Psalms 88
18 verses
Psalm 88 is a lament of darkness expressing extraordinary despair and convicting of impending death without hope of deliverance, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 3. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.
VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER
1
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
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2
Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
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3
For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
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4
I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
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5
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
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6
Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
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7
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
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8
Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
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9
Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
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10
Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
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11
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
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12
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
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13
But unto thee have I cried, O Lord; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
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14
Lord, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
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15
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
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16
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
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17
They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
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18
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
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COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
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