Psalms · Literal Standard Version
Psalm 88 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
1 A SONG. A PSALM OF THE SONS OF KORAH. TO THE OVERSEER. [SET] ON “SICKNESS TO AFFLICT.” AN INSTRUCTION OF HEMAN THE EZRAHITE. O YHWH, God of my salvation, || Daily I have cried, nightly before You,
1 A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Suffering of Affliction.” A contemplation by Heman, the Ezrahite. Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.
2 My prayer comes in before You, || Incline Your ear to my loud cry,
2 Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul has been full of evils, || And my life has come to Sheol.
3 For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol.
4 I have been reckoned with those going down [to] the pit, || I have been as a man without strength.
4 I am counted among those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no help,
5 Among the dead—free, || As pierced ones lying in the grave, || Whom You have not remembered anymore, || Indeed, they have been cut off by Your hand.
5 set apart among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more. They are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the lowest pit, || In dark places, in depths.
6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
7 Your fury has lain on me, || And You have afflicted [with] all Your breakers. Selah.
7 Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.
8 You have put my acquaintance far from me, || You have made me an abomination to them, || Shut up—I do not go forth.
8 You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can’t escape.
9 My eye has grieved because of affliction, || I called You, O YHWH, all the day, || I have spread out my hands to You.
9 My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, Yahweh. I have spread out my hands to you.
10 Do You do wonders to the dead? Does Rephaim rise? Do they thank You? Selah.
10 Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Selah.
11 Is Your kindness recounted in the grave? Your faithfulness in destruction?
11 Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction?
12 Are Your wonders known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
12 Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 And I, to You, O YHWH, I have cried, || And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
13 But to you, Yahweh, I have cried. In the morning, my prayer comes before you.
14 Why, O YHWH, do You cast off my soul? You hide Your face from me.
14 Yahweh, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 I [am] afflicted, and expiring from youth, || I have borne Your terrors—I pine away.
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted.
16 Your wrath has passed over me, || Your terrors have cut me off,
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off.
17 They have surrounded me as waters all the day, || They have gone around against me together,
17 They came around me like water all day long. They completely engulfed me.
18 You have put lover and friend far from me, || My acquaintance [is] the place of darkness!
18 You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Isaiah 12:2; Psalm 22:2; Luke 18:7; Psalm 86:3; Genesis 49:18
- 2 Psalm 31:2; Psalm 141:1–2; Lamentations 3:8; Psalm 79:11; 1 Kings 8:31
- 3 Psalm 107:18; Lamentations 3:15–19; Mark 14:33–34; Psalm 69:17–21; Isaiah 53:3
- 4 Psalm 28:1; 2 Corinthians 1:9; Isaiah 38:17–18; Psalm 31:12; Psalm 143:7
- 5 Isaiah 53:8; Psalm 31:22; Isaiah 14:9–12; Psalm 136:23; Job 6:9
- 6 Psalm 69:15; Psalm 86:13; Psalm 40:2; Psalm 143:3; Lamentations 3:2
- 7 Psalm 42:7; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 2:5–9; Job 6:4; John 3:36
- 8 Psalm 31:11; Isaiah 49:7; Job 30:10; Isaiah 63:3; Zechariah 11:8
- 9 Job 11:13; Psalm 86:3; Psalm 38:10; Psalm 143:6; Psalm 42:3
- 10 Isaiah 26:19; Psalm 6:5; Isaiah 38:18–19; Psalm 30:9; 1 Corinthians 15:52–57
- 11 Proverbs 15:11; Psalm 55:23; Matthew 7:13; Romans 9:22; Job 21:30
- 12 Ecclesiastes 9:5; Matthew 8:12; Job 10:21–22; Ecclesiastes 2:16; Isaiah 8:22
- 13 Psalm 5:3; Mark 1:35; Psalm 30:2; Psalm 119:147–148
- 14 Job 13:24; Psalm 13:1; Psalm 43:2; Psalm 44:24; Matthew 27:46
- 15 Job 6:4; Luke 22:44; Psalm 73:14; Job 7:11–16; Isaiah 53:10
- 16 Galatians 3:13; Revelation 6:17; Psalm 90:7; Psalm 89:46; Romans 8:32
- 17 Psalm 22:16; Psalm 69:1–2; Psalm 116:3; Job 30:14–15; Psalm 42:7
- 18 Psalm 88:8; Psalm 38:11; Job 19:12–15; Psalm 31:11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
The Psalm which has just been sung is short, if we look to the number of its words, but of deep interest in its thoughts....The subject of song and praise in that Psalm is a city, whose citizens are we, as far as we are Christians: whence we are absent, as long as we are mortal: whither we are tending: …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)