Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

Psalm 41

Israel’s prayers give language for praise, grief, repentance, and trust. Poetry uses imagery and parallel lines; each psalm should be read as a whole rather than as a detached promise.

Historical context & book outline

1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.

2The LORD will protect and preserve him; He will bless him in the land and refuse to give him over to the will of his foes.

3The LORD will sustain him on his bed of illness and restore him from his bed of sickness.

4I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.”

5My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”

6My visitor speaks falsehood; he gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.

7All who hate me whisper against me; they imagine the worst for me:

8“A vile disease has been poured into him; he will never get up from where he lies!”

9Even my close friend whom I trusted, the one who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.

10But You, O LORD, be gracious to me and raise me up, that I may repay them.

11By this I know that You delight in me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.

12In my integrity You uphold me and set me in Your presence forever.

13Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Read closely

  1. What repeated words, contrasts, or actions stand out in this chapter?
  2. How does this chapter fit the surrounding chapters and the book’s purpose?
  3. What did it communicate to its first hearers, before applying it to your life?