Psalm 39:2
New International Version
So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased;

New Living Translation
But as I stood there in silence— not even speaking of good things— the turmoil within me grew worse.

English Standard Version
I was mute and silent; I held my peace to no avail, and my distress grew worse.

Berean Standard Bible
I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred.

King James Bible
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

New King James Version
I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up.

New American Standard Bible
I was mute and silent, I refused to say even something good, And my pain was stirred up.

NASB 1995
I was mute and silent, I refrained even from good, And my sorrow grew worse.

NASB 1977
I was dumb and silent, I refrained even from good; And my sorrow grew worse.

Legacy Standard Bible
I was mute with silence, I even kept silent from speaking good, And my anguish grew worse.

Amplified Bible
I was mute and silent [before my enemies], I refrained even from good, And my distress grew worse.

Christian Standard Bible
I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified.

American Standard Version
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; And my sorrow was stirred.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I was dumb; I was sorrowful and grieved for what is good and my sorrow was agitated.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I was dumb, and humbled myself, and kept silence from good words; and my grief was renewed.

Contemporary English Version
I kept completely silent, but it did no good, and I hurt even worse.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things : and my sorrow was renewed.

English Revised Version
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I remained totally speechless. I kept silent, although it did me no good. While I was deep in thought, my pain grew worse.

Good News Translation
I kept quiet, not saying a word, not even about anything good! But my suffering only grew worse,

International Standard Version
I was as silent as a mute person; I said nothing, not even something good, and my distress deepened.

JPS Tanakh 1917
I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, had no comfort; And my pain was held in check.

Literal Standard Version
I was mute [with] silence, | I kept silent from good, and my pain is excited.

Majority Standard Bible
I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred.

New American Bible
Mute and silent before the wicked, I refrain from good things. But my sorrow increases;

NET Bible
I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;

New Revised Standard Version
I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse,

New Heart English Bible
I was mute with silence. I held my peace, even from good. My sorrow was stirred.

Webster's Bible Translation
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

World English Bible
I was mute with silence. I held my peace, even from good. My sorrow was stirred.

Young's Literal Translation
I was dumb with silence, I kept silent from good, and my pain is excited.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Watch My Ways
1For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.” 2I was speechless and still; I remained silent, even from speaking good, and my sorrow was stirred. 3My heart grew hot within me; as I mused, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:…

Cross References
Psalm 32:3
When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long.

Psalm 38:13
But like a deaf man, I do not hear; and like a mute man, I do not open my mouth.

Psalm 39:9
I have become mute; I do not open my mouth because of what You have done.


Treasury of Scripture

I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.

I was

Psalm 38:13,14
But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth…

Isaiah 53:7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Matthew 27:12-14
And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing…

even

Matthew 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

my sorrow

Job 32:19,20
Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles…

Acts 4:20
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

stirred [heb.

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Anguish Avail Check Comfort Distress Dumb Excited Good Grew Held Increased Kept Moved Mute Pain Peace Refrained Silence Silent Sorrow Sound Stirred Word Worse
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Anguish Avail Check Comfort Distress Dumb Excited Good Grew Held Increased Kept Moved Mute Pain Peace Refrained Silence Silent Sorrow Sound Stirred Word Worse
Psalm 39
1. David's care of his thoughts
4. The consideration of the brevity and vanity of life
7. the reverence of God's judgments
10. and prayer, are his bridles of impatience














(2) Even from good.--This interpretation, while following the LXX., Vulg., and most ancient versions, is suspicious, since the particle, rendered from, is not generally used in this sense after a verb expressing silence. Indeed there is only one instance which at all supports this rendering (1Kings 22:3, margin). Nor does the context require or even admit it. If the bright side of things had been so evident that he could speak of it the Psalmist would not have feared reproach for doing so, nor was there cause for his silence "as to the law," the rabbinical mode of explaining the passage. The obvious translation makes the clause parallel with that which follows: "I held my peace without profit. My sorrow was increased," i.e., instead of lessening my grief by silence, I only increased it.

Stirred.--The LXX. and Vulg. "renewed," which is nearer the meaning than either the Authorised Version or margin.

Verse 2. - I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good. Some explain, "I held my peace, but it did me no good - I was none the better for it" (Hupfeld, Hengstenberg, Canon Cook); others adopt the Prayer-book Version, I kept silence even from good words" (Kay, Alexander, Revised Version). And my sorrow was stirred. The pain at my heart was not quieted thereby, nor even lessened; rather, it was roused up, quickened, and aggravated. This is the natural result of repressing any strong feeling.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I was speechless
נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי (ne·’ĕ·lam·tî)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 481: To tie fast, to be tongue-tied

and still;
ד֭וּמִיָּה (ḏū·mî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1747: A silence, a quiet waiting, repose

I held my peace,
הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי (he·ḥĕ·šê·ṯî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2814: To be silent, inactive, or still

[even] from good,
מִטּ֑וֹב (miṭ·ṭō·wḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

and my sorrow
וּכְאֵבִ֥י (ū·ḵə·’ê·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3511: Suffering, adversity

was stirred.
נֶעְכָּֽר׃ (ne‘·kār)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5916: To roil water, to disturb, affict


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OT Poetry: Psalm 39:2 I was mute with silence (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 39:1
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