Psalms 32:3 (ASV)

Passage

When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.

Nearby Context

Psalms 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

Psalms 32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no guile.

Psalms 32:3 When I kept silence, my bones wasted away Through my groaning all the day long.

Psalms 32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: My moisture was changed [as] with the drought of summer. Selah

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, And mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "kept", "silence", "bones", "wasted", "away", "through", "groaning", and "long". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "kept" and "silence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Blessed is the man unto whom Jehovah..." into verse 4's "For day and night thy hand was...", so "kept" and "silence" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "kept" and "silence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.