You have removed lover and friend far from me; my acquaintances are in a hiding place. Psalm 88:18 NASB You have removed – A short excursus into enemy territory followed by an immediate return to the major theme: God is sovereign. This poem describes whatever happens as under God’s control and direction. Therefore, even if “they”…
They have surrounded me like water all day long; they have encircled me altogether. Psalm 88:17 NASB They – Suddenly, a change. Through seventeen verses the psalmist has decried God’s absence. His lament holds Godresponsible for the sorry state of his life, for the nearly impossible burden he must carry, for the approach of death. But now,…
Your burning anger has passed over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. Psalm 88:16 NASB Destroyed – Not just any trauma. No, this is trauma of a special kind: bi·ʿûṯ. “events that cause fear and destruction or death, with some focus on the wrath of the punisher.”[1] What is the result? ṣāmat The word ṣāmat occurs…
I was miserable and about to die from my youth on; I suffer Your terrors; I grow weary. Psalm 88:15 NASB From my youth – Some things stick. Some experiences you had early on just remain, buried away in the subconscious of your worldview, coloring how you look at life. Modern psychological theory, removed from the divine,…
Lord, why do You reject my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? Psalm 88:14 NASB Reject – The Hebrew zānaḥ has two root meanings. The first is as it is translated here: to reject, spurn, cast off. But the second adds a bit to our emotional understanding of this word. zānaḥ II means, “to stink,…
But I, Lord, have cried out to You for help, and in the morning my prayer comes before You. Psalm 88:13 Help – English spells it out: “have cried out for help.” But all of that is really a single Hebrew verb— šāwaʿ. “The intensity of the action conveyed by šāwaʿ is aptly illustrated by the fact that…
Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? Psalm 88:12 NASB The darkness – “Little doubt surrounds the meaning of this denominative verb coming from the noun ḥōšek (darkness). It occurs eighteen times, seventeen times in poetical books. Exodus 10:15 is the only occurrence of ḥāšak in…
Will You do wonders for the dead? Will the shades arise and acclaim you? Selah. Psalm 88:11 (Robert Alter translation) Wonders – When is it too late? When does the power of the Lord cease to be effective? When you’re dead! Death ends it. As the Korahites sang, we can cry out to the Lord…
Will You perform wonders for the dead? Or will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah Psalm 88:10 NASB Rise and praise – The Purpose Driven Life. Remember that? Rick Warren captured the spiritual need for meaning in a book that swept Christianity. We all have a purpose—but it’s not about us. It’s not about your good, your…
My eye grows dim from misery; I have called upon You every day, Lord; I have spread out my hands to You. Psalm 88:9 NASB Called upon – Internal contradiction! Yes, Hebrew has a few words that mean exactly the opposite depending on the circumstances. When an author takes advantage of this, his choice can mean either one—or both. Perhaps…
