Bible Strands
Psalms 41:4
I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks directly to Yahweh while confined to a bed of illness, immediately following the assurance that the Lord sustains and restores him from sickness. The prayer is uttered while enemies plot his death and demand he be forgotten.
The words — The Hebrew cho.ne-ni (show favor to me) and re.fa.'A-h (heal!) form the core petition, directly coupling divine grace with physical restoration. Cha.Ta.ti (I have sinned) anchors the request in personal guilt rather than external blame.
The thread — Psalm 103:3 states that God forgives all iniquities and heals all diseases, linking forgiveness and healing in the same divine act. James 5:15 states that the prayer of faith restores the sick and addresses sin if present, mirroring the psalmist’s sequence.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to confess specific guilt before requesting mercy, refusing to separate moral failure from physical suffering. It directs the seeker to Yahweh alone as the source of both pardon and restoration.
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
I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
Cross-references
- Psalms 103:3 He who forgives all your iniquities and heals all your diseases,
- James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
- Hosea 6:1 Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.
- 2 Chronicles 30:18 A large number of the people—many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun—had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah interceded for them, saying, “May the LORD, who is good, provide atonement for everyone
- Psalms 6:2 Be merciful to me, O LORD, for I am frail; heal me, O LORD, for my bones are in agony.
- Psalms 32:5 Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
- Psalms 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
- Psalms 51:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.