Psalms 38:2
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
Original Language Analysis
כִּֽי
H3588
כִּֽי
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
1 of 7
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
חִ֭צֶּיךָ
For thine arrows
H2671
חִ֭צֶּיךָ
For thine arrows
Strong's:
H2671
Word #:
2 of 7
properly, a piercer, i.e., an arrow; by implication, a wound; figuratively, (of god) thunder-bolt; the shaft of a spear
וַתִּנְחַ֖ת
presseth me sore
H5181
וַתִּנְחַ֖ת
presseth me sore
Strong's:
H5181
Word #:
3 of 7
to sink, i.e., descend; causatively, to press or lead down
וַתִּנְחַ֖ת
presseth me sore
H5181
וַתִּנְחַ֖ת
presseth me sore
Strong's:
H5181
Word #:
5 of 7
to sink, i.e., descend; causatively, to press or lead down
Historical Context
Arrows were the precision weapons of ancient warfare. A lodged arrow caused ongoing pain and required careful extraction. David, a warrior-king familiar with battlefield wounds, uses this metaphor to describe spiritual and possibly physical affliction under God's disciplinary hand.
Questions for Reflection
- Have you experienced seasons where God's discipline felt like 'arrows' that wouldn't relent? How did you respond?
- Why does God sometimes allow the consequences of sin to remain 'stuck fast' rather than removing them immediately?
- How does recognizing affliction as coming from God's hand (not random fate) change your response to suffering?
Analysis & Commentary
For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. David employs battle imagery—God's arrows (חִצִּים, chitsim) have penetrated and remain lodged, while His hand (יָד, yad) bears down with crushing weight. This is not enemy attack but divine discipline.
The Hebrew נָחַת (nachat, 'stick fast') implies arrows that have found their mark and remain embedded—God's corrective judgment is both precise and sustained. Job 6:4 uses similar imagery. The hand that created and blesses now presses in holy discipline, demonstrating that sin injures our fellowship with God before it injures us.