Mazmur 38:13-15

38:13 But I am like a deaf man – I hear nothing;

I am like a mute who cannot speak. ¹ 

38:14 I am like a man who cannot hear

and is incapable of arguing his defense. ² 

38:15 Yet ³  I wait for you, O Lord!

You will respond, O Lord, my God!

Mazmur 39:1

Psalm 39 ⁴ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.

39:1 I decided, ⁵  “I will watch what I say

and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. ⁶ 

I will put a muzzle over my mouth

while in the presence of an evil man.” ⁷ 

[38:13]  ¹ sn I am like a deaf man…like a mute. The psalmist is like a deaf mute; he is incapable of defending himself and is vulnerable to his enemies’ deception (see v. 14).

[38:14]  ² tn Heb “and there is not in his mouth arguments.”

[38:15]  ³ tn Or perhaps “surely.”

[39:1]  ⁴ sn Psalm 39. The psalmist laments his frailty and mortality as he begs the Lord to take pity on him and remove his disciplinary hand.

[39:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “I said.”

[39:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will watch my ways, from sinning with my tongue.”

[39:1]  ⁷ sn The psalmist wanted to voice a lament to the Lord (see vv. 4-6), but he hesitated to do so in the presence of evil men, for such words might be sinful if they gave the wicked an occasion to insult God. See C. A. Briggs and E. G. Briggs, Psalms (ICC), 1:345.