NOTES for Psa 41:6

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⁶And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

Who is this, "my soul"? And if this is not I, then who is "I"? Perhaps the psalmist here discovers his own lack of uniformity, his many-sidedness, which each of us knows from experience. Perhaps he does not yet have in mind the threefold structure of the human person of which the Fathers of the Church speak already in New Testament times; after all, such a classification grows from Greek philosophy, not from Old Testament wisdom. But there is no doubt that he is very close to such a view: for his "soul" is downcast and troubled, that is, under the power of negative feelings, while the "I" is where there is a firm decision, independent of emotions, to praise God. It is important for us too that our will should not follow on the heels of our moods, but should be nourished by faith in God and relationship with Him, leading us to hope in God, a hope that overcomes every despondency.

Other notes

For Psa 41:1-11

¹Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

²The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.

³The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

⁴I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

⁵Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

⁶And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.

⁷All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.

⁸An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.

⁹Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

¹⁰But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.

¹¹By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.

The longing for God of a soul separated from Him resembles thirst. But this means that the Lord Himself can be compared to life-giving water... Read more

The longing for God of a soul separated from Him resembles thirst. But this means that the Lord Himself can be compared to life-giving water. Many years later, when the Son of David reveals Himself as the One who gives living water, this will become one of His testimonies about Himself as God.

Let us note that the tears which nourish the thirsty person are compared not to water but to bread, for one can live without bread a little longer than without water. Yet the Lord will also call Himself the Bread of Life...

Sorrow can be felt behind the lines of the psalm, and it is caused not only by the Beloved’s failure to respond. The psalmist perhaps grieves far more because people interpret the Lord’s silence wrongly. Together with others, the weeping man went with the multitude into the house of God, and now his recent companions in faith have turned away from God and mock the one who has remained faithful. If only they had never known the Lord! But they turned away from Him after having already encountered Him.

Yet the one who keeps the faith does not cease calling out to Him. He knows that hope in the Lord will deliver him from every despondency.

NOTES for Psa 41:6

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