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Psalm 6 is one of the seven penitential psalms. In vv. 2-8, one finds the prayer for help while in vv. 9-11, the petitioner's reaction to the answer to his prayer.
There is no mention of sin here, but the petitioner does complain implicitly of the absence of God or at least His apparent inattention. The first two lines indicate the reason for this inattention: God is angry with him (v. 2).
Do not reprove me in your anger, Lord
do not admonish me in your wrath.
He has done wrong, God is angry, he is in trouble and God is silent.
The intensity of the prayer must be noted in the number of times "Lord" is mentioned. In the ten verses that make up the body of the psalm, the tetragrammaton hwhy appears 8 times (2.3(bis).4.5.9.10(bis)). Furthermore, the verbs used in the cry of help one finds in vv. 2-8 (seven verses) are seven in number: "do not rebuke", "do not admonish" (v.2); "have mercy", "heal" (v.3); "turn", "rescue", "save" (v.5).
The petitioner's condition has worsened during this period of silence. The affliction of his soul is being manifested in the weakening of his frame ("bones", v.3) and of his eyes (v.
. His bed is soaked in tears and his sighs fill the night (vv. 7b-8).
"Heal me... Turn to me." God revealed Himself to israel as "the Lord, Your Healer" (Ex. 15:26),the one who keeps Death away from His people. It isn't for dramatic effect that the petitioner drags the silence of Sheol (v. 6) into his prayer. God is the God of the living, not of the dead. The "healing" that he asks from God is synonimous with the petition for mercy. Nnx Chanan is God's unconditional love. It is the divine favor shown to those who are needy and weak. The petitioner's request for healing then, is a request for God to turn his benevolence towards him and act on his behalf.
bus Shub is most often used by the prophets in the sense of a moral conversion. It is a 180o change of direction. Here, the petitioner associates the turning of God to two other verbs, "rescue" and "save." The petitioner, conscious of having angered God (v.2) asks God to benevolently turn towards him once more for his salvation.
The concluding part of the psalm is a cry of thanksgiving. There is no word for "thank you" here, nor even a cry of praise directed to Yahweh. But there is boasting here, in the proclamationthat Yahweh has heard the prayer.
The Lord has heard the sound of my cry
the Lord has heeded my pleading
the Lord has accepted (lqh) my psalm
The petitioner literally "whoops" with joy as he pictures God picking up his prayer as if it were a lottery ticket. The long wait has ended. And now, those who have caused him a lot of vexation can turn away (vv. 9.11) and escape. The petitioner is vindicated, and his enemies will be dismayed and put to shame.
