The Meaning of Psalms 6:3 Explained

Psalms 6:3

KJV: My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?

YLT: And my soul hath been troubled greatly, And Thou, O Jehovah, till when?

Darby: And my soul trembleth exceedingly: and thou, Jehovah, till how long?

ASV: My soul also is sore troubled: And thou, O Jehovah, how long?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My soul  is also sore  vexed:  but thou, O LORD,  how long? 

What does Psalms 6:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

His suffering was not just physical. It had led to the distress of his soul (Heb. nephesh, entire life) as well. "How long?" expresses the frustration he felt.

Context Summary

Psalms 6:1-10 - Deliverance In Trouble
This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psalms 32:1-11; Psalms 38:1-22; Psalms 51:1-19; Psalms 102:1-28; Psalms 130:1-8; Psalms 143:1-12. The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying "octave."
The elements of the psalmist's sorrow are given in Psalms 6:1-7. The pressure of God's displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy's opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea-I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin's lips-How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.
The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psalms 6:8-10. The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1 John 5:15. Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The r.v. turns the imprecation of Psalms 6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 6

1  David's complaint in his sickness
8  He triumphs over his enemies

What do the individual words in Psalms 6:3 mean?

And My soul is troubled greatly You but You Yahweh how long
וְ֭נַפְשִׁי נִבְהֲלָ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד [ואת] (וְאַתָּ֥ה) יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַד־ ؟ מָתָֽי

וְ֭נַפְשִׁי  And  My  soul 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
נִבְהֲלָ֣ה  is  troubled 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּהַל  
Sense: to disturb, alarm, terrify, hurry, be disturbed, be anxious, be afraid, be hurried, be nervous.
מְאֹ֑ד  greatly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
(וְאַתָּ֥ה)  but  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
יְ֝הוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עַד־  how 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
؟ מָתָֽי  long 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: מָתַי  
Sense: when?.