Verse Lens · Context pointer

Psalms 41:4 Explained in Context

Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.

Selected verse

Verse 4. I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions

Role in This Section

Psalm 41:4: Within “Care for the weak, betrayal, and Book I's doxology: Care, sickness, betrayal, and vindication,” the line “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me” supplies one distinct parallel claim, image, address, or response.

Read It With

  • Psalms 41:1–13
  • Psalms 41:1–12

Read Psalm 41:4 with 41:1–12 and the whole of Psalm 41. Psalm 41:4 adds the distinct poetic line “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me” within “Care, sickness, betrayal, and vindication,” where its parallel neighbors determine emphasis and scope. The wisdom-lament form, parallel lines, voice, and Book I placement keep the selected line from becoming a contextless slogan.

Why It Needs Context

The line “I said, LORD, be merciful unto me” is a premise, image, address, response, or transition inside Psalms 41:1–12; its parallel neighbors and the movement titled “Care for the weak, betrayal, and Book I's doxology: Care, sickness, betrayal, and vindication” must supply the claim before teaching or application.

Continue in Context

The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.

Read Psalms 41:1–12 — Care for the weak, betrayal, and Book I's doxology: Care, sickness, betrayal, and vindication
Sources used for this context pointer

How certain is this explanation? strong

These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Psalms 41:1–12, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 41:1–12

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