Psalm 6/Notes/Lexical.v. 5.932998

From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Jump to: navigation, search
  • The verb translated as turn back (שׁוּבָה) has been interpreted to mean either "return (from absence)" (NLT) or "relent (from anger)" (NET). See the exegetical issue page, The Meaning of שׁוּבָה in Psalm 6:5, for an in-depth discussion of the issue. In short, the plea for YHWH to "turn" is most likely a request for YHWH to change the course of his activity – to turn from anger to mercy, from punishment to healing (cf. vv. 2–3). This well-attested meaning of the word שׁוּב (cf. Isa 63:17; Ps 90:13; Exod 32:12; etc.) is the most appropriate meaning in the context of Psalm 6, in which the psalmist's basic problem is not that YHWH is absent, but that YHWH is angry and actively inflicting punishment (vv. 2–4).