Bible Strands
Psalms 38:21
Do not forsake me, O LORD; be not far from me, O my God.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD while enduring physical suffering and hostile retaliation, positioned between a complaint about enemies and a direct request for urgent rescue.
The words — The Hebrew verbs תַּֽעַזְבֵ֥/נִי (ta.'az.Ve./ni) and תִּרְחַ֥ק (tir.Chak) literally command "do not forsake me" and "do not be distant."
The thread — This specific appeal for proximity appears in Psalms 22:11 and Psalms 22:19, where the psalmist faces imminent trouble and asks God not to remain far off.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that survival in crisis depends entirely on God's active presence, not on human allies or personal strength.
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
King James Version
Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.
Cross-references
- Psalms 22:19 But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
- Psalms 22:24 For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.
- Psalms 22:11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.
- Psalms 35:21 They gape at me and say, “Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen!”
- Psalms 22:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?