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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 Psalms 38:10 and Proverbs 29:13

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Proverbs 29:13 says God gives light to the eyes, and Psalm 38 grieves that the light of the eyes has gone. Each reflects an ancient belief that the eyes create their own light in order to make vision possible.

Passages

Psalms 38:10

Hebrew Bible
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.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

Proverbs 29:13

Hebrew Bible
11 A fool lets fly with all his temper, but a wise person keeps it back. 12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his ministers will be wicked. 13 The poor person and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives light to the eyes of them both. 14 If a king judges the poor in truth, his throne will be established forever. 15 A rod and reproof impart wisdom, but a child who is unrestrained brings shame to his mother.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Proverbs

References

... Expressions in the Old Testament imply that the Jews thought of the eye as having its own light. 'The light of my eyes – it also has gone from me' (Psalm 38[27]:10), 'The light of the eyes rejoices the heart' (Proverbs 15:30), 'The Lord gives light to the eyes' (Proverbs 29:13). In Tobit 10:5 we read: 'my child, that I let you go, you who are the light of my eyes'. Though these expressions could be interpreted metaphorically, the point of reference relies on common knowledge of the functioning of the eye. In eight places we read that eyes became darkened (Genesis 27:1; 48:10; Deuteronomy 34:7; 1 Samuel 3:2; Job 17:7; Psalm 69:23; Lamentations 5:17; Zechariah 11:17). The most natural explanation for this metaphor is to recognise the correlation between the eye and the sun. As the heavenly source of light darkens, so too can the bodily source of light dim ...
Francois P. Viljoen, “A Contextualised Reading of Matthew 6:22–23: ‘Your Eye Is the Lamp of Your Body’,” HvTSt 65.1 (2009): 3.

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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Psalms 38:10 and Proverbs 29:13

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