Psalm 88 Discourse
From Psalms: Layer by Layer
Psalm 88/Discourse
Choose a PsalmNavigate Psalm 88
Among the Dead
Psalm 88
About the Discourse Layer
Our Discourse Layer includes four additional layers of analysis:
- Participant analysis
- Macrosyntax
- Speech act analysis
- Emotional analysis
For more information on our method of analysis, click the expandable explanation button at the beginning of each layer.
Participant Analysis
Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? It is often helpful for understanding literary structure, speaker identification, etc.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Participant Analysis Creator Guidelines.
There are 4 participants/characters in Psalm 88:
Profile List
| Psalmist |
| The psalmist's soul |
| The psalmist's eye |
| The psalmist's prayer |
| YHWH |
| "God of my salvation" (v. 2) |
| YHWH's waves |
| YHWH's outbursts of wrath |
| YHWH's terrifying assaults |
| Friends |
| "Acquaintances" (v. 9) |
| "Companions" (v. 19) |
| The dead |
| "those who go down to the Pit" (v. 5) |
| "departed spirits" (v. 11) |
| The slain |
Profile Notes
- YHWH's outbursts of wrath (חֲמָתֶךָ, חֲרוֹנֶיךָ v. 8a, 17a), YHWH's waves (ָמִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יך v. 8b), YHWH's terrifying assaults (אֵמֶ֣יךָ, בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ v. 16b, 17b) are taken as YHWH's agents of destruction sent to afflict the psalmist (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 17b in Story Behind the Psalm for a more detailed argumentation). Since their role in the context of the psalm is identical with YHWH's, but they are not identical to him, they are considered related participants.
- The soul (נֶפֶשׁ) is often used as a substitute for a personal pronoun, particularly in poetry (e.g. Psa 11:1; 7:3; cf. comment next on נֶפֶשׁ in Semantics), while the eye (עֶיִן) may be used, like in v. 10a, as a synecdoche for the whole person (e.g. 1Sam 14:27, 29; Gen 27:1; Job 17:7; Ps 6:8; 38:11; cf. common-ground assumption for v. 10a in Story Behind the Psalm and comment on v. 10a in Semantics, esp. Goldingay 2007). Therefore, the psalmist's soul and the psalmist's eye are understood as synonymous participants of the Psalmist.
- In a similar way to YHWH's waves, outbursts of wrath and terrifying assaults, which were taken as YHWH's semi-independent agents and thus as related participants (see box above), we consider the psalmist's prayer as an agent acting on behalf of the psalmist in front of YHWH, as also indicated by virtue of it being the subject of a dynamic verb, and therefore define it as a related participant.
- The friends of the psalmist are not strictly agentive, but are still taken as participants for two reasons. First, they constitute the causee in both causative verbs of v. 9a and v. 19a (הִרְחַקְתָּ, "to make shun") and would therefore be the agents of a corresponding underlying non-causative clause. In this sense, they are similar to YHWH's messengers expounded in the previous paragraph. Second, they are pivotal to the message of the psalm, as their estrangement from the psalmist is a major reason for his misery.
- The slain have an identical function in the psalm to the one of the dead, as the psalmist's situation is compared to both of them. However, being a subset of the larger set of the dead, they are not identical with it. The specific choice of the slain in v. 6b is deliberate and meaningful (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 6b in Story Behind the Psalm for a more detailed argumentation) and they are therefore considered related, not synonymous, participants.
Participant Tracking Text
Participant Relations Diagram
The relationships among the participants may be abstracted and summarized as follows:
Participant Analysis Summary Distribution
Macrosyntax
The macrosyntax layer rests on the belief that human communicators desire their addressees to receive a coherent picture of their message and will cooperatively provide clues to lead the addressee into a correct understanding. So, in the case of macrosyntax of the Psalms, the psalmist has explicitly left syntactic clues for the reader regarding the discourse structure of the entire psalm. Here we aim to account for the function of these elements, including the identification of conjunctions which either coordinate or subordinate entire clauses (as the analysis of coordinated individual phrases is carried out at the phrase-level semantics layer), vocatives, other discourse markers, direct speech, and clausal word order.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Macrosyntax Creator Guidelines.
Macrosyntax Diagram
| Macrosyntax legend | |
|---|---|
| Vocatives | Vocatives are indicated by purple text. |
| Discourse marker | Discourse markers (such as כִּי, הִנֵּה, לָכֵן) are indicated by orange text. |
 |
The scope governed by the discourse marker is indicated by a dashed orange bracket connecting the discourse marker to its scope. |
 |
The preceding discourse grounding the discourse marker is indicated by a solid orange bracket encompassing the relevant clauses. |
| Subordinating conjunction | The subordinating conjunction is indicated by teal text. |
 |
Subordination is indicated by a solid teal bracket connecting the subordinating conjunction with the clause to which it is subordinate. |
| Coordinating conjunction | The coordinating conjunction is indicated by blue text. |
 |
Coordination is indicated by a solid blue line connecting the coordinating clauses. |
 |
Coordination without an explicit conjunction is indicated by a dashed blue line connecting the coordinated clauses. |
 |
Marked topic is indicated by a black dashed rounded rectangle around the marked words. |
 |
The scope of the activated topic is indicated by a black dashed bracket encompassing the relevant clauses. |
| Marked focus or thetic sentence | Marked focus (if one constituent) or thetic sentences[1] are indicated by bold text. |
 |
Frame setters[2] are indicated by a solid gray rounded rectangle around the marked words. |
| [blank line] | Discourse discontinuity is indicated by a blank line. |
| [indentation] | Syntactic subordination is indicated by indentation. |
 |
Direct speech is indicated by a solid black rectangle surrounding all relevant clauses. |
| (text to elucidate the meaning of the macrosyntactic structures) | Within the CBC, any text elucidating the meaning of macrosyntax is indicated in gray text inside parentheses. |
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
(Click diagram to enlarge)
Paragraph Divisions
The two selah instances in vv. 8b and 11b do not seem to play a role on the macrosyntactic level in this psalm and thus do not contribute to paragraph division. They do, however, play a role in the poetic structure of the psalm (see Poetic Structure)
- vv. 2-5: follows the superscription and begins with a vocative and temporal frame setter.
- vv. 6-7: beings with a focal בַּמֵּתִים, paralleled in v. 11.
- vv. 8-10: beings with a focal עָלַי, paralleled in v. 17.
- vv. 11-13: beings with a focal בַּמֵּתִים, paralleling v. 6; dominated by a series of yes-no questions.
- vv. 14-16: begins with a topic-shift to first person.
- vv. 17-19: beings with a focal עָלַי, paralleling v. 8.
Word Order
- v. 2b: יוֹם is fronted not in order to mark argument focus but as a temporal frame setter. Additionally, its initial position in the clause sets up expectation of the word pair (יום/לילה), standing in a balanced position to the focal בַּלַּיְלָה. As for the fronting of בַּלַּיְלָה, it marks scalar focus: "even at night".
- v. 4b mirrors 4a.
- 'v. 6a': The fronting of בַּמֵּתִים is for marked scalar focus: "not only in the society of the living, but even in the society of the dead I am an outcast".
- v. 6c: The fronting of the subject הֵמָּה marks the beginning of the second part of the coordinated relative clause and the new syntactic role of the antecedent in this part (direct object in the first part; subject in the second part). מידך is in marked focus.
- v. 8a: Fronting of עָלַי is for exclusive focus. The word order supporting a focal reading matches the subtext of this verse implying the status of the psalmist as a scapegoat chosen by YHWH of all people (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 8a in Story-Behind).
- v. 8b: Fronting of כָל-מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ is for marked focus, highlighting the total and merciless character of YHWH's affliction of the psalmist, not sparing a single "wave" from him. Phrases with כל are often fronted for marked focus (cf. Lunn 2006:198).
- v. 10a: The SV word-order is an indication of either an argument-fronting or a sentence-focus. As shown in Story-Behind (cf. common-ground assumptions for v. 10a), the eye here is a synecdoche for the whole body with an emphasis on the vitality and health of a person. Given the latter and the direct context of the line, a marked focus is not plausible here. A topic shift is also implausible here, since the eye represents the psalmist who is already the activated topic. We therefore prefer to read this clause as a sentence-focus (thetic): following a long list of accusations directed towards YHWH with a detailed breakdown of the afflictions the psalmist is enduring, comes the bottom line announcing the consequence of this whole affair: "Look now, I am depleted of vitality because of all this endless misery (a result of everything I have stated just now)."
- v. 10b is rhetorical highlighting following a post-nucleus vocative for confirming focus (cf. note under "vocatives" above): "yes, every day indeed I have been calling you!".
- v. 11a: Fronting of לַמֵּתִים is for marked contrastive focus, serving as the clause constituent on which the rhetorical yes-no question focuses: "Is it for the dead that you perform wonders (or to the living)?"
- v. 11b: "A disjunctive question is sometimes a mere stylistic feature, used in cases of synonymous parallelism... especially in poetry: Is 10:15; Jb 4:17; 6:5)" (JM §161e). This device is used rhetorically with an expected negative answer on both parts of the disjunctive question. The fronting of רְפָאִים, which on its surface looks like a marked focus, results in fact in an ironic pseudo-focus which repeats, with a different word, the already activated focus of 11a (given the nature of this particular stylistic device of synonymous parallelism in a disjunctive question here; see above). This in turn further enhances the rhetorical force of this construction.
- v. 12b, 13b mirror 12a and 13a respectively with the verbs elided.
- v. 14a is topic-shift, from third to first person, with marked topic וַאֲנִי fronted. אֵלֶיךָ is fronted for marked restricting focus: "I have been crying out to you (only) for help, (because I know you are the only one who can save me)."
- v. 14b is fronting of בַּבֹּקֶר for marked exclusive focus: "in the morning (specifically, deliberately) my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning.". This reading matches the subtext of this verse referring to morning time widely believed to be the time when YHWH appears to deliver (cf. common-ground assumption for v. 14b in Story-Behind). תפלתי marks topic activation. This word order (focus-topic) is attested in e.g. 2Kgs 19:23, Isa 28:17.
- v.15a: The question word למה is focused by virtue of the following vocative (cf. note under "vocatives" above), unsurprisingly as questions are by nature focal. Rhetorically it represents a negative directive speech act ("don't, YHWH, reject me"); cf. Speech Act Analysis.
- v. 16a: "A personal pronoun tends to occupy the second slot when no prominence is intended to be given to it... the predicate preceding a pronominal subject often does receive some prominence." (JM §154fa). In our case, עָנִי is a confirming focus: "Why do you keep rejecting me? I'm afflicted, as you know!"
- v. 17a is exclusive focus, cf. vs. 8a.
- v. 17b mirrors 17a.
Vocatives
The vocatives may also be accounted for poetically (cf. poetic feature 3). This poetic interpretation can be either alternative or overlapping with the following discursive one.
- v. 2: Prime addressee for urgent imperative. Structurally, the vocative opens the psalm (the superscription being ignored) and explicitly defines the addressee, YHWH, the only addressee throughout the whole psalm, thus serving as an opening formula to this direct personal "missive" to him.
- v. 10b: Post-nucleus vocative "providing rhetorical highlighting, though of a less specific nature [than focus]" (Miller 2010, 358). Following the lengthy lament in vv. 4-10a, the psalmist empowers his accusation of YHWH, by emphasizing the fact that he has been praying every day out of his extreme misery, and yet there was no reaction from YHWH.
- v. 14a: Post-fronted constituent vocative, focusing אֵלֶיךָ (cf. "word order" below).
- v. 15a: Post-fronted constituent vocative, focusing לָמָה (cf. "word order" below).
Conjunctions
- v. 5c: Followed by a noun, אֵין can form a sort of asyndetic relative clause, which serves as an attribute to the preceding noun, with the force of "without" (cf. JM §160o).
- v. 9c: The waw opens a clause of consequence ("so that...") in a co-subordinated structure (+dependent -embedded). Affirmative clauses of consequence require a volitive verbal form (cf. JM §116a), whereas negative ones have לא followed by a yiqtol-indicative form (ֹcf. JM §116j). Such clauses most commonly follow a volitive verb in the main clause, but other types of clauses are also possible, e.g. nominal clauses such as in our verse (cf. Nu 23:19: לֹא אִישׁ אֵל וִיכַזֵּב "God is not a man that he should lie"). For וְלֹא + yiqtol in a result clause, cf. Gen. 42.2, Lev. 10.9, Deut. 17.17 and 1 Kgs. 18.44.
- v. 14a: The waw opening the verse is a marker of a topic-shift from 3rd person back to 1st person, which also begins a new section in the psalm. “The discourse pragmatic function of wāw intersects with the use of word order to highlight a change of topic relating to one of the speech participants” (Miller 1999, 184).
Speech Act Analysis
The Speech Act layer presents the text in terms of what it does, following the findings of Speech Act Theory. It builds on the recognition that there is more to communication than the exchange of propositions. Speech act analysis is particularly important when communicating cross-culturally, and lack of understanding can lead to serious misunderstandings, since the ways languages and cultures perform speech acts varies widely.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Speech Act Analysis Creator Guidelines.
Summary Visual
Speech Act Chart
The following chart is scrollable (left/right; up/down).
| Verse | Hebrew | CBC | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) |
| Verse number and poetic line | Hebrew text | English translation | Declarative, Imperative, or Interrogative Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
Assertive, Directive, Expressive, Commissive, or Declaratory Indirect Speech Act: Mismatch between sentence type and illocution type |
More specific illocution type with paraphrased context | Illocutionary intent (i.e. communicative purpose) of larger sections of discourse These align with the "Speech Act Summary" headings |
What the speaker intends for the address to think | What the speaker intends for the address to feel | What the speaker intends for the address to do |
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources. | Sentence type | Illocution (general) | Illocution with context | Macro speech act | Intended perlocution (Think) | Intended perlocution (Feel) | Intended perlocution (Do) | Speech Act Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | שִׁ֥יר מִזְמ֗וֹר לִבְנֵ֫י קֹ֥רַח | A song. A psalm. By the sons of Korah. | Superscription | ||||||||
| 1b | לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־מָחֲלַ֣ת לְעַנּ֑וֹת | For the director. About illness, for self-affliction. | |||||||||
| 1c | מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל לְהֵימָ֥ן הָאֶזְרָחִֽי׃ | A maskil. By Heman the Ezrahite. | |||||||||
| 2a | יְ֭הוָה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י | YHWH, God of my salvation, | Declarative | Expressive | Insisting that he has fulfilled his part of the covenant. | Accusing God | Lamenting his suffering | YHWH will acknowledge the psalmist's loyalty to him. | YHWH will reciporcate by feeling committed to the psalmist. | YHWH will start acting in favor of the psalmist. | |
| 2b | יוֹם־צָעַ֖קְתִּי בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃ | I have been crying out day and night before you. | |||||||||
| 3a | תָּב֣וֹא לְ֭פָנֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִ֑י | May my prayer find favor with you! | Imperative | Directive | Begging YHWH to accept his prayer. | YHWH will think he should listen to the psalmist's suuplication. | YHWH will be willing to listen to the psalmist's supplication. | YHWH will listen to the psalmist's supplication. | |||
| 3b | הַטֵּֽה־אָ֝זְנְךָ֗ לְרִנָּתִֽי׃ | Incline your ear to my cry! | Imperative | Directive | Begging YHWH to accept his prayer. | ||||||
| 4a | כִּֽי־שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י | For I am weary of troubles, | YHWH will understand why the psalmist is supplicating. | YHWH will feel compassion to the psalmist. | YHWH will intervene by putting an end to the psalmist's troubles. | ||||||
| 4b | וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ׃ | And my life has reached Sheol. | |||||||||
| 5a | נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר | I am counted with those who go down to the Pit. | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his miserable image in the society. | ||||||
| 5b | הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־אֱיָֽל׃ | I have become just like a man who has no strength. | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his miserable physical conditions and impotence. | ||||||
| 6a | בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י | [I am] an outcast among the dead, | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his low status among the dead. | YHWH will realize that the psalmist is at the lowest status among the dead. | YHWH will rescue the psalmist from the dead and will prove to him that he has not forgotten him. | ||||
| 6b | כְּמ֤וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים ׀ שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר | just like the slain ones who are lying in the tomb, | |||||||||
| 6c | אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד | whom you do not remember anymore, | |||||||||
| 6d | וְ֝הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ׃ | and [who] have been cut off from your care. | |||||||||
| 7a | שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת | You have put me in the lowest pit, | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | YHWH will acknowledge his part in the psalmist's misery | YHWH will feel responsible for the psalmit's misery. | YHWH will stop afflicting the psalmist. | |||
| 7b | בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃ | in dark places, in watery depths. | |||||||||
| 8a | עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ | Your outbursts of wrath have been lying heavily on me, | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | ||||||
| 8b | וְכָל־מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | and you have been afflicting me with all your waves. Selah. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | ||||||
| 9a | הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ מְיֻדָּעַ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי | you have caused my acquaintances to shun me. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his friends' estrangement. | YHWH will acknowledge his part in the psalmist's social isolation and quarantine. | YHWH will feel responsible for the psalmit's social isolation and quarantine. | YHWH will cure the psalmist from his desease. | |||
| 9b | שַׁתַּ֣נִי תוֹעֵב֣וֹת לָ֑מוֹ | You have made me repulsive to them. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his friends' estrangement. | ||||||
| 9c | כָּ֝לֻ֗א | [You have made me] shut in, | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his quarantine. | ||||||
| 9d | וְלֹ֣א אֵצֵֽא׃ | so that I cannot get out. | |||||||||
| 10a | עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי | My eyes have languished from misery. | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his miserable condition. | YHWH will understand why the psalmist is supplicating. | YHWH will feel compassion to the psalmist. | YHWH will intervene by putting an end to the psalmist's misery. | |||
| 10b | קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־י֑וֹם | I have been calling to you, YHWH, every day. | Declarative | Expressive | Insisting that he has fulfilled his part of the covenant. | YHWH will acknowledge the psalmist's loyalty to him. | YHWH will reciporcate by feeling committed to the psalmist. | YHWH will finally start acting in favor of the psalmist. | |||
| 10c | שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי׃ | I have been spreading out my hands to you. | Declarative | Expressive | Insisting that he has fulfilled his part of the covenant. | ||||||
| 11a | הֲלַמֵּתִ֥ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־פֶּ֑לֶא | Do you perform wonders for the dead? | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH is absent from the Underworld. | Persuading God (Speaking to YHWH's common sense, trying to convince him that saving the psalmist is in his interest). | YHWH will be reminded that keeping the psalmist alive is in his own interest, since only the living can praise God and spread the word of his wonders, faithfulness and righteousness. | YHWH will be determined to save the psalmist. | YHWH will save the psalmist. | ||
| 11b | אִם־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים יָק֤וּמוּ ׀ יוֹד֬וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | Do the departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah. | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH and his faithfulness are neither acknowledged nor praised by the dead. | ||||||
| 12a | הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ | Is your faithful love recounted in the tomb? | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH and his faithfulness are neither acknowledged nor praised by the dead. | ||||||
| 12b | אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן׃ | [Is] your faithfulness [recounted] in the place of destruction? | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH and his faithfulness are neither acknowledged nor praised by the dead. | ||||||
| 13a | הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ | Can your wonders be known in the dark region? | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH and his faithfulness are neither acknowledged nor praised by the dead. | ||||||
| 13b | וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה׃ | And [can] your righteousness [be known] in the land of oblivion? | Interrogative | Assertive | Asserting that YHWH and his faithfulness are neither acknowledged nor praised by the dead. | ||||||
| 14a | וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי | But I have been crying out to you for help, YHWH, | Declarative | Expressive | Committing to fulfill his part of the covenant. | Commiting to fulfill his part of the covenant | YHWH will become aware of the psalmist's unconditional loyalty to him, in spite of his extreme suffering. | YHWH will be astonished by the profound faith of the psalmist. | |||
| 14b | וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י תְקַדְּמֶֽךָּ׃ | and my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning. | Declarative | Commissive | Committing to fulfill his part of the covenant. | ||||||
| 15a | לָמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תִּזְנַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֑י | Why, YHWH, do you keep rejecting me? | Interrogative | Directive | Pleading with YHWH to stop ignoring him. | Accusing God | YHWH will realize the psalmist is worth being saved. | YHWH will be determined to show mercy to the psalmist. | YHWH will stop rejecting the psalmist and show mercy to him. | ||
| 15b | תַּסְתִּ֖יר פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | [Why] do you keep hiding your face from me? | Interrogative | Directive | Pleading with YHWH to stop ignoring him. | ||||||
| 16a | עָ֘נִ֤י אֲנִ֣י וְגֹוֵ֣עַ מִנֹּ֑עַר | I [have been] afflicted and close to death from [my] youth, | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his miserable physical condition. | YHWH will understand why the psalmist is supplicating. | YHWH will feel compassion to the psalmist. | YHWH will intervene by putting an end to the psalmist's misery. | |||
| 16b | נָשָׂ֖אתִי אֵמֶ֣יךָ | I’ve been suffering your terrifying assaults, | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | YHWH will acknowledge his part in the psalmist's misery | YHWH will feel responsible for the psalmit's misery. | YHWH will stop afflicting the psalmist. | ** for emendation see exegetical issue on v. 16b (MT: אָפֽוּנָה) | ||
| 16c | *אֶפּוֹרָה*׃ | and keep being torn apart. | Declarative | Expressive | Lamenting his helplessness. | YHWH will understand how terminal the psalmist's situation is. | YHWH will feel compassion to the psalmist. | YHWH will intervene by putting an end to the psalmist's misery. | |||
| 17a | עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ | Your outbursts of wrath have been sweeping over me; | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | YHWH will acknowledge his part in the psalmist's misery. | YHWH will feel responsible for the psalmit's misery. | YHWH will stop afflicting the psalmist. | |||
| 17b | בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ *צִמְּתוּנִי*׃ | Your terrifying assaults have been destroying me. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | ** for emendation verse-by-verse note v. 17b (MT: צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי) | |||||
| 18a | סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם | They have been surrounding me like water constantly; | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | ||||||
| 18b | הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד׃ | They have been closing in on me together. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his misery. | ||||||
| 19a | הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ | You have caused all my friends and companions to shun me; | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his friends' estrangement. | YHWH will acknowledge his part in the psalmist's social isolation and quarantine. | YHWH will feel responsible for the psalmit's social isolation and quarantine. | YHWH will cure the psalmist from his desease. | |||
| 19b | מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י *מֵחֹשֶׁךְ*׃ | You have caused my acquaintances to shun my distress. | Declarative | Expressive | Accusing YHWH as being responsible for his friends' estrangement. | ** for revocalization see exegetical issue on v. 19b (MT: מַחְשָֽׁךְ) | |||||
Emotional Analysis
This layer explores the emotional dimension of the biblical text and seeks to uncover the clues within the text itself that are part of the communicative intent of its author. The goal of this analysis is to chart the basic emotional tone and/or progression of the psalm.
For a detailed explanation of our method, see the Emotional Analysis Creator Guidelines.
Emotional Overview
At-a-Glance
Psalm 88 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
| v. 1 A song. A psalm. By the sons of Korah. For the director. About illness, for self-affliction. A maskil. By Heman the Ezrahite. | Superscription | |||
| v. 2 YHWH, God of my salvation, I have been crying out day and night before you. | Afflicted and Fearing Death | I've been praying, YHWH, because I am about to die. |  |
desperate & hopeful |
| v. 3 May my prayer find favor with you! Incline your ear to my cry! | ||||
| v. 4 For I am weary of troubles, And my life has reached Sheol. | ||||
| v. 5 I am counted with those who go down to the Pit. I have become just like a man who has no strength. | ||||
| v. 6 [I am] an outcast among the dead, just like the slain ones who are lying in the tomb, whom you do not remember anymore, and [who] have been cut off from your care. | I am like the dead already, an outcast, forgotten by you. |  |
humiliated | |
| v. 7 You have put me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in watery depths. | You are the one afflicting me and causing me to be shunned, even while I have been praying, YHWH. What did I do to deserve this? |
 |
angry | |
| v. 8 Your outbursts of wrath have been lying heavily on me, and you have been afflicting me with all your waves. Selah. | ||||
| v. 9 you have caused my acquaintances to shun me. You have made me repulsive to them. [You have made me] shut in, so that I cannot get out. | ||||
| v. 10 My eyes have languished from misery. I have been calling to you, YHWH, every day. I have been spreading out my hands to you. | ||||
| v. 11 Do you perform wonders for the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah. | Facing Death | Do you and your faithful love reach to the dead, the forgotten? Do they praise you and recount your faithful love? |  |
determined |
| v. 12 Is your faithful love recounted in the tomb? [Is] your faithfulness [recounted] in the place of destruction? | ||||
| v. 13 Can your wonders be known in the dark region? And [can] your righteousness [be known] in the land of oblivion? | ||||
| v. 14 But I have been crying out to you for help, YHWH, and my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning. | Afflicted and Continuing to Pray | I will keep praying, YHWH, even though you are ignoring me, YHWH, and you continue to afflict me and cause my friends to shun me. |   |
hopeful & terrified |
| v. 15 Why, YHWH, do you keep rejecting me? [Why] do you keep hiding your face from me? | ||||
| v. 16 I [have been] afflicted and close to death from [my] youth, I’ve been suffering your terrifying assaults, and keep being torn apart. | ||||
| v. 17 Your outbursts of wrath have been sweeping over me; Your terrifying assaults have been destroying me. | ||||
| v. 18 They have been surrounding me like water constantly; They have been closing in on me together. | ||||
| v. 19 You have caused all my friends and companions to shun me; You have caused my acquaintances to shun my distress. | ||||
Afflicted and Fearing Death (vv. 2–10)
Throughout this first section, the psalmist has been praying, as he faces his greatest fear of all: death and being completely cut off from YHWH, forgotten by him in the land of the forgotten. The description in v. 5 is of one who is actually the lowest among the dead, an outcast among the dead! The slain were the lowest of the low, such as those who received no burial honors, those utterly cut off from YHWH and not even remembered by him anymore.
Facing Death (vv. 11–13)
In vv. 11-13, this fear is faced directly. There is a series of rhetorical questions that highlight the distance between—on the one hand—his wonders, love and faithfulness and—on the other—the world of the dead. This simultaneously gives vent to what the psalmist fears as well as presenting the rationale for why YHWH should act. It is not the psalmist alone who wants to be in relationship with YHWH. YHWH himself longs for his character—his goodness, faithful love and wonders—to be praised by his people.
Afflicted and Continuing to Pray (vv. 14–19)
Verse 14 starts with “but I.” Very often in Hebrew poetry there is a “but” followed by someone’s name or a pronoun. This often marks a significant transition, and here it represents a profound psychological shift away from everything having to do with death and, instead, to an unceasing determination to continue calling upon YHWH. As long as he calls out, the relationship continues. If he is correct about YHWH’s character of faithfulness, then all this is required is that he, the psalmist, also remain faithful in calling out.
| Text (Hebrew) | Verse | Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources. | Emotions |
|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁ֥יר מִזְמ֗וֹר לִבְנֵ֫י קֹ֥רַח | 1a | A song. A psalm. By the sons of Korah. | |
| לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־מָחֲלַ֣ת לְעַנּ֑וֹת | 1b | For the director. About illness, for self-affliction. | |
| מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל לְהֵימָ֥ן הָאֶזְרָחִֽי׃ | 1c | A maskil. By Heman the Ezrahite. | |
| יְ֭הוָה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י | 2a | YHWH, God of my salvation, | Desperate Hopeful
|
| יוֹם־צָעַ֖קְתִּי בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃ | 2b | I have been crying out day and night before you. | |
| תָּב֣וֹא לְ֭פָנֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִ֑י | 3a | May my prayer find favor with you! | Desperate Hopeful
|
| הַטֵּֽה־אָ֝זְנְךָ֗ לְרִנָּתִֽי׃ | 3b | Incline your ear to my cry! | |
| כִּֽי־שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י | 4a | For I am weary of troubles, | Gloomy Desperate
|
| וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ׃ | 4b | And my life has reached Sheol. | |
| נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר | 5a | I am counted with those who go down to the Pit. | Humiliated Frustrated
|
| הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־אֱיָֽל׃ | 5b | I have become just like a man who has no strength. | |
| בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י | 6a | [I am] an outcast among the dead, | Humiliated Hopeless
|
| כְּמ֤וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים ׀ שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר | 6b | just like the slain ones who are lying in the tomb, | |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד | 6c | whom you do not remember anymore, | |
| וְ֝הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ׃ | 6d | and [who] have been cut off from your care. | |
| שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת | 7a | You have put me in the lowest pit, | Distressed Frightened Angry
|
| בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃ | 7b | in dark places, in watery depths. | |
| עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ | 8a | Your outbursts of wrath have been lying heavily on me, | Distressed Perplexed Angry
|
| וְכָל־מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | 8b | and you have been afflicting me with all your waves. Selah. | |
| הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ מְיֻדָּעַ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי | 9a | you have caused my acquaintances to shun me. | Humiliated Depressed Angry
|
| שַׁתַּ֣נִי תוֹעֵב֣וֹת לָ֑מוֹ | 9b | You have made me repulsive to them. | |
| כָּ֝לֻ֗א | 9c | [You have made me] shut in, | |
| וְלֹ֣א אֵצֵֽא׃ | 9d | so that I cannot get out. | |
| עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי | 10a | My eyes have languished from misery. | Languid Helpless Desperate Longing Hopeful
|
| קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־י֑וֹם | 10b | I have been calling to you, YHWH, every day. | |
| שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי׃ | 10c | I have been spreading out my hands to you. | |
| הֲלַמֵּתִ֥ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־פֶּ֑לֶא | 11a | Do you perform wonders for the dead? | Determined
|
| אִם־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים יָק֤וּמוּ ׀ יוֹד֬וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | 11b | Do the departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah. | |
| הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ | 12a | Is your faithful love recounted in the tomb? | Determined
|
| אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן׃ | 12b | [Is] your faithfulness [recounted] in the place of destruction? | |
| הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ | 13a | Can your wonders be known in the dark region? | Determined
|
| וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה׃ | 13b | And [can] your righteousness [be known] in the land of oblivion? | |
| וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי | 14a | But I have been crying out to you for help, YHWH, | Desperate Resigned
|
| וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י תְקַדְּמֶֽךָּ׃ | 14b | and my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning. | |
| לָמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תִּזְנַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֑י | 15a | Why, YHWH, do you keep rejecting me? | Disappointed
|
| תַּסְתִּ֖יר פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | 15b | [Why] do you keep hiding your face from me? | |
| עָ֘נִ֤י אֲנִ֣י וְגֹוֵ֣עַ מִנֹּ֑עַר | 16a | I [have been] afflicted and close to death from [my] youth, | Terrified Helpless
|
| נָשָׂ֖אתִי אֵמֶ֣יךָ | 16b | I’ve been suffering your terrifying assaults, | |
| *אֶפּוֹרָה*׃ | 16c | and keep being torn apart. | |
| עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ | 17a | Your outbursts of wrath have been sweeping over me; | Terrified
|
| בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ *צִמְּתוּנִי*׃ | 17b | Your terrifying assaults have been destroying me. | |
| סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם | 18a | They have been surrounding me like water constantly; | Terrified
|
| הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד׃ | 18b | They have been closing in on me together. | |
| הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ | 19a | You have caused all my friends and companions to shun me; | Depressed
|
| מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י *מֵחֹשֶׁךְ*׃ | 19b | You have caused my acquaintances to shun my distress. |
Emotional Analysis Chart
If an emendation or revocalization is preferred, that emendation or revocalization will be marked in the Hebrew text of all the visuals.
| Emendations/Revocalizations legend | |
|---|---|
| *Emended text* | Emended text, text in which the consonants differ from the consonants of the Masoretic text, is indicated by blue asterisks on either side of the emendation. |
| *Revocalized text* | Revocalized text, text in which only the vowels differ from the vowels of the Masoretic text, is indicated by purple asterisks on either side of the revocalization. |
| Verse | Text (Hebrew) | Text (CBC) The Close-but-clear translation (CBC) exists to provide a window into the Hebrew text according to how we understand its syntax and word-to-phrase-level semantics. It is designed to be "close" to the Hebrew, while still being "clear." Specifically, the CBC encapsulates and reflects the following layers of analysis: grammar, lexical semantics, phrase-level semantics, and verbal semantics. It does not reflect our analysis of the discourse or of poetics. It is not intended to be used as a stand-alone translation or base text, but as a supplement to Layer-by-Layer materials to help users make full use of these resources. | The Psalmist Feels | Emotional Analysis Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | שִׁ֥יר מִזְמ֗וֹר לִבְנֵ֫י קֹ֥רַח | A song. A psalm. By the sons of Korah. | ||
| 1b | לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־מָחֲלַ֣ת לְעַנּ֑וֹת | For the director. About illness, for self-affliction. | ||
| 1c | מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל לְהֵימָ֥ן הָאֶזְרָחִֽי׃ | A maskil. By Heman the Ezrahite. | ||
| 2a | יְ֭הוָה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י | YHWH, God of my salvation, | • The psalmist is desperate, having prayed day and night to no avail. • The psalmist is still hopeful that salvation may come through praying. |
|
| 2b | יוֹם־צָעַ֖קְתִּי בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃ | I have been crying out day and night before you. | ||
| 3a | תָּב֣וֹא לְ֭פָנֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִ֑י | May my prayer find favor with you! | • The psalmist is desperate, urging YHWH to help. • The psalmist is still hopeful that YHWH will listen to him. |
|
| 3b | הַטֵּֽה־אָ֝זְנְךָ֗ לְרִנָּתִֽי׃ | Incline your ear to my cry! | ||
| 4a | כִּֽי־שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י | For I am weary of troubles, | • The psalmist is desperate because he is succumbing to his troubles. • The psalmist is gloomy because he feels he is about to die soon. |
|
| 4b | וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ׃ | And my life has reached Sheol. | ||
| 5a | נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר | I am counted with those who go down to the Pit. | • The psalmist is humiliated, because society marks him as impotent. • The psalmist is frustrated due to his incapability to act as a man and contribute to society. |
• The Pit is another term for the netherworld (Ezek 26:20, Prov 1:12, Ps 30:4, Isa 38:18). • The word גבר denotes "a man in his machismo... The grave is a place for people who have become totally incapable of doing anything" (Goldingay 2007).
|
| 5b | הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־אֱיָֽל׃ | I have become just like a man who has no strength. | ||
| 6a | בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י | [I am] an outcast among the dead, | • The psalmist is humiliated, because he belongs to a low social class and is like the slain. • The psalmist is hopeless, because he is cut off from YHWH's care. |
• The "outcasts" (חָפְשִׁי) were a low social class, despised and excommunicated, that existed in the netherworld as well, cf. Exegetical Issue. • The "slain" (חללים) were another despised class in the Netherworld, cf. Exegetical Issue.
|
| 6b | כְּמ֤וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים ׀ שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר | just like the slain ones who are lying in the tomb, | ||
| 6c | אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד | whom you do not remember anymore, | ||
| 6d | וְ֝הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ׃ | and [who] have been cut off from your care. | ||
| 7a | שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת | You have put me in the lowest pit, | • The psalmist is angry with YHWH, making direct ("You") accusations to him. He is angry because God is not doing his part of the covenant. • The psalmist is distressed due to his severe suffering. • The psalmist is frightened because he is suffering pangs of death. |
• The Sheol is as dark as a tomb is (Job 10:21-22). • The Sheol lies deep under the Earth, like the deepest pit (Ezek 31:14, Ps 86:13). • "Deep waters are a common image for death and Sheol" (Goldingay 2007); cf. Lam 3:54-55, Ps 18:5-6 69:2-3, Jonah 2:4,6)
|
| 7b | בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃ | in dark places, in watery depths. | ||
| 8a | עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ | Your outbursts of wrath have been lying heavily on me, | • The psalmist is angry with YHWH, because the latter does all that is in his power to afflict him, not keeping his part of the covenant. • The psalmist is distressed due to his severe suffering. • The psalmist is perplexed because he does not know the reason for YHWH afflicting him. |
• The idiom סמך ידו על is most prevalent in the Laws of sacrifice, particularly in Leviticus, said of the priest who puts his hands on the sacrifice as the final gesture before sacrificing it (Ex 29:15, Lev 3:2, 8, 13; 8:18, 22). It is also said of the שעיר לעזאזל (scapegoat). who bore the sins of all the people (Lev 16:21). • כָּל-מִשְׁבָּרֶיךָ וְגַלֶּיךָ עָלַי עָבָרוּ (Jonah 2:4). • "there are several psalms in the Psalter which share the motif of a judgment by water." (Tate 1990:400)
|
| 8b | וְכָל־מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | and you have been afflicting me with all your waves. Selah. | ||
| 9a | הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ מְיֻדָּעַ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי | you have caused my acquaintances to shun me. | • The psalmist is angry with YHWH, because the latter made him excommunicated. • The psalmist is humiliated, because he is repulsive to his friends. • The psalmist is depressed because he is lonely and has no company. |
|
| 9b | שַׁתַּ֣נִי תוֹעֵב֣וֹת לָ֑מוֹ | You have made me repulsive to them. • Job laments the estrangement of his relatives and friends in a similar way (19:13-19) | ||
| 9c | כָּ֝לֻ֗א | [You have made me] shut in, | ||
| 9d | וְלֹ֣א אֵצֵֽא׃ | so that I cannot get out. | ||
| 10a | עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי | My eyes have languished from misery. | • The psalmist is languid due to his misery. • The psalmist is helpless, showing his empty hands to YHWH. • The psalmist is desperate, having called to YHWH every day to no avail. • The psalmist is longing for YHWH's salvation. • The psalmist is still hopeful that salvation may come through praying. |
|
| 10b | קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־י֑וֹם | I have been calling to you, YHWH, every day. • The collocation כָּלוּ עֵינַיִם, standing in parallel to נפש דאבה in Lev 26:16 & Deut 28:32, refers to longing for something (Ps 69:4, 119:82, 123). • "Openness of hands demonstrates that the hands are empty and that the suppliant knows this and opens the self in helplessness." (Goldingay 2007)
| ||
| 10c | שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי׃ | I have been spreading out my hands to you. | ||
| 11a | הֲלַמֵּתִ֥ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־פֶּ֑לֶא | Do you perform wonders for the dead? | • The psalmist is determined to plead with God. | |
| 11b | אִם־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים יָק֤וּמוּ ׀ יוֹד֬וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃ | Do the departed spirits rise up to praise you? Selah. • "Yhwh’s policies do not include interfering in Sheol" (Goldingay 2007) | ||
| 12a | הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ | Is your faithful love recounted in the tomb? | • The psalmist is determined to plead with God. | |
| 12b | אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן׃ | [Is] your faithfulness [recounted] in the place of destruction? | ||
| 13a | הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ | Can your wonders be known in the dark region? | • The psalmist is determined to plead with God. | |
| 13b | וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה׃ | And [can] your righteousness [be known] in the land of oblivion? • "There are no wondrous acts of truthfulness and commitment and faithfulness in the realm of the dead and, therefore, no wonders to acknowledge and confess in the way they can be confessed in this world so as to bring honor to Yhwh." (Goldingay 2007), cf. also Ps 118:17. • Sheol is the "land of oblivion", the inhabitants of which are forgotten by YHWH (cf. v. 6b, Ps 31:13, Eccl 9:5).
| ||
| 14a | וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי | But I have been crying out to you for help, YHWH, | • The psalmist is desperate, having cried out to YHWH to no avail. • The psalmist resigns himself to YHWH by accepting whatever comes. |
|
| 14b | וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י תְקַדְּמֶֽךָּ׃ | and my prayer will keep welcoming you in the morning. • Daybreak is supposed to be the time when God appears to deliver (e.g., 90:14; 143:8) (Goldingay 2007); cf. also Ps 46:6, 2 Sam 23:3-4, Zeph 3:5. | ||
| 15a | לָמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תִּזְנַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֑י | Why, YHWH, do you keep rejecting me? | • The psalmist is disappointed with YHWH, for keeping rejecting him, in spite of his efforts, by asking "why." | |
| 15b | תַּסְתִּ֖יר פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ | [Why] do you keep hiding your face from me? • The collocation הִסְתִּיר פָּנִים ("hide one's face") is used, when said of YHWH, in two possible senses: (1) ignore, be indifferent towards people's troubles (Ps. 10:11, 13:2, 42:25) ׂׂ(2) more often, "withdraw his favors" due to his anger towards sinners (Deut 31:17-18, 32:20, Isa 54:8, Jer 33:5, Ezek 39:23-24, Mic 3:4). | ||
| 16a | עָ֘נִ֤י אֲנִ֣י וְגֹוֵ֣עַ מִנֹּ֑עַר | I [have been] afflicted and close to death from [my] youth, | • The psalmist is terrified of YHWH's assaults. • The psalmist is helpless because he's been suffering YHWH's terrifying assaults since youth and cannot do anything. |
|
| 16b | נָשָׂ֖אתִי אֵמֶ֣יךָ | I’ve been suffering your terrifying assaults, • “Terrors” suggests a special dread that falls on people in anticipation of YHWH acting to bring calamity (e.g., Exod. 15:16; 23:27). (Goldingay: 2007); cf. also Deut 32:25, Job 9:34,13:21. | ||
| 16c | *אֶפּוֹרָה*׃ | and keep being torn apart. | ||
| 17a | עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ | Your outbursts of wrath have been sweeping over me; | • The psalmist is terrified of YHWH's assaults. | |
| 17b | בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ *צִמְּתוּנִי*׃ | Your terrifying assaults have been destroying me. • The “terrors” of Yahweh act as his agents of destruction (cf. plague and pestilence in Hab 3:5, and “the spirit” in 1Kgs 22:21-22). They are the demon-like beings and powers which afflict the speaker (Tate 1990, 404). | ||
| 18a | סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם | They have been surrounding me like water constantly; | • The psalmist is terrified of YHWH's constant assaults. | |
| 18b | הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד׃ | They have been closing in on me together. וְנָהָר יְסֹבְבֵנִי ... אֲפָפוּנִי מַיִם עַד-נֶפֶשׁ תְּהוֹם יְסֹבְבֵנִי Jonah 2:4,6 | ||
| 19a | הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ | You have caused all my friends and companions to shun me; | • The psalmist is depressed because he is lonely and all his friends have left him. | |
| 19b | מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י *מֵחֹשֶׁךְ*׃ | You have caused my acquaintances to shun my distress. • Job laments the estrangement of his relatives and friends in a similar way (19:13-19) |
Summary Visual
(Click visual to enlarge).
Bibliography
- BDB = Brown, Francis, Driver, Samuel R. & Briggs, Charles A. Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977.
- BHRG = Merwe, Christo H.J. van der, Jacobus A. Naudé, and Jan H. Kroeze. A Biblical Hebrew Reference Grammar [2nd ed.]. New York: Bloomsbury, 2017.
- BHS = Schenker, Adrian. BIBLIA HEBRAICA STUTTGARTENSIA. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1997.
- Dahood, Mitchell J. Psalms II, 51-100: Introduction, Translation, and Notes. 3rd ed. AB 17. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
- Eerdmans, Bernardus Dirk The Hebrew Book of Psalms. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1947.
- Gesenius, Wilhelm. Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, translated, with additions, and corrections from the author's Thesaurus and other works by Tregelles, Samuel Prideaux. London: Samuel Bagster & Sons, 1813-1875.
- GKC = Gesenius, Wilhelm & Kautsch, Emil. A. E. Cowley (trans.) Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1909.
- Goldingay, John. Psalms: Psalms 42–89. Vol. 2. BCOT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007.
- Goulder, Michael D. The psalms of the sons of Korah. Sheffield:JSOT Press, 1982.
- HALOT = Koehler, Ludwig & Baumgartner, Walter et al. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Leiden: Brill, 1994-2000.
- Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. Psalms 2: A Commentary on Psalms 51-100. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.
- IBHS = Waltke, Bruce, K. O'Connor, Michael O. An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1990.
- JM = Joüon P. and Muraoka T. A grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2018.
- Longacre, Drew and Strawn Brent A. "A New Identification of a Psalm Manuscript from Qumran: 4Q85 + 4Q98c". In Dead Sea Discoveries, 30/2, Leiden: Brill, 2022, pp. 152–159.
- Lunn, Nicholas P. Word-Order Variation in Biblical Hebrew Poetry: Differentiating Pragmatics and Poetics. Paternoster Biblical Monographs. Milton Keynes: Paternoster, 2006.
- Miller, Cynthia. “The Pragmatics of Waw as a Discourse Marker in Biblical Hebrew Dialogue.” Zeitschrift Für Althebraistik 12, no. 2 (1999): 165–91.
- Miller, Cynthia L. “Vocative Syntax in Biblical Hebrew Prose and Poetry: A Preliminary Analysis.” Semitic Studies 55, no. 1 (2010): 347–64.
- Mowinckel, Sigmund. The Psalms in Israel’s Worship. Oxford: Blackwell, 1962.
- Skehan, Patrick W., Eugene Ulrich & Flint, Peter W. “4Q98c. 4QPst.” In Qumran Cave 4, XI: Psalms to Chronicles, 155, plate XIX. DJD 16. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2000.
- Stec, David M. The Targum of Psalms: Translated, with a Critical Introduction, Apparatus, and Notes. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004.
- Tate, Marvin E. Psalms 51-100. WBC 20. Dallas, Tex: Word Books, 1998.
- Wendland, Ernst R. ‘“Darkness is my closest friend” (Ps 88:18b): Reflections on the saddest psalm in the Psalter’, Verbum et Ecclesia 37(1), Online Journal, 2016.
Footnotes
- ↑ When the entire utterance is new/unexpected, it is a thetic sentence (often called "sentence focus"). See our Creator Guidelines for more information on topic and focus.
- ↑ Frame setters are any orientational constituent – typically, but not limited to, spatio-temporal adverbials – function to "limit the applicability of the main predication to a certain restricted domain" and "indicate the general type of information that can be given" in the clause nucleus (Krifka & Musan 2012: 31-32). In previous scholarship, they have been referred to as contextualizing constituents (see, e.g., Buth (1994), “Contextualizing Constituents as Topic, Non-Sequential Background and Dramatic Pause: Hebrew and Aramaic evidence,” in E. Engberg-Pedersen, L. Falster Jakobsen and L. Schack Rasmussen (eds.) Function and expression in Functional Grammar. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 215-231; Buth (2023), “Functional Grammar and the Pragmatics of Information Structure for Biblical Languages,” in W. A. Ross & E. Robar (eds.) Linguistic Theory and the Biblical Text. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 67-116), but this has been conflated with the function of topic. In brief: sentence topics, belonging to the clause nucleus, are the entity or event about which the clause provides a new predication; frame setters do not belong in the clause nucleus and rather provide a contextual orientation by which to understand the following clause.