Psalm 73:21
New International Version
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

New Living Translation
Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside.

English Standard Version
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,

Berean Standard Bible
When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within,

King James Bible
Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

New King James Version
Thus my heart was grieved, And I was vexed in my mind.

New American Standard Bible
When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,

NASB 1995
When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,

NASB 1977
When my heart was embittered, And I was pierced within,

Legacy Standard Bible
When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within,

Amplified Bible
When my heart was embittered And I was pierced within [as with the fang of an adder],

Christian Standard Bible
When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded,

American Standard Version
For my soul was grieved, And I was pricked in my heart:

Contemporary English Version
Once I was bitter and brokenhearted.

English Revised Version
For my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When my heart was filled with bitterness and my mind was seized [with envy],

Good News Translation
When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt,

International Standard Version
When I chose to be bitter I was emotionally pained.

Majority Standard Bible
When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within,

NET Bible
Yes, my spirit was bitter, and my insides felt sharp pain.

New Heart English Bible
For my soul was grieved. I was embittered in my heart.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

World English Bible
For my soul was grieved. I was embittered in my heart.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For my heart shows itself violent, "" And my reins prick themselves,

Young's Literal Translation
For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,

Smith's Literal Translation
For my heart will be embittered, and my loins were hard.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For my heart hath been inflamed, and my reins have been changed:

Catholic Public Domain Version
For my heart has been inflamed, and my temperament has been changed.

New American Bible
Since my heart was embittered and my soul deeply wounded,

New Revised Standard Version
When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thus my heart was grieved, and my conscience troubled me.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I am troubled; my heart and my kidneys rage against me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For my heart was in a ferment, And I was pricked in my reins.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For my heart has rejoiced, and my reins have been gladdened.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Endow the King with Your Justice
20Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form. 21When my heart was grieved and I was pierced within, 22I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before You.…

Cross References
Proverbs 14:30
A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

Job 5:2
For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.

James 3:14-16
But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. / Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. / For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

Ephesians 4:31-32
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice. / Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Galatians 5:19-21
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; / idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, / and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Matthew 5:22
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.

Romans 1:29-31
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, / slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents. / They are senseless, faithless, heartless, merciless.

1 Corinthians 3:3
for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?

2 Corinthians 12:20
For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

Genesis 4:5-6
but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. / “Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen?

Jonah 4:1-4
Jonah, however, was greatly displeased, and he became angry. / So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster. / And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ...

1 Samuel 18:8-9
And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?” / And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

Proverbs 27:4
Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood, but who can withstand jealousy?


Treasury of Scripture

Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.

my heart

Psalm 73:3
For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 37:1,7
A Psalm of David. Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity…

in my

Job 16:13
His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.

Lamentations 3:13
He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

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Bite Bitter Embittered Ferment Grief Grieved Heart Itself Pained Pierced Prick Pricked Reins Show Soul Spirit Themselves Violent Within
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Bite Bitter Embittered Ferment Grief Grieved Heart Itself Pained Pierced Prick Pricked Reins Show Soul Spirit Themselves Violent Within
Psalm 73
1. The prophet, prevailing in a temptation
2. Shows the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked
13. The wound given thereby, diffidence
15. The victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose.














When my heart was grieved
The phrase "my heart was grieved" reflects a deep emotional turmoil. In Hebrew, the word for "heart" is "לֵב" (lev), which often signifies not just the physical heart but the center of one's emotions, thoughts, and will. The term "grieved" comes from the Hebrew root "חָמַץ" (chamats), which can mean to be sour or embittered. This suggests a profound internal struggle, a spiritual and emotional disquiet that affects one's entire being. Historically, the heart was seen as the seat of emotion and decision-making, and this phrase captures the psalmist's intense inner conflict and distress, a common human experience when faced with the apparent prosperity of the wicked.

and I was pierced within
The imagery of being "pierced within" conveys a sense of deep, penetrating pain. The Hebrew word "שָׁנַן" (shanan) means to sharpen or pierce, indicating a wound that is not superficial but cuts to the core of one's being. This piercing is not just physical but spiritual and emotional, suggesting a profound sense of conviction or realization. In the context of the psalm, this piercing could be understood as the moment of clarity or awakening to one's own spiritual state and the futility of envying the wicked. It is a moment of introspection and self-awareness, where the psalmist recognizes the need for divine perspective and understanding. This phrase encourages believers to seek God's wisdom and comfort in times of inner turmoil, trusting that He can transform our grief into growth and understanding.

(21) Grieved.--Literally, grew sour; or, as we say, "was soured."

Verse 21. - Thus my heart was grieved; literally, for my heart was grieved, or "was soured." The "for" refers to a suppressed phrase of self-condemnation, "But at the time I did not see all this - the solution did not present itself to me." I was too full of grief and bitterness to consider the matter calmly and dispassionately. And I was pricked in my reins; i.e. "a pang of passionate discontent had pierced my inmost being" (Cheyne).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
When
כִּ֭י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

my heart
לְבָבִ֑י (lə·ḇā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3824: Inner man, mind, will, heart

was grieved
יִתְחַמֵּ֣ץ (yiṯ·ḥam·mêṣ)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2556: To be pungent, in taste, in color

and I was pierced
אֶשְׁתּוֹנָֽן׃ (’eš·tō·w·nān)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 8150: To point, to pierce, to inculcate

within,
וְ֝כִלְיוֹתַ֗י (wə·ḵil·yō·w·ṯay)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3629: A kidney, the mind


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OT Poetry: Psalm 73:21 For my soul was grieved (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 73:20
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