But I, as a deaf man, don’t hear. I am as a mute man who doesn’t open his mouth.
Parallel translations
- KJV But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
- BSB But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.
- NKJV But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
- NASB ¶But I, like a person who is deaf, do not hear; And I am like a person who cannot speak, who does not open his mouth.
- NLT But I am deaf to all their threats. I am silent before them as one who cannot speak.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David chooses silence before his accusers, like a deaf man who hears no insult. He refuses to repay slander in kind.
Overview
Rather than defending himself or retaliating, David entrusts his cause to God by holding his peace. This restraint reflects faith that the Lord, not self-vindication, will set things right. Christ embodied this perfectly, opening not His mouth before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; 1 Peter 2:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Isa 53:7He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he didn’t open his mouth. As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth.
- Ps 39:9I was mute. I didn’t open my mouth, because you did it.
- 1 Pet 2:23Who, when he was cursed, didn’t curse back. When he suffered, didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously;
- Ps 39:2I was mute with silence. I held my peace, even from good. My sorrow was stirred.
- 2 Sam 16:10–12The king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Because he curses, and because Yahweh has said to him, ‘Curse David;’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 38:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.