Favor · the best way to learn the Bible
Psalm 38 Bible study: Lord, my salvation
"My strength fails me" (38:10) and "Don’t forsake me, LORD" (38:21) are one Hebrew verb, azav: his strength left him, and he asks the LORD not to. And the WEB's health in "neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin" (38:3) is shalom.
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the words behind the words, what most readers miss, and how it all leads to Jesus.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
“For I hope in you, LORD. You will answer, Lord my God.”
Try it · Did you catch it?
“Psalm 38 ends with the psalmist asking the Lord to hurry to help him.”
Is that in Psalm 38, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Your arrows, your hand
The title says: "A Psalm by David, for a memorial" (38:1) (tap memorial). It names no occasion. Then the psalmist speaks to the LORD: "LORD, don’t rebuke me in your wrath, neither chasten me in your hot displeasure" (38:1) (tap rebuke). Psalm 6 opens with the same two Hebrew verbs (Psalm 6:1), and its notes trace them; these notes don't repeat them. Then he says what has already happened: "For your arrows have pierced me, your hand presses hard on me" (38:2) (tap arrows, pierced). The arrows and the hand are the LORD's: your, both times. Then one verse gives two reasons, side by side: "There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation, neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin" (38:3) (tap soundness, health, sin). In Hebrew the two because ofs are one expression, mippenei. The verse doesn't say how the LORD's indignation and his own sin are joined. "For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me" (38:4).
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 38
- "Neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin" (38:3). Does this psalm say that illness comes from sin?
- "I will be sorry for my sin" (38:18), and then, "Those who hate me without reason are numerous" (38:19). Doesn't the psalm contradict itself?
- "But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear. I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth" (38:13). Why doesn't the psalmist answer those who speak against him?
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 38 is waiting in Favor
- No soundness in my flesh
- Friends far off, and a closed mouth
- For I hope in you
- Lover and friend, far off
- Two titles "for a memorial"
- "Forgive us our sins"
- 7 questions as you read
- 14 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 38 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
חַטָּאתchatta'tsay khat-TAHT
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "sin, sin-offering", and among its senses "condition of sin, guilt of sin" and "punishment for sin". Strong's: "an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty". The psalm has it twice: "neither is there any health in my bones because of my sin" (38:3), and "I will be sorry for my sin" (38:18). Psalm 51 has it with the words of 38:17's continually before me: "My sin is constantly before me" (Psalm 51:3) (tap before). The Psalms have the word 13 times in Hebrew.
For your group
Psalm 38 Bible study questions
- 1"Lord, all my desire is before you. My groaning is not hidden from you" (38:9). The psalmist says this before anything has changed. What would it look like for you to bring the Lord what you want and what hurts, before you know the answer?
- 2"My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague" (38:11). When someone you know is suffering, what keeps people at a distance, and what would it take for you to come near?
- 3"For I hope in you, LORD" (38:15) comes three verses before "For I will declare my iniquity" (38:18). How does hoping in God make it easier, or harder, to name your own wrong?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 38 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
Start a Bible studyThe best way to learn the Bible
Favor opens up every chapter as you read.
Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.
Every chapter explains itself
As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.
The Hebrew and Greek behind it
Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.
Every page leads to Jesus
Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.
Better together
Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.
- 1
Start your free week
Sign up in a minute with your email.
- 2
Read a few minutes a day
Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.
- 3
Bring your people, if you like
Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.
First week free, then $10 a month per person
Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
How much does it cost?
Your first week is free. After that it's $10 a month per person, the same for everyone, including groups and churches. There are no tiers and nothing extra to unlock.
Can I read Psalm 38 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 38 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
Do I need a group?
No. Many people read on their own. If you'd like to read with others, start a Bible study and share one link. Everyone's answers stay private until you meet.
I've never really read the Bible. Is this for me?
Yes. Favor starts where you are and explains as it goes. The questions along the way aren't marked right or wrong: you answer, then see what the text shows.
Which Bible does Favor use?
The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
Is Favor tied to a church?
No. Favor is non-denominational. Where Christians read a passage differently, it shows the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
Start with Psalm 38
The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.
There's a seat for you at the table.
Start your free weekFirst week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home