Discovery BoxPsalms 41:3-4 
Context41:3 The Lord supports 1 him on his sickbed;
you completely heal him from his illness. 2
“O Lord, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you!
Psalms 41:8
Context‘An awful disease 5 overwhelms him, 6
and now that he is bed-ridden he will never recover.’ 7
1 tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive, continuing the prayer of v. 2, but the parallel line in v. 3b employs the perfect, suggesting that the psalmist is again speaking in the indicative mood (see v. 1b). The imperfect can be understood as future or as generalizing (see v. 1).
2 tn Heb “all his bed you turn in his illness.” The perfect is used here in a generalizing sense (see v. 1) or in a rhetorical manner to emphasize that the healing is as good as done.
3 sn In vv. 4-10 the psalmist recites the prayer of petition and lament he offered to the Lord.
4 tn The words “they say” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation to make it clear that v. 8 contains a quotation of what the psalmist’s enemies say about him (see v. 7a).
5 tn Heb “thing of worthlessness.” In Ps 101:3 the phrase refers to evil deeds in general, but here it appears to refer more specifically to the illness that plagues the psalmist.
6 tn Heb “is poured out on him.” The passive participle of יָצַק (yatsaq) is used.
7 tn Heb “and he who lies down will not again arise.”
