For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments, according to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician; on stringed instruments, upon the eight-stringed lyre. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, don’t rebuke me in your anger, neither discipline me in your wrath.
- KJV O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
- NKJV O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
- NASB Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath.
- NLT O Lord, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage.
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 pleads that God not rebuke or discipline him in anger. He seeks correction tempered by mercy rather than wrath.
Overview
As the first of the church's seven penitential psalms, this begins with David acknowledging he deserves God's discipline yet pleading for mercy, not fury. He does not deny his fault but appeals to God's compassion. Believers can pray this way with full confidence, for in Christ the wrath their sin deserves has been borne, and discipline now comes as a Father's loving correction (Hebrews 12:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 38:1A Psalm of David, for remembrance. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
- Ps 118:18The LORD disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
- Jer 10:24Correct me, O LORD, but only with justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.
- Jer 46:28And you, My servant Jacob, do not be afraid, declares the LORD, for I am with you. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have banished you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”
- 1 Cor 11:31–32Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.
- Isa 57:16For I will not accuse you forever, nor will I always be angry; for then the spirit of man would grow weak before Me, with the breath of those I have made.
- 1 Chr 15:21And Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead the music with lyres according to Sheminith.
- Isa 54:9“For to Me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
- Ps 4:1For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have relieved my distress; show me grace and hear my prayer.
- Ps 12:1For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.
- Ps 2:5Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:
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 6:1 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.