Sickness and Enemies in Psalm 6

Introduction

Is there physical sickness in Psalm 6? The UBS Handbook on Psalms describes Psalm 6 as a "a lament by an individual who is sick and near death." While most commentators would agree with this description, some think that the language of sickness is only figurative. For example, the NLT, which translates v. 4a as "I am sick at heart" could be understood to imply a sickness that is merely figurative. The CEV, by contrast, implies literal sickness when it translates v. 3a as "Have pity on me and heal my feeble body." Even among those who think the language of sickness is literal, there is not agreement on how sickness fits with the enemies mentioned in v. 8bff. Do the enemies cause the sickness, or does the sickness bring the enemies? The following maps explore

1. whether or not Ps. 6 presupposes a situation of sickness,
2. how this sickness might relate to the 'enemies' (vv. 8bff).

Argument map

Sickness in Psalm 6

Sickness literal (preferred)

Most commentators argue that the language of sickness is literal and that the psalmist is experiencing some deadly illness.

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[Sickness]: Psalm 6 is "a psalm of sickness" (Craigie 1983:91 :C:; cf. Radak :C:; Mowinckel 1967 :M:; Gunkel & Begrich 1998 :M:; Zenger 1993 :C:; Waltke 2014 :C:). 
 + <Language of sickness>:The language of healing, physical health (bones and eye), and closeness to death suggests a situation of sickness. "The language of the prayer describes a person who is seriously ill" (Mays 1994:59 :C:). 
  + <"Heal me" (v. 3)>: "The request that God would heal him indicates that the motivation for the original composition of the psalm was illness" (Longman 2014:73 :C:). 
   + [v. 3]: חָנֵּ֥נִי יְהוָה֮ כִּ֤י אֻמְלַ֫ל אָ֥נִי רְפָאֵ֥נִי יְהוָ֑ה כִּ֖י נִבְהֲל֣וּ עֲצָמָֽי׃
   + <רפא in the Psalms>: "In the Psalms, רפא is virtually always used with reference to literal, physical healing" (NIDOTTE 3:1166 :D:). 
    + [רפא in the Psalms]: Pss. 30:3; 41:5; 60:4; 103:3; 107:20 
    <_ [Figurative use of רפא in Psalms]: Ps. 147:3 describes YHWH as the one who heals the broken-hearted (הָרֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב). #dispreferred
      +> <Spiritual healing>
   <_ <Spiritual healing>:The language of healing (רפא) "is not limited to physical healing. It may be used for spiritual healing" (Ross 2016 :C:; cf. Kuckhoff 2011 :M:). #dispreferred
    + [Ex. 15:26]: "I am your healer" (Exod. 15:26) #dispreferred
  + <"Bones" (v. 3)>: Bones were "often viewed as the seat of one’s physical strength and health" (*NIDOTTE* 3:500 :D:). 
   + [v. 3]
   + [Bones as seat of physical health]: Job 20:11; 21:24; Prov 3:8; Isa 58:11; 66:14; Lam 4:7 
   <_ <Bones as seat of emotions>: "Bones" can refer to "the seat of the emotions" (HALOT :L:; TWOT :D:) #dispreferred
    + [Bones as seat of emotions]: Jer. 20:9; 23:9; Pss. 35:10; 51:10; 102:4; Job 4:14; 20:11; 30:17, 30; Prov. 3:8; 16:24 (HALOT :L:) #dispreferred
  + <Death (v. 6)>: The psalmist is "close to death" (Craigie 1983:93 :C:; cf. Jacobson 2014 :C:). 
   + [Death (v. 6)]: כִּ֤י אֵ֣ין בַּמָּ֣וֶת זִכְרֶ֑ךָ בִּ֝שְׁא֗וֹל מִ֣י יֽוֹדֶה־לָּֽךְ׃
   <_ <Other perilous afflictions possible>: "We can, indeed, gather from these words that the life of David was in the utmost danger, but it may have been some other kind of affliction than bodily sickness under which he labored" (Calvin :C:). #dispreferred
  + <Eye (v. 8a)>: "The wasting and weakness of the eye are indicative of the state of physical decline into which the psalmist had descended" (Craigie 1983:94 :C:). 
   + [v. 8a]: עָֽשְׁשָׁ֣ה מִכַּ֣עַס עֵינִ֑י
   + <Eye as symbol of health>: The eye is "sparkling when the body is healthy and strong, but dim when weak or sick" (SDBH :L:). 
  <_ <Sickness as metaphor>:"Such descriptions (of sickness) are sometimes used as metaphors for other kinds of suffering" (Wilson 2002:178 :C:; cf. Calvin :C:). #dispreferred
   + <Sickness as deplorable condition of a nation>: In both Isa 1:5 and Hos 5:13, the language of sickness is used to refer to "the deplorable condition" of a nation (SDBH :L:). Cf. Isa. 53:4. Cf. Ibn Ezra on Ps. 6 :C:. #dispreferred
    + [Isa. 1:5]: Of Israel: "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint" (Isa. 1:5 ESV). #dispreferred
    + [Hos. 5:13]: Of Israel: "When Ephraim saw his sickness... then Ephraim went to Assyria... But he is not able to cure you" (Hos. 5:13 ESV). #dispreferred
 + <Cult-functional argument>: "Psalms complaining of illness were offered in the cult... So there can hardly be any doubt that psalms like 6; 38; 39 were real psalms of illness" (Mowinckel 1967:16 :M:). 
  + [Job 33:19ff]: "In Job 33:19ff. we are expressly told that a man overtaken by illness, on performing the cultic acts that belonged to the ritual of cleansing, also 'prays to God' (v. 26)" (Mowinckel 1967:6 :M:). 
  + <Thanksgiving psalms for healing>: "Thanksgiving psalms treating of healing from sickness... quote the lament by the sick person prayed 'then'" (Mowinckel 1967:16 :M:).
   + [Thanksgiving psalms for healing]: Pss. 30:9-11; 32:5; Isa. 38:10f 
 + <Analogy with Ps. 38>: Psalms 38 is "with certainty" among the psalms of "sickness and healing" (Seybold 1973 :M:; cf. Gunkel & Begrich 1998 :M:), and Psalm 6 is very similar to these psalms. "Psalm 38 echoes and clarifies this psalm" (Waltke 2014:52 :C:).
  + [Similarities between Ps. 38 and Ps. 6]: The beginning of Ps. 38 resembles the beginning of Ps. 6: יְֽהוָ֗ה אַל־בְּקֶצְפְּךָ֥ תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥ תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ (v. 2). Like Ps. 6, Ps. 38 also talks about distressed 'bones' (v. 4b), fading 'eyes' (v. 11b), and enemies (vv. 13, 20–21).
  + [Sickness in Ps. 38]: Ps. 38 twice says אֵין מְתֹם בִּבְשָׂרִי (vv. 4a, 8b) and gives other clear indications of physical illness (cf. vv. 4b, 8a, 11).
 + <Hezekiah's prayer (Isa. 38)>: Hezekiah alludes to Psalm 6 in his own prayer of sickness (Isa. 38:9-20), which suggests that he viewed the psalm as uniquely appropriate to his situation of physical sickness.
  + [Isa. 38:18-20]: כִּ֣י לֹ֥א שְׁא֛וֹל תּוֹדֶ֖ךָּ מָ֣וֶת יְהַלְלֶ֑ךָּ לֹֽא־יְשַׂבְּר֥וּ יֽוֹרְדֵי־ב֖וֹר אֶל־אֲמִתֶּֽךָ (Isa. 38:18; cf. Ps. 6:6); יְהוָ֖ה לְהוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי וּנְגִנוֹתַ֧י נְנַגֵּ֛ן כָּל־יְמֵ֥י חַיֵּ֖ינוּ עַל־בֵּ֥ית יְהוָֽה׃ (Isa. 38:20; cf. Ps. 6:1, 5a).

Sickness figurative

Some interpreters think that the language of sickness is figurative, either for the psalmist's spiritual suffering or for his suffering at the hands of his foes.

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[Figurative]: The language of sickness in Ps. 6 is figurative (Calvin :C:; Baethgen 1904 :C:; Rogerson & McKay 1977 :C:; cf. Spieckermann 2023 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Abandonment>: "The language of illness could be metaphorical for a spiritual condition. The psalmist's main concern is that God has withdrawn (v. 5 שובה), abandoning him to grief and dismay, and even to death (vv. 4-8)" (Rogerson & McKay 1977 :C:). #dispreferred
  - <Turn from anger>: The request for YHWH to 'turn' (שובה) is not a request for YHWH to return from absence, but for YHWH to turn from anger and punishment to mercy and healing.
 + <Foes>: "The shift of focus (to foes) (vv. 8ff) at least opens the possibility that the description of suffering from disease in Psalm 6 is used metaphorically for suffering experienced through the attacks of opponents" (Wilson 2002:181 :C:). #dispreferred
  <_ <Ps. 38>: Psalm 38, which also focuses on foes at the end, clearly has literal sickness in view.
 + <Sickness as a metaphor for suffering>: Sickness is sometimes a metaphor for suffering in general (cf. Jer 15:17) (Baethgen 1904:14 :C:). #dispreferred
  + [Jer. 15:17]: "Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?" (ESV). #dispreferred

Sickness & Enemies

If the language of sickness is literal, then what is the relationship between the psalmist's sickness and the psalmist's enemies?

Sickness -> Enemies (preferred)

Some interpreters think that the enemies come as a result of the sickness.

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[Sickness -> Enemies]: The enemies come as a result of the sickness. "He is suffering from a direct divine visitation, and... the persecution of which he complains (v. 8) is a consequence and aggravation of it" (Kirkpatrick 1901 :C:).
 + <Pss. 38>: In Ps. 38, which is very similar to Ps. 6, the enemies come as a result of the sickness (cf. Ps. 38:13, 17, 20-21). Thus, "Psalm 38 echoes and clarifies this psalm" (Waltke 2014:52 :C:).
  + [Ps. 38:17b]: בְּמ֥וֹט רַ֝גְלִ֗י עָלַ֥י הִגְדִּֽילוּ
 + <Late appearance of enemies>: "Given their late appearance in the psalm," it is more likely that the enemies "add to (the suffering)" rather than cause it (Goldingay 2006:139 :C:).
 + <Sickness and divine rejection>: The psalmist's enemies enter the scene because they interpret his sickness to mean that he has been rejected by YHWH for some sin (cf. Waltke 2014:52 :C:).
  + <Sickness in Israel>: "Illness was viewed in Israel as a result of God's judgment for sin" (Achtmeier 1974:86 :A:; cf. Craigie 2004:94 :C:).
   + [Sickness & sin in Psalms]: "In the psalms, sickness is closely linked with sin (Pss 41:4; 107:17-20)" (Keel 1997:62 :M:).

Enemies -> Sickness

Other interpreters think that the enemies, rather than the sickness, are the primary cause of the suffering. Hengstenberg, for example, sees the situation like this: "His distress proceeded at first from external enemies. But upon this arose another of a far heavier kind. He saw in that outward distress a punishment of his past sins, which now returned upon his soul with the weight of an oppressive load. He fell into a severe conflict, which left even his body weak and impoverished."

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[Enemies -> Sickness]: David's enemies cause his sickness. "There is no doubt that the adversaries are the cause of this woeful condition" (Ross 2011:269 :C:; cf. Delitzsch 1894 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <'Because of my enemies'>: In v. 8b, enemies are explicitly indicated as causing the Psalmist's decline (בכל צוררי). #dispreferred
 + <Address to enemies>:"Triumphantly asking the ''awen''-doers, 'mine enemies', to decamp, (and) threatening them with destruction... strongly suggests that a causative relationship was supposed to exist between enemies and illness" (Mowinckel 1967:II, 6-7 :M:). #dispreferred

Conclusion

There is good reason to affirm that Psalm 6 is a prayer for healing from physical sickness. Physical sickness is suggested primarily by the language of healing and sickness within the psalm itself (e.g., 'heal me'; 'my bones'; 'my eye'; etc.). There is no clear indication that this language should be interpreted metaphorically, though this is certainly possible. That literal sickness is in view becomes more likely when Psalm 6 is compared with Psalm 38, where sickness is clearly present. This interpretation is also supported by the fact that Hezekiah alludes to Psalm 6 (or, at least uses similar language) in his own prayer "when he was sick" (Isaiah 38:9-20).

How then does the sickness relate to the enemies? It is clear from the psalm that the enemies cause suffering (v. 8b), but this does not mean that they are the sole (or primary) cause of the suffering. Further comparison between Ps. 6 and Ps. 38 suggest that the 'enemies/evil-doers' come as a result of the sickness and thus contribute significantly to David's suffering. As Waltke writes, "His enemies interpret [his sickness] as God's curse that validates their rejection of him as 'I AM's' chosen king."

But even if this is the most likely scenario in which the psalm was composed - and other scenarios are certainly possible - "the identification of the psalm as the prayer of an ill person must not limit how the psalm is prayed, used, or interpreted today. The psalm’s rich poetic language allows and even endorses the appropriation of the psalm’s message in many different situations." Even in ancient times, it is likely, given that "the vocabulary of sickness and healing was used metaphorically in the Old Testament for social and theological conditions" (e.g., Isa. 1:5; 53:4; Hos. 5:13), that "the psalm probably came to be used as a general prayer for the restoration of the community."

Research

Secondary literature

Achtemeier, Elizabeth. 1974. “Overcoming the World: An Exposition of Psalm 6.” Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology 28 (1): 75–88.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Bratcher, Robert G., and William D. Reyburn. 1991. A Handbook on Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies.

Calvin, John. Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Translated by James Anderson. Grand Rapids: Christian Classics Ethereal Library.

Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1–50. WBC 19. Waco, TX: Word.

DeClaisse-Walford, Nancy L., Rolf A. Jacobson, and Beth LaNeel Tanner. 2014. The Book of Psalms. New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1894. Biblischer Kommentar über die Psalmen. Biblischer Kommentar über das Alte Testament. Leipzig: Dörffling und Franke.

Goldingay, John. 2006. Psalms: Psalms 1–41. Vol. 1. BCOT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Gunkel, Hermann. 1998. An Introduction to the Psalms: The Genres of the Religious Lyric of Israel. Translated by James D. Nogalski. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.

Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm. 1863. Commentary on the Psalms. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 1993. Die Psalmen I: Psalm 1–50. Neue Echter Bibel. Würzburg: Echter.

Ibn Ezra. Ibn Ezra on Psalms.

Kuckhoff, Antonius. 2011. Psalm 6 Und Die Bitten Im Psalter: Ein Paradigmatisches Bitt-Und Klagegebet Im Horizont Des Gesamtpsalters. Bonner Biblische Beiträge, Bd. 160. Göttingen : [Bonn]: V & R unipress ; Bonn University Press.

Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Interpretation. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox.

Mowinckel, Sigmund. 1962. The Psalms in Israel’s Worship. Oxford: Blackwell.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Rashi. Rashi on Psalms.

Rogerson, J. W., and J. W. McKay. 1977. Psalms. Vol. 1. The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Spieckermann, Hermann. 2023. Psalmen. 1: Psalm 1 - 49. Das Alte Testament Deutsch, 14,1. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Waltke, Bruce K. 2014. The Psalms as Christian Lament: A Historical Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Wilson, Gerald H. 2002. Psalms. Vol. 1. NIVAC. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

References

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