Psalms 38:7
For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
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
כְ֭סָלַי
For my loins
H3689
כְ֭סָלַי
For my loins
Strong's:
H3689
Word #:
2 of 7
properly, fatness, i.e., by implication (literally) the loin (as the seat of the leaf fat) or (generally) the viscera; also (figuratively) silliness o
מָלְא֣וּ
are filled
H4390
מָלְא֣וּ
are filled
Strong's:
H4390
Word #:
3 of 7
to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)
וְאֵ֥ין
H369
Historical Context
Loins in Hebrew thought represented not just reproductive organs but the center of physical strength and emotional passion. Girding the loins meant preparing for battle or work. Diseased loins meant total incapacitation—unable to fight, work, or generate life. This would effectively end David's kingship if permanent.
Questions for Reflection
- How does sin attack the very 'loins' (core vitality) of your spiritual life, draining energy for godly pursuits?
- What does the progression from surface wounds (v.5) to core disease (v.7) teach about sin's deepening destruction?
- Where do you need Christ's healing for the 'loathsome disease' at the center of recurring sin patterns?
Analysis & Commentary
For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh. The loins (כֶּסֶל, kesel, seat of vitality/reproductive power) are filled with loathsome disease (נִקְלֶה, niqleh, something burned/scorched). This repeats v.3's 'no soundness' (מְתֹם, metom), emphasizing total corruption from core to surface.
Loins represent strength, vigor, procreative power—life's generative force. Their being 'scorched' or 'diseased' suggests complete depletion. Whether literal illness or metaphor, David experiences sin's destruction at his very source of vitality. This anticipates Christ bearing sin's full curse—disease, shame, separation—in our place (Isaiah 53:4-5).