jesus takes the lament of Psalm 6 on his own lips to express his anguish before the passion. Interestingly, while he prays the lament part of the psalm (v.4), he refuses to pray the petitionary part (v.5). Unlike his ancestor David, Jesus does not ask to be delivered from death. Instead, he embraces his Father's will that he should die.

Ps. 6:4-5 (Heb): וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד... ה֝וֹשִׁיעֵ֗נִי

Ps. 6:4-5 (OG):καὶ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐταράχθη σφόδρα... σῶσόν με

Jn. 12:27: Νῦν ἡ ψυχή μου τετάρακται, καὶ τί εἴπω; πάτερ, σῶσόν με ἐκ τῆς ὥρας ταύτης; ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον εἰς τὴν ὥραν ταύτην

• Ps. 6:9. These words will be spoken by the risen Christ against his enemies (i.e., all who do not do God's will) on the day of judgment.

Ps. 6:9 (Heb): ‎ס֣וּרוּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי כָּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן

Ps. 6:9 (OG): ἀπόστητε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν

Matt. 7:23: ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν.

Luke 13:27: ἀπόστητε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πάντες ἐργάται ἀδικίας.