Psalms 38:1
in Psalms 38O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath; Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
KJV
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
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This verse in Psalms 38
Commentary
14 notes on this verse(Vers. 1.) Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; nor chasten me in your wrath. He who repents should be prepared to endure reproaches and suffer injuries; and not be disturbed if someone accuses him of his own sin. For if he himself must accuse himself, why does he not endure others accusing him? And if he should not fear being accused by a man, how much more by his Lord God, to whom we all, even in secret things, sin; since the condemnation of present things, especially the absolution of future things, is from Him.
This site's exposition
rebuke me in Your anger
on Psalms 38:1-4
The psalm opens asking that the discipline not come in anger or wrath. The arrows and the pressing hand are God's own, and the sickness in body and bones is traced to sin. The iniquities are a burden too heavy to bear.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"O Lord, rebuke me not in Your indignation; neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure" [Psalm 38:1]. For it will be that some shall be chastened in God's "hot displeasure," and rebuked in His "indignation." And haply not all who are "rebuked" will be "chastened;" yet are there some that are to be saved in the chastening. So it is to be indeed, because it is called "chastening," but yet it shall be "so as by fire." But there are to be some who will be "rebuked," and will not be "corrected." For he will at all events "rebuke" those to whom He will say, "I was an hungred, and you gave me no meat." [Matthew 25:42] ... "Neither chasten me in Your hot displeasure;" so that You may cleanse me in this life, and make me such, that I may after that stand in no need of the cleansing fire, for those "who are to be saved, yet so as by fire." [1 Corinthians 3:15] Why? Why, but because they "build upon the foundation, wood, stubble, and hay." Now they should build on it, "gold, silver, and precious stones;" [1 Corinthians 3:12] and should have nothing to fear from either fire: not only that which is to consume the ungodly for ever, but also that which is to purge those who are to escape through the fire. For it is said, "he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire." And because it is said, "he shall be saved," that fire is thought lightly of. For all that, though we should be "saved by fire," yet will that fire be more grievous than anything that man can suffer in this life whatsoever.. ..
David made this beginning to the sixth psalm as well, asking to be disciplined in the manner of a surgeon, not a judge, and to be treated not with harsh remedies but with mild ones.
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanCommentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms · Written before 397.
proposed
The prophet … acknowledges his fault, recognizes his wounds and asks to be cured. One who wants to be cured does not shrink from correction. Still, he does not want to be chastised in the fury of indignation but in the word of God. God's word is healing. As we read, "He sent his word and healed them." David does not want to be corrected in wrath but to be disciplined in doctrine. It is as though you were to ask the surgeon not to apply his knife to your wound but to pour in ointment. He begs for the remedy but not for the knife. There is pain but not beyond measure. The remedy stings, but the patient's blood does not flow.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Above, the Psalmist implored divine help against persecutors, at "Judge"; he also showed their wickedness, at "The unjust one said"; he taught us to despise the prosperity of the wicked in the preceding Psalm, "Do not be envious"; but in this Psalm he confesses that …
The Reformation1 voice
There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger; nor any peace in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have passed over my head, and as a weighty burden they have become too heavy for me. My wounds have become putrid, they are corrupt, because of my foolishness.
7 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): O Lord! rebuke me not in thy wrath. With this same petition he began another prayer for the visitation of the sick, Ps. vi. This was most upon his heart, and should be most upon ours when we are in affliction, that, however God rebukes and chastens us, it may not be in wrath and displeasure, for that will be wormwood and gall in the affliction and misery.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure,.... This and the following clause are the same as in Psa 6:1, only instead of wrath there it is anger; See Gill on Psa 6:1.
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath. Rebuked I must be, for I am an erring child and thou a careful Father, but throw not too much anger into the tones of thy voice; deal gently although I have sinned grievously. The anger of others I can bear, but not thine. As thy love is most sweet to my heart, so thy displeasure is most cutting to my conscience. Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath. Rebuked I must be, for I am an erring child and thou a careful Father, but throw not too much anger into the tones of thy voice; deal gently although I have sinned grievously. The anger of others I can bear, but not thine. As thy love is most sweet to my heart, so thy displeasure is most cutting to my conscience. Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Chasten me if thou wilt, it is a Father's prerogative, and to endure it obediently is a child's duty; but, O turn not the rod into a sword, smite not so as to kill. True, my sins might well inflame thee, but let thy mercy and longsuffering quench the glowing coals of thy wrath. O let me not be treated as an enemy or dealt with as a rebel. Bring to remembrance thy covenant, thy fatherhood, and my feebleness, and spare the servant.
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath. Rebuked I must be, for I am an erring child and thou a careful Father, but throw not too much anger into the tones of thy voice; deal gently although I have sinned grievously. The anger of others I can bear, but not thine. As thy love is most sweet to my heart, so thy displeasure is most cutting to my conscience. Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
O Lord, rebuke me not - He was sensible that he was suffering under the displeasure of God; and he prays that the chastisement may be in mercy, and not in judgment.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath - See the notes at Psa 6:1, where the same language occurs, except in the change of a single Hebrew “word,” that is, “wrath,” though expressing the same idea. Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure - See the notes at Psa 6:1. The Hebrew in both is the same, except that in this place the negative particle is omitted, but without affecting the sense. It is not improbable that the one was copied from the other, or that this was composed with the language of the former in the memory. Thus we often use language with which we are familiar, as being well adapted to express our ideas.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
A song of David, to make remembrance To recite it in time of distress, to make remembrance of the distress of Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he recited it as relating to all Israel.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְֽהוָ֗ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| בְּקֶצְפְּךָ֥ | beketzpecha | in anger your | H7110 → | |
| תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִי | tokhicheni | you rebuke me | H3198 → | 59 times |
| וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥ | uvachamatekha | and in wrath your | H2534 → | 125 times |
| תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃ | teyasereni | may you chasten me | H3256 → | 43 times |
יְֽהוָ֗הO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
בְּקֶצְפְּךָ֥in anger your
beketzpechaH7110 →
תוֹכִיחֵ֑נִיyou rebuke me
tokhicheniH3198 →59 times
וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥and in wrath your
uvachamatekhaH2534 →125 times
תְיַסְּרֵֽנִי׃may you chasten me
teyasereniH3256 →43 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 6:1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 10:24
Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 10:24
Through
Isaiah 54:8In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion.
- Isaiah 60:10
Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Although I struck you in anger, yet in favor I will show you mercy.
- 1 Timothy 1:16
But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him…
- Ezekiel 39:23–24
And the nations will know that the house of Israel went into exile for their iniquity, because they were unfaithful to Me. So I hid My face from them and delivered them into the…
- Jeremiah 31:3
Through
Psalms 70:1Make haste, O God, to deliver me! Hurry, O LORD, to help me!
it leads to
- Psalms 40:13–17
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; hurry, O LORD, to help me.
- Psalms 143:7
Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.
- Psalms 71:12
Be not far from me, O God. Hurry, O my God, to help me.
- Psalms 40:13–17
About Psalms
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 38; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 38:2 and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.