Psalms 31:10

For my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my iniquity has drained my strength, and my bones are wasting away.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD directly, cataloging his physical collapse during a period of acute distress and social abandonment. This statement follows an immediate plea for mercy in verse 9 and precedes a report of total isolation in verse 11.

The words — The Hebrew כָל֥וּ (kha.Lu) literally means "they have wasted away," while כָּשַׁ֣ל (ka.Shal) means "it has failed," together describing how iniquity drains strength and causes physical decay. These verbs anchor the verse's claim that sin directly produces bodily deterioration.

The thread — The psalmist links his condition to a recurring biblical pattern where unconfessed sin or divine discipline produces groaning and bone deterioration, as recorded in Psalms 32:3, 38:3, and 88:15. These passages consistently pair physical decay with the weight of iniquity or terror.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that unaddressed iniquity yields measurable physical and social ruin. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of how personal sin directly drains strength and isolates the individual.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

כִּ֤יkifor כָל֪וּkha.Luthey have wasted away בְיָג֡וֹןve./ya.Gonin/ sorrow חַיַּי֮chai.Ya/ilife/ my וּשְׁנוֹתַ֪יu./she.no.Ta/iand/ years/ my בַּאֲנָ֫חָ֥הba./'a.Na.Chahwith/ groaning כָּשַׁ֣לka.Shalit has failed בַּעֲוֹנִ֣יba./'a.vo.N/iby/ iniquity/ my כֹחִ֑יkho.Ch/istrength/ my וַעֲצָמַ֥יva./'a.tza.Ma/iand/ bones/ my עָשֵֽׁשׁוּ׃'a.She.shuthey have wasted away

King James Version

For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

Cross-references

Psalms 32:3 When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.
Psalms 38:3 There is no soundness in my body because of Your anger; there is no rest in my bones because of my sin.
Psalms 88:15 From my youth I was afflicted and near death. I have borne Your terrors; I am in despair.
Psalms 78:33 So He ended their days in futility, and their years in sudden terror.
Romans 9:2 I have deep sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.
Job 3:24 I sigh when food is put before me, and my groans pour out like water.
Psalms 13:2 How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?
Psalms 39:11 You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. Selah
Psalms 102:3 For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers.
Psalms 71:9 Do not discard me in my old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails.