King James Version:
(The Lord speaking is red text)
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? [or] thy faithfulness in destruction?
Complete Jewish Bible:
Will your grace be declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
Berean Standard Bible:
Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon?
American Standard Version:
Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in Destruction?
KJV with Strong’s Numbers:
Shall thy lovingkindness{H2617} be declared{H5608}{H8792)} in the grave{H6913}? or thy faithfulness{H530} in destruction{H11}?
Cross-References (KJV):
Job 26:6
- Hell [is] naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
Job 21:30
- That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
Matthew 7:13
- Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Romans 9:22
- [What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Psalms 73:18
- Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
Psalms 55:23
- But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
2 Peter 2:1
- ¶ But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
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Commentary for Psalms 88:11
Psalm 88:11 is part of a lament psalm traditionally attributed to Heman the Ezrahite, who is identified in 1 Kings 4:31 as one of the wise men of Israel during King Solomon's reign. This particular psalm is known for its depth of despair and is unique in that it ends without a statement of hope or deliverance, which is unusual for the Book of Psalms.
In this verse, the psalmist questions whether God's lovingkindness (Hebrew: chesed) and faithfulness can be experienced or proclaimed in the realm of death (Sheol) or during times of destruction. The term "lovingkindness" refers to God's covenant love and mercy, which is everlasting and a cornerstone of His relationship with His people. The psalmist's cry reflects a sense of abandonment and the feeling that even death might sever the bond between the individual and God's steadfast love and reliability.
The historical context of this verse may reflect the collective experience of the Israelites during times of national crisis, such as exile or oppression, where the present circumstances seemed to contradict the promises of God. It speaks to the universal human experience of grappling with the persistence of faith in the midst of suffering and the fear that death might be the end of one's communion with the divine.
In summary, Psalm 88:11 poignantly expresses the tension between belief in God's enduring love and faithfulness and the reality of human suffering and mortality. It reflects a moment of existential questioning, common in the face of adversity, where the psalmist wonders if the grave will cut off all ties to God's benevolent presence. This verse encapsulates the raw emotion of a soul in deep anguish, seeking to understand the reach of God's grace in the darkest of times.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
- Strong's Number: H2617
There are 241 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: חֵסֵד
Transliteration: chêçêd
Pronunciation: kheh'-sed
Description: from חָסַד; kindness; by implication (towards God) piety; rarely (by opposition) reproof, or (subject.) beauty; favour, good deed(-liness, -ness), kindly, (loving-) kindness, merciful (kindness), mercy, pity, reproach, wicked thing. - Strong's Number: H5608
There are 154 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: סָפַר
Transliteration: çâphar
Pronunciation: saw-far'
Description: a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate; commune, (ac-) count; declare, number, [phrase] penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer. - Strong's Number: H6913
There are 62 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: קֶבֶר
Transliteration: qeber
Pronunciation: keh'-ber
Description: or (feminine) קִבְרָה; from קָבַר; a sepulchre; burying place, grave, sepulchre. - Strong's Number: H530
There are 490 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֱמוּנָה
Transliteration: ʼĕmûwnâh
Pronunciation: em-oo-naw'
Description: or (shortened) אֱמֻנָה; feminine of אֵמוּן; literally firmness; figuratively security; morally fidelity; faith(-ful, -ly, -ness, (man)), set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily. - Strong's Number: H11
There are 5045 instances of this translation in the Bible
Lemma: אֲבַדּוֹן
Transliteration: ʼăbaddôwn
Pronunciation: ab-ad-done'
Description: intensive from אָבַד; abstract, a perishing; concrete, Hades; destruction.