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Psalms

About this book
Psalm 38

1 A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger. Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury. 2 For your arrows pierce me, and your hand presses me down.⁠ 3 My whole body is sick because of your judgment; I am deprived of health because of my sin. 4 For my sins overwhelm me; like a heavy load, they are too much for me to bear. 5 My wounds are infected and starting to smell, because of my foolish sins. 6 I am dazed and completely humiliated; all day long I walk around mourning. 7 For I am overcome with shame, and my whole body is sick. 8 I am numb with pain and severely battered; I groan loudly because of the anxiety I feel. 9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; my groaning is not hidden from you. 10 My heart beats quickly; my strength leaves me. The light of my eyes is not with me.19⁠ 11 Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; my neighbors stand far away.⁠ 12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words. All day long they say deceitful things. 13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing; I am like a mute who cannot speak. 14 I am like a man who cannot hear and is incapable of arguing his defense. 15 Yet I wait for you, O Lord! You will respond, O Lord, my God! 16 I have prayed for deliverance, because otherwise they will gloat over me; when my foot slips they will arrogantly taunt me. 17 For I am about to stumble, and I am in constant pain. 18 Yes, I confess my wrongdoing, and I am concerned about my sins. 19 But those who are my enemies for no reason are numerous; those who hate me without cause outnumber me. 20 They repay me evil for the good I have done; though I have tried to do good to them, they hurl accusations at me. 21 Do not abandon me, O Lord. My God, do not remain far away from me. 22 Hurry and help me, O Lord, my deliverer.

Texts in conversation

Compare Psalm 38:11 and Matthew 27:55

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Matthew 27 describes the women watching from a distance at the crucifixion, a narrative detail that parallels Psalm 38 where companions and neighbors are depicted as standing far away from the sufferer.

Passages

Psalm 38:11

Hebrew Bible
9 O Lord, you understand my heart’s desire; my groaning is not hidden from you. 10 My heart beats quickly; my strength leaves me. The light of my eyes is not with me.19 11 Because of my condition, even my friends and acquaintances keep their distance; my neighbors stand far away. 12 Those who seek my life try to entrap me; those who want to harm me speak destructive words. All day long they say deceitful things. 13 But I am like a deaf man—I hear nothing; I am like a mute who cannot speak.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Matthew 27:55

New Testament
53 (They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.) 54 Now when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, “Truly this one was God’s Son!” 55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were also there, watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. 57 Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... They were deeply affected, as were Jesus' own followers, who endured their inexpressible grief standing at a distance. Luke's Gospel does not name the women (verse 49), as do all the other Gospels at this point, probably because he had named some of them in 8:3. All the Synoptics say that the women stood at a distance (compare Psalm 38:11) ..."
Frank Ely Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Pickering & Inglis, 1984), 1045–1046.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Psalm 38:11 and Matthew 27:55

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