PSALMS 39

READING CYCLE THREE(see “Guide
to Good Bible Reading“)

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT
PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3).
Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above.
Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original
author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has
one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. At first this Psalm is confusing. It starts out in a veiled
literary technique, almost like a divine secret that cannot be
shared/understood by outsiders to a faithful (but still sinful) walk with
YHWH, Ps. 39:8.

B. The divine secret and human question is the transitoriness of
human life. Mankind is so frail, fragile, temporary, ignorant, and usually
focuses his/her attention on the wrong things (cf. Ps. 39:6, 11).

C. This Psalm in many ways reminds me of Ecclesiastes (the futility
of life if there is no God). The psalmist characterizes himself in
surprising ways.

1. like a stranger, Ps. 39:12

2. like a sojourner, Ps. 39:12

D. Psalm 39:13 is still a mystery to me. The shocking truth of our
fallen condition is that

1. we are attracted to God

2. His holiness frightens us and repels us, all at once!

There is a real mental conflict between the transitoriness of the human
situation and the eternality of our God who created us for fellowship. We
cannot be happy without knowing and loving Him. But we are broken and
temporal. He is perfect and eternal.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 39:1-6
 ¹I
said, “I will guard my ways
 That
I may not sin with my tongue;
 I
will guard my mouth as with a muzzle
 While
the wicked are in my presence.”
 ²I
was mute and silent,
 I
refrained even from good,
 And
my sorrow grew worse.
 ³My
heart was hot within me,
 While
I was musing the fire burned;
 Then
I spoke with my tongue:
 ⁴“Lord, make me to know my end
 And what is the extent of my days;
 Let me know how transient I am.
 ⁵Behold, You have made my
days as handbreadths,
 And
my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
 Surely
every man at his best is a mere breath.  Selah.
 ⁶Surely every man walks
about as a phantom;
 Surely
they make an uproar for nothing;
 He
amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.”

39:1-6 The wicked live only for today, for
themselves, but the faithful follower knows he lives and speaks for YHWH.
However, without the aid of the Spirit (cf. John 6:44,65) the wicked
cannot comprehend

1. their own spiritual and physical condition

2. the truth of God

They ask the wrong questions and focus on the wrong things.

39:1 “I will guard” Notice that
the verb (BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal cohortative) is repeated. The psalmist should not
speak his thought about life and God in the presence of intrenched
unbelief (i.e., Matt. 7:6). This strophe cannot be proof-texted as a
Scripture against witnessing to others. But it is true that some issues,
some doctrines should be avoided in our conversations with unbelievers at
first because of possible misunderstanding or confusion. A biblical
worldview requires

1. the Spirit (cf. John 6:44,65)

2. a receptive heart (Matthew 13)

3. revelation in an understandable form

4. time/effort

The UBS Handbook (p. 374) interprets the silence as the psalmist
not wanting to complain about his life in the presence of the wicked.

▣ “That I may not sin with my tongue”
The sin here must be understood in context as speaking truth that the
wicked cannot receive (cf. Matt. 7:6).

39:2-3 Apparently the psalmist tried not to
think on these issues himself. But revelation caused him to address God
with his question and concern about the fleetingness and transitoriness of
human life.

39:2 “I refrained even from good”
The MT of this line is “I held my peace to no avail” (i.e.,
without success; lit. “no good,” BDB 373). This is ambiguous and
different translations explain it differently. In context it refers to the
psalmist’s desire to speak but felt he should not. His reluctance to speak
did not help the situation.

If life is so short, what should fallen humans focus on? The fate of the
righteous and the unrighteous seems the same (cf. Eccl. 2:14-16,19,26;
9:2-3).

39:3 “the fire burned” This verb (BDB 128, KB 145, Qal imperfect) is the same that describes Jeremiah’s
compulsion to speak YHWH’s word (cf. Jer. 20:9).

39:4-6 These are the issues the psalmist was
“musing” (BDB 211, cf. Ps. 5:1) about.

1. the uncertainty of life

2. the fleetingness of life

3. the false focus (i.e., fame, riches) of life

4. the unfairness of life

39:5 “handbreadths” This term (BDB
381) is one of several Hebrew measurements from the human body (see
Special  Topic: Cubit).

1. arms outstretched

2. finger tip to elbow

3. fingers outstretched

4. four fingers together

5. one digit of a finger

SPECIAL
TOPIC: CUBIT

▣ “my lifetime as nothing in Your sight”
This is not asserting that YHWH does not care but that human life is
fleeting and insignificant when compared to YHWH (cf. Isa. 40:15).

▣ “a mere breath” This
phrase (BDB 481 construct BDB 210 I) is
another connection to Ecclesiastes (cf. Eccl. 1:2; 12:8; lit. “vapor,”
“breath,” “vanity,” see
Special Topic: Vain, Empty,
Nothingness). This term is used thirty times in
Ecclesiastes and only nine in the Psalms (cf. Ps. 39:5,6,11; 144:4) and
three in Proverbs.

▣ “Selah” See note at Ps.
3:2 and Introduction to Psalms, VII.

39:6 “phantom” This is literally
“shadow” (BDB 853). It can refer to clouds but is used regularly
in a figurative sense of the transitoriness of life (cf. Job 8:9; 14:2;
Ps. 102:11; 109:23; 144:4). This is the issue of this Psalm! Psalm 8 would
be a good theological parallel.

▣ “He amasses riches and does not
know who will gather them” This is so similar to the thought
of Qoheleth in Eccl. 2:18-23.
See
Special Topic: Wealth.

The NASB Study Bible (p. 778) has a good comment on this verse.

“Could almost serve as a summary of Ecclesiastes.”

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 39:7-11
 ⁷“And
now, Lord, for what do I wait?
 My hope is in You.
 ⁸Deliver me from all my
transgressions;
 Make me
not the reproach of the foolish.
 ⁹I
have become mute, I do not open my mouth,
 Because it is You who have done it.
 ¹⁰Remove Your plague from
me;
 Because of the
opposition of Your hand I am perishing.
 ¹¹With
reproofs You chasten a man for iniquity;
 You
consume as a moth what is precious to him;
 Surely every man is a mere breath.”
 Selah.

39:7-11 This strophe is a general summary of
how YHWH deals with His faithful followers amidst all the questions and
confusion of life in a fallen world.

1. they wait for YHWH

2. they hope in YHWH (#1,2 are the theological key in our mysterious
and transitory lives)

3. they pray for deliverance from YHWH — BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil
imperative (cf. Ps. 51:14; 79:9)

4. they pray not to be foolish — BDB 962, KB 1321, Qal
imperfect used in a jussive
sense

5. YHWH guides our words and life (cf. Psalm 139)

6. they seek the removal of YHWH’s judgment — BDB 693, KB 747,
Hiphil imperative

In Ps. 39:10-11 the reasons for YHWH’s actions are spelled out.

1. YHWH is active in their lives

2. YHWH’s judgments are disciplinary not just punitive

3. YHWH takes away the things we trust in and cherish more than Him!
Everything except YHWH is transitory! Do you get it?!

39:10

NASB, NKJV,
JPSOA“plague”
NRSV“stroke”
TEV,
REB“blows”
NJB, LXX“scourge”

The Hebrew noun (BDB 619, see note at Ps.
38:11) is used often of a disease sent by YHWH.

1. plague — Gen. 12:17; Exod. 11:1; 1 Kgs. 8:37; Ps. 38:11;
39:10

2. strike/stroke — Ps. 89:23; Isa. 53:8

3. scourge — Ps. 89:23

YHWH can remove it because He sent it! It is always hard, if not
impossible, to know the source of an illness, event, crisis, etc. in this
life. The OT’s theology attributed all causality to YHWH as a theological
way of asserting monotheism. But from the progressive revelation of the NT
several options arise.

1. God does send things

a. for punishment

b. for spiritual growth (cf. Heb. 5:8)

2. God allows (not sends) things to occur

3. we live in a fallen world where bad things happen (statistical
evil)

I have chosen, by faith (as did the psalmist), to trust, hope, and wait
(cf. Ps. 38:15; 39:7) on God in the midst of the mysterious, unfair, often
evil events of life. I do not understand “why” or “why now”
or “why this” or “how long,” but I do by faith believe
that God is with me, for me, and that there can
be a purpose and effective outcome for all things (cf. Rom.
8:28-30,31-39)! It is a worldview, a faith stance, a theological
orientation!

▣ “the opposition of Your hand”
Hand is an idiom for power to act (see

SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND). As to
the theological issue see Ps. 32:4 and 38:2. God as a disciplining, loving
parent is a wonderful metaphor (cf. Pro. 3:11-12). He is active in our
lives because He does not want us to destroy ourselves and others. The
“hand” of discipline has a positive purpose (cf. Heb. 12:5-13).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 39:12-13
 ¹²“Hear
my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry;
 Do not be silent at my tears;
 For I am a stranger with You,
 A sojourner like all my fathers.
 ¹³Turn Your gaze away
from me, that I may smile again
 Before
I depart and am no more.”

39:12-13 As is common in the Psalms, it
closes with prayer requests.

1. Hear — BDB 1033, KB 1570, Qal imperative

2. Give ear — BDB 24, KB 27, Hiphil imperative

3. Do not be silent — BDB 361, KB 357, Qal imperfect used in a jussive
sense, cf. Ps. 28:1; 35:22; 83:1; 109:1

4. Turn Your gaze away — BDB 1043, KB 1609, Hiphil imperative, see Job 7:17-19; 10:20-21; 14:6

5. That I may smile again — BDB 114, KB 132, Hiphil
cohortative, see Job 9:27; 10:20

39:12 The last two lines of this verse
address the tension between

1. special covenant people

2. continuing sinners with fleeting lives (cf. 1 Chr. 29:15; Ps.
119:19,54; Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11).

Remember this is the fog of the OT. The gospel of Jesus Christ will
address many of these issues and questions about life, purpose, and
eternity!

▣ “I am a stranger” This
word/concept bothers me. It seems to denote one who does not know God or
is not known by God. But in context it refers to a visitor in a tent who
stays one or two nights and departs. It is another example of figurative
language used to describe and bemoan the transitoriness of human life.

39:13 In light of the holiness of YHWH, this
life becomes distressed (cf. Job 14:6). The pull to be like YHWH (cf.
Matt. 5:48; Lev. 19:2) is overwhelming. Only in Jesus can a peace come for
us to be in the presence (i.e., gaze, i.e., associated with YHWH’s
judgment, cf. Job 7:19; 14:6; Isa. 22:4) of a holy God!

In light of this verse, Peter’s request in Luke 5:8 makes sense!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the
major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be
thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why does the psalmist want to be silent in the presence of the
wicked (Ps. 39:1)?

2. Explain in your own words the implication of Ps. 39:4.

3. What is a “handbreadth”?

4. Explain Ps. 39:11b. Why would YHWH take everything precious from
one of His followers?

5. Does Ps. 39:11c imply that YHWH does not care about individual
humans?

6. What does Ps. 39:12, c and d, mean? Are we strangers to YHWH?

7. Explain in your own words the meaning or implication of Ps. 39:13.

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