New Living Translation
Psalms 38:20
20They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good.
Psalms 38:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
- New International Version (NIV)Those who repay my good with evil lodge accusations against me, though I seek only to do what is good.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
Context of Psalms 38:20
18But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. 19I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. 21Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. 22Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.
Read all of Psalms 38Psalms 38:20 word by word
וּמְשַׁלְּמֵ֣י רָ֭עָה תַּ֣חַת טוֹבָ֑ה יִ֝שְׂטְנ֗וּנִי תַּ֣חַת רָֽדְפִי טֽוֹב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 38:20
- Psalms 7:4if I have betrayed a friend or plundered my enemy without cause,
- Psalms 35:12They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.
- Psalms 109:3They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.
- 1 Samuel 19:4The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. “The king must not sin against his servant David,” Jonathan said. “He’s never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could.
- 1 Samuel 23:5So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.
- 1 Samuel 25:16In fact, day and night they were like a wall of protection to us and the sheep.
- Jeremiah 18:20Should they repay evil for good? They have dug a pit to kill me, though I pleaded for them and tried to protect them from your anger.
- Matthew 5:10God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
- John 10:32Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”
- 1 Peter 3:13Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?
- 1 Peter 4:14If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.
- 1 John 3:12We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous.
Commentaries on Psalms 38:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Because I follow the thing that good is - The translation is as bad as the sentence is awkward. טוב רדפי תחת tachath rodpi tob, because I follow goodness. There is a remarkable addition to this verse in the Arabic: "They have rejected me, the beloved one, as an abominable dead carcass; they have pierced my body with nails." I suppose the Arabic translator meant to refer this to Christ. None of the other Versions have any thing like this addition; only the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20They also that render evil for good - They whose characteristic it is to return evil for good, are opposed to me. This implies that those who were now seeking his ruin had been formerly benefitted by him. They were persons who cherished no grateful recollection of favors bestowed on them, but who found a pleasure in persecuting and wronging their benefactor. Compare Psalm 35:12-16. “Are my adversaries.” Are now opposed to me; have become my enemies…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-22Verses 12-22 Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkindness and injuries that are done us, the more we consult the quiet…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-20The psalmist, unable to bear his suffering and close to collapse (compare Psalm 15:5), admits his sin (see Psalm 32:5).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2019-20. Still, while humbled before God, he is the victim of deadly enemies, full of malice and treachery. enemies are lively--literally, "of life," who would take my life, that is, deadly.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 38:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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