Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 32:3

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

When I kept silence - The psalmist now goes on to state his condition of mind before he himself found this peace, or before he had this evidence of pardon; the state in which he felt deeply that he was a sinner, yet was unwilling to confess his sin and attempted to conceal it in his heart. He refers to this with the expression, “When I kept silence;” that is, before I confessed my sin, or before I mentioned it to God.

His state of mind was evidently this: he had committed sin, but he endeavored to hide it in his own mind; he was unwilling to confess it and to implore pardon. He hoped, probably, that the conviction of sin would die away; or that his trouble would stop on its own; or that time would relieve him; or that employment—busying himself with worldly affairs—would soothe the anguish of his spirit and make it unnecessary for him to make a humiliating confession of his guilt.

He thus describes a state of mind that is very common for sinners. They know they are sinners, but they are unwilling to confess their guilt. They attempt to conceal it. They procrastinate or try to push the whole subject far away. They endeavor to divert their minds and turn their thoughts from a subject as painful as the idea of guilt—by occupation, amusement, or even by plunging into scenes of dissipation. Sometimes—often, in fact—they are successful in this. However, sometimes, as in the psalmist's case, the trouble from remembering sins becomes deeper and deeper, destroying their rest and wasting their strength, until they make humble confession, and then the mind finds rest.

My bones waxed old - My strength failed; my strength was exhausted; it seemed as if the decrepitude of old age was coming upon me. The word used here, and translated “waxed old,” properly denotes “decay,” or the wearing out of strength by slow decay. All have witnessed the prostrating effect of excessive grief.

Through my roaring - My cries of anguish and distress. See the notes on Psalm 22:1. The meaning here is that his sorrow was so great it led to loud and passionate cries; and this well describes the condition of a mind in deep trouble from remembering sin and fearing God’s wrath.

All the day long - Continually; without intermission.