Psalms 55:5

"My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me."

Key Reflection

In Psalm 55:5, David expresses profound emotional distress and fear, metaphorically describing his heart as "severely pained" and overwhelmed by the "terrors of death," which symbolize the intensity of his anguish and the magnitude of his troubles feeling life-threatening. This vivid imagery underscores the depth of his spiritual struggle and the weight of his sorrow.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Fearfulness and trembling -Fear so great as to produce trembling. Compare the notes atJob 4:14. He knew not when these things would end. How far the spirit of rebellion had spread he knew not, and he had no means of ascertaining. It seemed as if he would be wholly overthrown; as if his power was wholly at an end; as if even his life was in the greatest peril. And horror hath overwhelmed me -Margin, as in Hebrew, “covered me.” That is; it had come upon him so as to cover or envelop him entirely. The shades of horror and despair spread all around and above him, and all things were filled with gloom.

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