Psalms 40:12

For innumerable dangers ¹  surround me. My sins overtake me so I am unable to see; they outnumber the hairs of my head so my strength fails me. ² 

Ge 42:28; Ps 19:12; Ps 22:11-19; Ps 38:4; Ps 69:4; Ps 73:26; Isa 53:6; Lu 18:13,14; Lu 21:26; Heb 4:15; 1Pe 3:18

¹ tn Or “sinful deeds.” The Hebrew term used here can have a nonmoral nuance (“dangers”) or a moral one (“sinful deeds”) depending on the context. The next line (see “my sins”) seems to favor the moral sense, but the psalmist also speaks of enemies shortly after this (v. 14).

² tn Heb “and my heart abandons me.” The “heart” is here viewed as the seat of emotional strength and courage. For a similar idea see Ps 38:10.