Skip to content

Heman the Ezrahite

Psalm 88

A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.

Play PsalmReady
Share:

Scripture (KJV)

1O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

2Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;

3For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

4I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

5Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

6Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

7Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

8Thou 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.

9Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

10Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

11Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?

12Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.

14LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?

15I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

16Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.

17They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

18Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.

Summary

Psalm 88 is the darkest psalm in the Psalter, a lament with no resolution, in which Heman the Ezrahite cries to the LORD God of his salvation day and night. His soul is full of troubles, his life draws near to the grave, and he is counted among those who go down into the pit. He is free among the dead, cut off from God’s hand, laid in the lowest pit, in darkness and deeps. God’s wrath lies hard upon him and His waves have afflicted him. God has put away his acquaintances and made him an abomination. He asks the raw questions: "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark?" Yet even in the darkness, he cries to the LORD, and in the morning his prayer will prevent Him. He asks why God casts off his soul and hides His face, for he is afflicted and ready to die from his youth up. The terrors of God have cut him off, and lover and friend have been put far from him. The psalm ends in darkness, with no turn of praise, yet it is still a prayer to the LORD.

The major themes are lament, darkness, abandonment, the grave, and persistent prayer. Practically, the psalm teaches that even the darkest cries can be brought to God and that faith may persist without relief or resolution. The great lesson is that even when God hides His face, the faithful still cry to Him.

Key Themes

A Prayer from Psalm 88

O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before You. Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. My soul is full of troubles; my life draws near to the grave. I am counted among those who go down into the pit. You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Your wrath lies hard upon me. You have put away my acquaintances and made me an abomination. Will You show wonders to the dead? Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Will Your wonders be known in the dark? Yet to You I cry, O LORD; in the morning my prayer shall prevent You. Why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die. Lover and friend You have put far from me, and my acquaintance into darkness. Yet I still cry to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection Questions

  1. 1How does this psalm give voice to the deepest forms of suffering?
  2. 2What does it mean that the psalm ends in darkness with no resolution?
  3. 3How can faith persist when God seems to hide His face?
  4. 4Where do I need to bring my darkest cries to God?

Related Psalms

Related Articles

Support BookofPsalms.org

If you find BookofPsalms.org helpful and would like to support the website, you may make a voluntary contribution through PayPal. Your support helps pay for the operation, hosting, maintenance, development, content, security, and continued improvement of BookofPsalms.org.

Independent Website & Contribution Disclosure

BookofPsalms.org is an independently operated, privately owned website. BookofPsalms.org is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or operated by any church, denomination, ministry, religious organization, charity, or nonprofit organization.

All funds contributed through BookofPsalms.org are received by the privately owned company that operates the website. Funds may be used by the company to support website hosting, maintenance, development, content creation, administration, advertising, technology, and other business and operating expenses.

Contributions are voluntary and are NOT tax-deductible charitable donations. BookofPsalms.org does not represent contributions as charitable donations or contributions to a nonprofit, church, ministry, or tax-exempt religious organization.

Receive weekly Psalms and prayers

A gentle Psalm, an original prayer, and a short reflection—delivered once a week.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.