Псалом 37

“In remembrance of the Sabbath” is understood either as an indication of the time of the liturgical performance of the psalm - on Saturday, or in a figurative sense, corresponding to the literal understanding of the word (Saturday - rest) and the content of the psalm - “in remembrance of rest,” i.e. this psalm is a petitionary prayer to God for the granting of peace, which indicates the difficult state experienced by David at this time. Some, starting from the position that the Sabbath was established at the end of the days of creation, interpret this inscription literally, i.e., that the psalm was written by David in memory of the end of the creation of the world. But the latter understanding cannot be accepted: the end of the creation of the world, when everything appeared “very good” (Gen. 1:31), was a solemn and majestic act, with which the sad and pleading content of the psalm is not in harmony. The entire content of the psalm is distinguished by its repentant character: in it David vividly depicts a picture of his suffering, both physical (from illness) and moral, from the consciousness of his crime before God. The same crime of David, as we know, was his sin with Uriah and Bathsheba. In the same psalm, David portrays himself as lonely; his former friends even begin to move away from him. Both of these features give reason to assume that the psalm was written at the beginning of Absalom’s uprising (David, as we have already said, pointed out the connection of his crime with the uprising of his son), which explains the treachery of the king’s friends. God! Descend to my suffering and illness of body and soul (2–5). I am covered with wounds and exhausted (6–11). My friends left me, and my enemies grew stronger (13–15). I only rely on You. The consciousness of my sin weighs me down and my enemies multiply. Do not forsake me, O Lord, and hasten with your help (16–23). Ps.37:2. Lord! Do not reprove me in Your wrath, and do not punish me in Your anger, Ps.37:3. for Thy arrows have pierced me, and Thy hand is heavy upon me. Ps.37:4. There is not a whole place in my flesh from Your wrath; there is no peace in my bones from my sins, Ps.37:5. for my iniquities have gone beyond my head, like a heavy burden weighing me down, David prays to God not to punish him with the full force of his righteous anger, although he considers the latter to be deserved. David’s suffering is great: “arrows pierced him,” that is, the suffering that David is now experiencing and which he describes in great detail below; Based on the pain he experiences, he compares the suffering to the pain of arrows in war. “The hand... is heavy,” that is, the hand of anger, or - the Lord severely punishes. This punishment was some kind of disease that struck David and, in his figurative expression, made not only his body, muscles, but also bones suffer, i.e., it penetrated very deeply. The strength of physical suffering fully corresponds to David’s awareness of the depth of his fall and the gravity of the crime he committed, which he, in his contrite and repentant mood, figuratively depicts as having sunk him headlong and weighing him down like a heavy burden. Ps.37:6. My wounds stink and fester from my madness. Ps.37:7. I'm bent over and completely drooping, I walk around complaining all day, Ps.37:8. for my loins are full of inflammation, and there is no whole place in my flesh. Provide a description of the disease. - “Because of my madness,” as a result of my sin, my body is covered with wounds that emit a foul odor; my suffering is severe and I am completely depressed, I walk around all day and “complain,” I languish, I condemn myself. My loins are full of inflammation and there is no healthy place in my body. It is difficult to determine what kind of disease it was from the signs indicated here. According to Heb. According to the text, many commentators (for example, Jerome, and among the newest - Kramer, Ewald) and rabbis considered this disease “a kind of leprosy.” But such a definition cannot be made based on the characteristics indicated in the Bible. If David’s bones were already affected, then with such a development of the disease he would not be able to walk, which, according to this psalm, this disease, however, did not interfere with. In addition, if it were leprosy, then it is unlikely that historical books would have kept silent about it as an important phenomenon, since with the view of that time on this disease as a sign of rejection from God, it would hardly have passed without a trace for the king and would not have caused political unrest among the people. This disease, as can be seen from the psalm, caused ridicule of David for the disease of the loins. The latter were recognized as carriers of productive power, a source of childbearing, which was seen as a sign of divine favor; therefore, they believed that the loss of this strength and, consequently, the ability to bear children, was a sign of rejection from God and caused reproach. The Russian text thus gives a general indication that David’s illness affected his entire body and was so debilitating that it completely depleted his strength, but does not make it possible to accurately determine its type. Ps.37:9. I am faint and broken beyond measure; I scream from the torment of my heart. “I scream from the torment of my heart” - from internal, mental torment, I “scream”, let out a cry. Ps.37:11. My heart trembles; My strength has forsaken me, and the light of my eyes, and even that I have no more. With the loss of courage (“my heart trembles”) and strength for David, the “light” in his eyes also went out. This expression, taken literally, indicates the development of the disease, which was reflected in his vision: or by light in a figurative sense we mean happiness, good in general, then it will mean - I have lost all the benefits and they are not with me - no health, no strength, no respect from people, not even friends. It can also be understood in the sense that “light” means God, who used to pour out his mercies on David and shine in his life, but now stopped. All these interpretations can be accepted without violating the meaning of the expression, the context of speech and the entire content of the psalm. Ps.37:12. My friends and sincere ones have retreated from my plague, and my neighbors stand afar off. Ps.37:13. Those who seek my soul lay snares, and those who wish me harm speak of my destruction and plot intrigues every day; My illness alienated my friends from me, and my enemies became bolder. My sincere ones stood against me at some distance, like simple observers, but did not approach me. This was done by those closest to me, and ordinary friends - so they stood at a distance. But David’s enemies did not sleep. His suffering prompted them, who wanted his death and harm, to spread false information about him and plot intrigues. Ps.37:14. but I am like a deaf man who does not hear, and like a dumb man who does not open his mouth; Ps.37:15. and I became like a man who does not hear and has no answer in his mouth, David saw what was happening around him, but did not take any measures to stop the intrigues and false words, both because his illness seemed to confirm the correctness of the speeches of his enemies, and because he did not consider himself to have the right to act as an avenger and champion of the truth, when his continuing illness, in his opinion, served as a sign that he had not yet been forgiven by God. Ps.37:16. for in You, O Lord, do I trust; You will hear, Lord my God. Ps.37:17. And I said: Let not [my enemies] triumph over me; when my foot falters, they magnify themselves over me. Ps.37:18. I am close to falling, and my sorrow is always before me. Ps.37:19. I recognize my iniquity, I lament my sin. Ps.37:20. But my enemies live and are strengthened, and those who hate me without guilt multiply; Ps.37:21. and those who repay me evil for good are hostile against me because I follow good. Ps.37:22. Do not leave me, Lord, my God! Don't move away from me; Ps.37:23. hasten to help me, O Lord, my Savior! That is why David, first of all, appeals to God for forgiveness of his sin, as a great mercy and a guarantee of His help. I trust in You, Lord: do not let them (enemies) triumph over me. My weakness, my misfortunes are a source of gloating for them (17). I am now in such a helpless and defenseless position that I am “close to falling,” I am ready to die, I cannot resist attacks on myself and sin is crushing me. David repents of his sin before God and promises public repentance for it (which he fulfilled by writing this and L Ps., dedicated to his repentant mood). In this psalm he says: “I acknowledge my iniquity, I lament my sin.” As full as David is of the consciousness of his sinfulness and humility, so, on the contrary, are his enemies who hate him undeservedly (“guiltlessly”); for the good he, David, did, they repay with evil, slander, and enmity against him for his loyalty to the good, the true in his previous life. By the good that David did, of course, his humane, fair attitude towards each of his subjects, as well as all his reforms in internal and state life, established law and order and limited the arbitrariness and arbitrariness that reigned before him. The degree of David’s suffering, his awareness of sin and repentance for it, the injustice of persecution from enemies, all this evokes in him a fervent prayer to God: “do not forsake me, Lord my God! come to my help! The 37th psalm occupies second place in the six psalms. With the words of this psalm, every believer repents before God of his sinfulness with a confession of complete submission and devotion to His will (v. 16). The person here expresses a desire in the coming day to make amends for the bad deeds he has done before (v. 19). You might be interested in: