Version: King James Version (public domain)
Psalm 41
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
Psalm 41 opens with “Blessed is he that considereth the poor” and is the prayer of a sick man surrounded by false friends. Jesus applied verse 9 to the betrayal of Judas, and the psalm closes the first book of Psalms with “Amen, and Amen”.
Bible text
1 Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
2 The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
4 I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
5 Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
7 All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.
8 An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more.
9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.
10 But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them.
11 By this I know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over me.
12 And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face for ever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen.
Original text
Ashrei maskil el-dal; beyom ra’ah yemalletehu Adonai.
Plain-language version
v. 1–3 Happy is the one who cares for the weak: God cares for him on the hard day and holds him up when he is sick.
v. 4 Lord, have mercy on me and heal me, because I have sinned against you.
v. 5–9 My enemies are waiting for my death; those who visit me speak lies and then spread rumours. Even the friend who ate with me has turned against me.
v. 10–12 But you, Lord, raise me up. I know you are with me, because the enemy has not won.
v. 13 Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen.
Historical context
End of Book I. The book of Psalms is divided into five books, and Psalm 41 is the last of the first (Psalms 1–41). Verse 13 is the doxology that closes this collection; similar formulas close Psalms 72, 89 and 106.
A sick man and his visitors. The psalmist is bedridden (vv. 3 and 8) and reads his illness in the light of his own sin (v. 4). His visitors bring no comfort: they watch, spread news and wait for the end (vv. 5–8).
Beginning and end. Book I opens with the Hebrew word ashrei, “blessed”, in Psalm 1, and Psalm 41 begins with the same word. Many scholars see this as a deliberate frame around the collection.
Explanation
Blessed is the one who sees the weak
The psalm opens with a beatitude: “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.” The Hebrew word dal means someone weak, poor or brought low, and the verb maskil suggests thoughtful attention, not hurried charity. Whoever cares for the weak finds God caring for him: “The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing”.
Healing that starts within
In verse 4 the plea for healing comes with a confession: “heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee”. The psalmist does not argue about whether the illness is punishment; he brings God his body and his conscience at the same time.
The friend’s betrayal
The most painful point is verse 9: “Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” Eating someone’s bread was a sign of covenant and trust. At the Last Supper, Jesus quotes this verse when he announces Judas’ betrayal (John 13:18).
Before God for ever
The ending does not describe a full recovery but a presence: “settest me before thy face for ever”. The doxology of verse 13, with its “Amen, and Amen”, closes the psalm and the first book of the Psalter.
How each tradition reads it
Catholic
In the Vulgate numbering it is Psalm 40, Beatus qui intellegit super egenum et pauperem. The Church reads verse 9 in the light of the Passion, following Jesus himself in John 13:18, and the opening beatitude is a call to care for the poor and the sick.
Protestant
For evangelical readers, the psalm joins two promises: a blessing for those who care for the weak and the assurance that God upholds the sick. Jesus’ use of verse 9 in John 13:18 is read as Scripture being fulfilled in the story of the betrayal.
Jewish
The Talmud uses the first verse to speak about visiting the sick: whoever visits a sick person is spared the punishment of Gehinnom, as it is written, “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble”. On this reading, the dal is the sick person (Nedarim 40a).
Academic
Scholars debate the genre: a thanksgiving, in which the psalmist recounts the prayer he made while ill (“I said”, v. 4), or an individual lament. The opening beatitude has a wisdom tone. The doxology of verse 13 is usually seen as an editorial addition marking the end of Book I, not as part of the original poem.
Each reading is attributed to the tradition that holds it. VersePath does not take sides.
Reflect
The psalm asks for two kinds of looking: at the weak person near you, and within yourself. Who needs your attention today? And what do you need to bring to God, beyond what hurts in your body?
Did you know?
- In verse 9 the Hebrew literally says “the man of my peace” (ish shelomi): someone bound to him by covenant.
- In verse 8 the “evil disease” is, in Hebrew, “a thing of Belial” (devar beliyya’al).
- Psalms 41, 72, 89 and 106 end with doxologies that divide the Psalter into five books, a number Jewish tradition compares to the five books of Moses.
Frequently asked questions
What does Psalm 41 mean?
It is the prayer of a sick man who trusts God in the face of illness, enemies and a friend’s betrayal. It begins with a blessing for those who care for the weak.
Is Psalm 41 about Judas?
The psalm is much older, but Jesus applied verse 9, about the friend who ate his bread, to the betrayal of Judas (John 13:18).
Why does Psalm 41 end with “Amen, and Amen”?
Because verse 13 is the doxology that closes the first of the five books of Psalms.
When should I pray Psalm 41?
In illness, when visiting someone who is sick or when going through a betrayal, asking for healing of body and soul.