Psalm 39 (38):10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In order to shield myself from the foolish individual, I chose to remain silent and refrained from expressing my thoughts. To whom can I confide my inner turmoil? I will listen to what the Lord God has to communicate within me, for He will bring peace to His people. Yet, the Lord declares, there is no peace for the wicked. (Isaiah 48:22) I was the one who remained silent; after all, You are the one who fashioned me. Is this the justification for your silence, since God is your Creator? This seems peculiar, for did not God design your mouth so that you might speak? Does He who formed the ear not hear? Does He who shaped the eye not see? God bestowed upon you the ability to speak; can you truly claim that I was the silent one because You made me? Or does the phrase "Because You created me" relate to what follows?

I remained quiet, fully aware of your intention to correct or rebuke me, that I deserved to be reprimanded for this particular matter.

The subsequent verses of the psalm clarify the message, as David expressed, "I was dumb and did not open my mouth, for You made me" (Psalm 38:10). This means that he was subjected to scorn by the foolish, leading him to silence to avoid further grievous offenses. He understood that it was God's intention for him to experience shame at the appropriate moment and subsequently receive salvation through repentance. In the meantime, facing insults can be beneficial, as even the affliction of the body serves a purpose, as indicated by the apostle: "I delivered him to the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit might be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 5:5).

With Your permission, the Prophet declares, the Semeiah has brought suffering upon me, acting as a whip; and You have allowed him to chastise me. Thus, I bore my afflictions quietly, focusing not on him, but on You, the One who disciplines. The Prophet fittingly employed this phrase as well.

I remained silent, not uttering a word, for you have brought this upon me. He willingly indicates that he chose to feign deafness, refraining from responding to Semei, as you instructed him to insult and condemn me; the Lord, he asserts, commanded him to curse me (2 Sam. 16:10), and you ordered my silence: for you have transgressed (you warned Cain: Be silent (Gen. 4:7). Theodoret remarks that, by your consent, he lashed out, and in this act, he acted like a whip; thus, you are administering punishment through him. Therefore, I bore the strikes in silence, not focusing on him, but envisioning You as the one delivering discipline.

We should echo the words of David to God during times of reproach and express our gratitude for the presence of a rebuker who unveils the sinful thoughts concealed within us. This messenger is sent to help us examine our thoughts with clarity, enabling us to make corrections in our lives. Many of our sinful weaknesses remain unknown to us, as it takes a truly righteous individual to fully recognize their own flaws. If we struggle to comprehend the more overt breaches of spiritual law, how much harder it is to grasp those violations that occur within our minds. Yet, in our ignorance of the depth of our own transgressions, we often find ourselves bewildered in our guidance.

In this passage, David reflects on his failure to maintain the silence he once esteemed, becoming overwhelmed by his thoughts and breaking it prematurely. When he mentions feeling numb, it indicates that he was not always as composed and gentle. To address this flaw and admonish his own impatience, he questions himself, asking, "What are you doing? Have you not committed to silence? Why do you complain against God? Why do you argue with Him and speak out in opposition? What outcome can your boldness possibly achieve?" By curbing the unruly impulses of his mind, he redirects his focus to God. Aware that the tribulations he faces are divinely ordained—as demonstrated in the phrase, "as thou hast done"—he resolves to remain silent and to humble himself before the Lord.

You have not unveiled my sight as you have done; I have remained silent in the face of the rebuke, for you have acted in this way.