Psalm 39

This psalm stands near the end of Book One of the Psalms (Psalms 1–41). Its superscription reads, "To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David." In the immediately preceding Psalm 38, the psalmist in his affliction was "as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth" (Psalm 38:13), and this psalm opens by taking up that same theme of silence.

Structure

• Verses 1–3 Resolving not to sin with his tongue in the presence of the wicked, the psalmist declares, "I will keep my mouth with a bridle," and holds his peace "even from good." Yet his sorrow is stirred, his heart grows hot within him, and at last he speaks.
• Verses 4–6 He asks to know his end and the measure of his days. A person's days are as short as a handbreadth; every man "walketh in a vain shew," and though he heaps up riches, he "knoweth not who shall gather them" (verse 5 ends with Selah).
• Verses 7–11 He confesses, "My hope is in thee," and asks to be delivered from all his transgressions and for God's stroke to be removed. When the Lord corrects a man, his beauty consumes away "like a moth" (verse 11 ends with Selah).
• Verses 12–13 With tears he cries out for his prayer to be heard. He confesses that he is a stranger and a sojourner before the Lord, as all his fathers were, and asks to be restored before he departs and is no more.

Key Verses

• Psalm 39:4 "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is" — the central petition of the psalm, asking to grasp the limits of human life.
• Psalm 39:7 "My hope is in thee" — the turning point at which lament over life's transience gives way to hope placed in God.
• Psalm 39:12 "For I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner" — a verse linked to the New Testament confession of believers as pilgrims.

People and Places

• David: Named in the superscription as the author of the psalm.
• Jeduthun: A Levite musician responsible for temple music in David's time, mentioned in 1 Chronicles. His name also appears in the superscriptions of Psalm 62 and Psalm 77.
• The LORD: The one to whom the psalmist appeals.

Points for Reflection

• The words "vanity" and "vain" in verses 5, 6, and 11 translate the Hebrew hevel ("breath," "vapor"). This is the same word used in the refrain "Vanity of vanities" in Ecclesiastes, so the two texts are often read together.
• "Stranger" and "sojourner" are legal terms in the Law for foreigners residing in the land of Israel. Leviticus 25:23 likewise states that the land belongs to God and that His people are strangers and sojourners in it.
• The plea in verse 13, rendered "O spare me" in the KJV, is closer in the Hebrew to "look away from me." Translations differ in their wording.
• The psalm ends without a clear answer or note of praise. For this reason it is sometimes read as a model of bringing unresolved lament to God in prayer.
• The psalm also has points of contact with the New Testament. The language of "strangers and pilgrims" in Hebrews 11:13–16 and 1 Peter 2 echoes verse 12. The theme of riches in verse 6 is compared with the Parable of the Rich Fool, and the brevity of life with James 4:13–15. In the Western church tradition, the psalm has been used together with Psalm 90 in funeral rites.

In the Korean Church

This passage addresses both the brevity of life and the hope placed in God. For this reason, verses 4–7 are used as a sermon text at funeral services, memorial services, and New Year's Eve watch-night services.