Psalm 38:5
New International Version
My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly.

New Living Translation
My wounds fester and stink because of my foolish sins.

English Standard Version
My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness,

Berean Standard Bible
My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.

King James Bible
My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

New King James Version
My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness.

New American Standard Bible
My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my foolishness.

NASB 1995
My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly.

NASB 1977
My wounds grow foul and fester. Because of my folly,

Legacy Standard Bible
My wounds stink and rot Because of my folly.

Amplified Bible
My wounds are loathsome and foul Because of my foolishness.

Christian Standard Bible
My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.

American Standard Version
My wounds are loathsome and corrupt, Because of my foolishness.

Contemporary English Version
Because of my foolishness, I am covered with sores that stink and spread.

English Revised Version
My wounds stink and are corrupt, because of my foolishness.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My wounds smell rotten. They fester because of my stupidity.

Good News Translation
Because I have been foolish, my sores stink and rot.

International Standard Version
My wounds have putrefied and festered because of my foolishness.

Majority Standard Bible
My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly.

NET Bible
My wounds are infected and starting to smell, because of my foolish sins.

New Heart English Bible
My wounds are loathsome and corrupt, because of my foolishness.

Webster's Bible Translation
My wounds are offensive, and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

World English Bible
My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Stunk—my wounds have become corrupt, "" Because of my folly.

Young's Literal Translation
Stunk -- become corrupt have my wounds, Because of my folly.

Smith's Literal Translation
For mine iniquities passed over my head: as a heavy lifting up they will be loaded above me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My sores are putrified and corrupted, because of my foolishness.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My sores have putrefied and been corrupted before the face of my foolishness.

New American Bible
Foul and festering are my sores because of my folly.

New Revised Standard Version
My wounds grow foul and fester because of my foolishness;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because of my foolishness.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
My wounds defile me and rot me even from the presence of my crime.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
My wounds are noisome, they fester, Because of my foolishness.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My bruises have become noisome and corrupt, because of my foolishness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Do Not Rebuke Me in Your Anger
4For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear. 5My wounds are foul and festering because of my sinful folly. 6I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:6
From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil.

Job 7:5
My flesh is clothed with worms and encrusted with dirt; my skin is cracked and festering.

Jeremiah 30:12-14
For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous. / There is no one to plead your cause, no remedy for your sores, no recovery for you. / All your lovers have forgotten you; they no longer seek you, for I have struck you as an enemy would, with the discipline of someone cruel, because of your great iniquity and your numerous sins.

Lamentations 3:39-42
Why should any mortal man complain, in view of his sins? / Let us examine and test our ways, and turn back to the LORD. / Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven: ...

Micah 1:9
For her wound is incurable; it has reached even Judah; it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.

Isaiah 53:5
But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Job 30:17-18
Night pierces my bones, and my gnawing pains never rest. / With great force He grasps my garment; He seizes me by the collar of my tunic.

Proverbs 14:30
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Isaiah 57:17-18
I was enraged by his sinful greed, so I struck him and hid My face in anger; yet he kept turning back to the desires of his heart. / I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him and his mourners,

Hosea 5:13
When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria and sent to the great king. But he cannot cure you or heal your wound.

Matthew 9:12
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Mark 2:17
On hearing this, Jesus told them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 5:31
Jesus answered, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Romans 7:24
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

1 Peter 2:24
He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.”


Treasury of Scripture

My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

My wounds.

Psalm 38:5
My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.

Psalm 32:3
When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

Isaiah 1:5,6
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint…

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Behaviour Corrupt Evil-Smelling Folly Foolish Foolishness Foul Grow Loathsome Noisome Offensive Poisoned Sinful Stink Wounds
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Behaviour Corrupt Evil-Smelling Folly Foolish Foolishness Foul Grow Loathsome Noisome Offensive Poisoned Sinful Stink Wounds
Psalm 38
1. David moves God to take compassion on his pitiful case














My wounds
The Hebrew word for "wounds" here is "מַכּוֹתַי" (makotai), which can refer to physical injuries or metaphorically to emotional and spiritual afflictions. In the context of this psalm, David is likely speaking of the deep spiritual and emotional pain caused by his sin. This imagery of wounds suggests a state of vulnerability and a need for healing, both physically and spiritually. In the ancient Near Eastern context, wounds were often seen as a sign of divine displeasure or judgment, emphasizing the seriousness of sin and the need for repentance.

are foul and festering
The phrase "foul and festering" translates the Hebrew "הִבְאִישׁוּ נִמְקָה" (hib'ishu nimka), which conveys a sense of decay and corruption. This vivid description underscores the severity of the consequences of sin. In a historical context, untreated wounds could lead to infection and serious health issues, symbolizing how unchecked sin can lead to spiritual decay. The imagery here is powerful, illustrating the repulsive nature of sin and its effects on the soul. It serves as a call to seek God's cleansing and healing.

because of my sinful folly
The term "sinful folly" comes from the Hebrew "מִפְּנֵי אִוַּלְתִּי" (mipnei ivalti), where "ivalti" denotes foolishness or moral failure. This phrase highlights the personal responsibility of the psalmist for his condition. In the biblical worldview, folly is not merely a lack of wisdom but a moral failing that leads one away from God's path. The acknowledgment of "sinful folly" is a step towards repentance, recognizing that the suffering experienced is a direct result of one's own actions. This confession is crucial in the process of seeking forgiveness and restoration from God.

(5) Wounds.--Better, stripes, as in LXX.

Stink and are corrupt.--Both words denote suppuration; the first in reference to the offensive smell, the second of the discharge of matter; the whole passage recalls Isaiah 1:6, seq.

Foolishness.--Men are generally even more loth to confess their folly than their sins.

Verse 5. - My wounds stink and are corrupt. The writer reverts to his bodily pains. He has "wounds," which "stink" and "are corrupt;" or "fester and become noisome," which may be boils, or bed-sores, and which make him a loathsome object to others (comp. Job 9:19; Job 30:18). Because of my foolishness. Because I was so foolish as to forsake the way of righteousness, and allow sin to get the dominion over me.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My wounds
חַבּוּרֹתָ֑י (ḥab·bū·rō·ṯāy)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2250: A stripe, blow

are foul
הִבְאִ֣ישׁוּ (hiḇ·’î·šū)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 887: To smell bad, to be offensive

and festering
נָ֭מַקּוּ (nā·maq·qū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 4743: To melt, to flow, dwindle, vanish

because of
מִ֝פְּנֵ֗י (mip·pə·nê)
Preposition-m | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

my sinful folly.
אִוַּלְתִּֽי׃ (’iw·wal·tî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 200: Silliness


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OT Poetry: Psalm 38:5 My wounds are loathsome and corrupt because (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 38:4
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