The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.

PSALMS 41:3KJV
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Psalms 41:3 (KJV)

What does Psalms 41:3 mean?

Psalms 41:3 says that the LORD will support and care for a person who is weak or sick, giving them strength and comfort when they are bedridden. The verse pictures God as personally attending to someone’s needs in their time of illness or suffering.

In this psalm, David is speaking about how God responds to those who show kindness to the poor and needy. The verse uses the image of a sickbed to show God’s gentle care, suggesting that God not only gives strength but also tends to every detail of a person’s hardship. The focus is on God’s compassion and active involvement when someone is at their lowest point.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 41:3

  • "Strengthen" (סָעַד, sa'ad) means to support, uphold, or sustain. Here, it suggests God is not just passively present but actively helping the person endure their weakness.
  • "Bed" (עֶרֶשׂ, eres) and "bed" (מִשְׁכָּב, mishkav) are two different Hebrew words in this verse. The first refers to a couch or bed, while the second is more specifically a place to lie down, often used in the context of sickness. The use of both words emphasizes the personal and physical nature of God’s care.
  • "Languishing" (דָּוֶה, daweh) describes a state of weakness or illness, highlighting the depth of the person’s need.
  • "Make" (הָפַךְ, hafakh) means to turn or transform. The phrase "make all his bed" can be understood as God turning or arranging the bed, like a caregiver making someone comfortable.

Why Psalms 41:3 matters

  • This verse clears up the idea that God is distant during suffering; instead, it emphasizes God’s close and caring presence when someone is sick or weak.
  • The use of two different Hebrew words for "bed" underlines the thoroughness of God’s care, suggesting attention to both the person’s physical and emotional needs.
  • In the context of the whole psalm, this verse connects God’s care for the suffering with the call to show kindness to others, highlighting a theme of compassion that runs throughout the passage.

Where else these words appear

“languishing” Hebrew H1741 · used in 2 verses

  • Job 6:7 The things that my soul refused to touch are as my sorrowful meat.

“bed” Hebrew H6210 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
  • Psalms 6:6 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
  • Song of Solomon 1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.

“strengthen” Hebrew H5582 · used in 12 verses

  • Genesis 18:5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
  • 1 Kings 13:7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.
  • Psalms 104:15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.

“sickness” Hebrew H2483 · used in 22 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
  • 2 Kings 13:14 Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness whereof he died. And Joash the king of Israel came down unto him, and wept over his face, and said, O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.
  • Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.