Psalms 38:21Don't forsake me, Yahweh. My God, don't be far from me.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~1000 BC. David's bedroom, possibly during the plague that killed 70,000 Israelites. His body is covered in sores, friends have abandoned him, and he fears God has too.
The emotion here: desperate but clinging to covenant relationship
The original word
Yahweh (יהוה) — God's covenant name, meaning 'I AM' or 'I will be what I will be'
Why it matters
This psalm was written during David's serious illness, possibly the skin disease mentioned earlier in the chapter
Read with care
What most readers miss in Psalms 38:21
David uses God's most intimate name (Yahweh) even while feeling abandoned - covenant love, not just any god
Common misconceptionPeople think this shows weak faith, but David is actually demonstrating strong faith by crying out to God instead of turning away from Him.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Psalms 38:21
Bible Genome reading
Psalms 38:21 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Psalms 38:21 comes from the book of Psalms, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to David. The dominant emotion in this verse is seeking, with a comfort power of 70% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the psalm genre of biblical literature. Key themes include abandonment fear, divine presence. Notable phrases: Don't forsake me; don't be far from me. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same seeking
“Pray without ceasing.”
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17
“But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
— Amos 5:24
“Be it far from you to do things like that, to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be like the wicked. May that …”
— Genesis 18:25
“Call to me, and I will answer you, and will show you great things, and difficult, which you don't know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3
“Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evi…”
— Luke 11:4
Your reflection
What does Psalms 38:21 mean to you, today?
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