Psalm 88

Psalm 88 belongs to Book III of the Psalms (Psalms 73–89). It follows Psalm 87, a song of Zion, as another psalm of the sons of Korah, and it is followed by Psalm 89, a Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite. The superscription reads: "A Song or Psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief Musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite."

Structure

• Verses 1–2 The psalmist calls upon the "God of my salvation" and pleads with Him to hear the prayer he cries out day and night.
• Verses 3–9a He laments that his soul is full of troubles and that his life draws near to the grave (Sheol), so that he has become like those who lie in the grave. He says that God has laid him in the lowest pit and that God's wrath and waves press upon him (Selah). His acquaintances have been put far from him; he is shut up and cannot come forth, and his eye mourns by reason of affliction.
• Verses 9b–12 Stretching out his hands to God daily, he asks whether the dead shall arise and praise God (Selah), and whether God's lovingkindness, faithfulness, and righteousness can be known in the grave, in darkness, and in "the land of forgetfulness."
• Verses 13–18 Praying again in the morning, he asks why God casts off his soul and hides His face. He has been afflicted from his youth, and God's fierce wrath has surrounded him like water all day long. The psalm ends with the words that lover and friend have been put far from him, and his acquaintance into darkness.

Key Verses

• Psalm 88:1 "O LORD God of my salvation" — often noted as virtually the only expression of hope in the entire psalm.
• Psalm 88:11 "Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?" — reveals both the Old Testament understanding of death and the term "lovingkindness" (hesed).
• Psalm 88:18 "and mine acquaintance into darkness" — unlike most lament psalms, the psalm does not conclude with praise or an expression of confidence.

People and Places

• Heman: The person named as author in the superscription. Interpreters differ over whether he is the same person as Heman, the worship leader of David's time mentioned in Chronicles, or Heman the wise man of 1 Kings 4:31.
• The sons of Korah: A Levitical family responsible for temple worship, descended from Korah.
• Sheol: A term for the place to which the dead go; the text uses it alongside the grave, the pit, destruction, and the land of forgetfulness.
• Selah: A term placed at the end of verses 7 and 10; its precise meaning is uncertain.

Interpretive Considerations

• Verse numbering varies. The Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version do not count the superscription as a verse and so have 18 verses, whereas the Hebrew Bible and some translations count the superscription as verse 1, giving 19 verses. The Septuagint and the Vulgate number this psalm as Psalm 87.
• The meanings of "Maschil" and "Mahalath Leannoth" in the superscription are uncertain. Various explanations have been proposed, including that they refer to a tune, a musical instrument, or a type of psalm.
• Verses 10–12 speak as though God cannot be praised after death. Some interpreters read this passage as reflecting the Old Testament understanding of death, while others read it as poetic language born of extreme suffering. The passage is also read in comparison with the New Testament faith in the resurrection.
• Church tradition reportedly includes interpretations that connect the psalmist's suffering—abandoned by friends and seemingly forsaken by God—with the passion of Christ. The New Testament, however, does not quote this psalm directly.