TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Psalms 88:1–9.
It should seem, by the titles of this and the following psalm, that Heman was the penman of the one and Ethan of the other. There were two, of these names, who were sons of Zerah the son of Judah, Ch1 2:4, Ch1 2:6. There were two others famed for wisdom, Kg1 4:31, where, to magnify Solomon's wisdom, he is said to be wiser than Heman and Ethan. Whether the Heman and Ethan who were Levites and precentors in the songs of Zion were the same we are not sure, nor which of these, nor whether any of these, were the penmen of these psalms. There was a Heman that was one of the chief singers, who is called the king's seer, or prophet, in the words of God (Ch1 25:5); it is probable that this also was a seer, and yet could see no comfort for himself, an instructor and comforter of others, and yet himself putting comfort away from him. The very first words of the psalm are the only words of comfort and support in all the psalm. There is nothing about him but clouds and darkness; but, before he begins his complaint, he calls God the God of his salvation, which intimates both that he looked for salvation, bad as things were, and that he looked up to God for the salvation and depended upon him to be the author of it. Now here we have the psalmist,
I.A man of prayer, one that gave himself to prayer at all times, but especially now that he was in affliction; for is any afflicted? let him pray. It is his comfort that he had prayed; it is his complaint that, notwithstanding his prayer, he was still in affliction. He was, 1. Very earnest in prayer: "I have cried unto thee (Psa 88:1), and have stretched out my hands unto thee (Psa 88:9), as one that would take hold on thee, and even catch at the mercy, with a holy fear of coming short and missing of it." 2. He was very frequent and constant in prayer: I have called upon thee daily (Psa 88:9), nay, day and night, Psa 88:1. For thus men ought always to pray, and not to faint; God's own elect cry day and night to him, not only morning and evening, beginning every day and every night with prayer, but spending the day and night in prayer. This is indeed praying always; and then we shall speed in prayer, when we continue instant in prayer. 3. He directed his prayer to God, and from him expected and desired an answer (Psa 88:2): "Let my prayer come before thee, to be accepted of thee, not before men, to be seen of them, as the Pharisees' prayers." He does not desire that men should hear them, but, "Lord, incline thy ear unto my cry, for to that I refer myself; give what answer to it thou pleasest."
II.He was a man of sorrows, and therefore some make him, in this psalm, a type of Christ, whose complaints on the cross, and sometimes before, were much to the same purport with this psalm. He cries out (Psa 88:3): My soul is full of troubles; so Christ said, Now is my soul troubled; and, in his agony, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even unto death, like the psalmist's here, for he says, My life draws nigh unto the grave. Heman was a very wise man, and a very good man, a man of God, and a singer too, and one may therefore suppose him to have been a man of a cheerful spirit, and yet now a man of sorrowful spirit, troubled in mind, and upon the brink of despair. Inward trouble is the sorest trouble, and that which, sometimes, the best of God's saints and servants have been severely exercised with. The spirit of man, of the greatest of men, will not always sustain his infirmity, but will droop and sink under it; who then can bear a wounded spirit?
III.He looked upon himself as a dying man, whose heart was ready to break with sorrow (Psa 88:5):
"Free among the dead (one of that ghastly corporation), like the slain that lie in the grave, whose rotting and perishing nobody takes notice of or is concerned for, nay, whom thou rememberest no more, to protect or provide for the dead bodies, but they become an easy prey to corruption and the worms; they are cut off from thy hand, which used to be employed in supporting them and reaching out to them; but, now there is no more occasion for this, they are cut off from it and cut off by it" (for God will not stretch out his hand to the grave, Job 30:24); "thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, as low as possible, my condition low, my spirits low, in darkness, in the deep (Psa 88:6), sinking, and seeing no way open of escape, brought to the last extremity, and ready to give up all for gone." Thus greatly may good men be afflicted, such dismal apprehensions may they have concerning their afflictions, and such dark conclusions may they sometimes be ready to make concerning the issue of them, through the power of melancholy and the weakness of faith.
IV.He complained most of God's displeasure against him, which infused the wormwood and the gall into the affliction and the misery (Psa 88:7):
Thy wrath lies hard upon me. Could he have discerned the favour and love of God in his affliction, it would have lain light upon him; but it lay hard, very hard, upon him, so that he was ready to sink and faint under it. The impressions of this wrath upon his spirits were God's waves with which he afflicted him, which rolled upon him, one on the neck of another, so that he scarcely recovered from one dark thought before he was oppressed with another; these waves beat against him with noise and fury; not some, but all, of God's waves were made use of in afflicting him and bearing him down. Even the children of God's love may sometimes apprehend themselves children of wrath, and no outward trouble can lie so hard upon them as that apprehension.
V.It added to his affliction that his friends deserted him and made themselves strange to him.
When we are in trouble it is some comfort to have those about us that love us, and sympathize with us; but this good man had none such, which gives him occasion, not to accuse them, or charge them with treachery, ingratitude, and inhumanity, but to complain to God, with an eye to his hand in this part of the affliction (Psa 88:8): Thou hast put away my acquaintance far from me. Providence had removed them, or rendered them incapable of being serviceable to him, or alienated their affections from him; for every creature is that to us (and no more) that God makes it to be. If our old acquaintance be shy of us, and those we expect kindness from prove unkind, we must bear that with the same patient submission to the divine will that we do other afflictions, Job 19:13. Nay, his friends were not only strange to him, but even hated him, because he was poor and in distress: "Thou hast made me an abomination to them; they are not only shy of me, but sick of me, and I am looked upon by them, not only with contempt, but with abhorrence." Let none think it strange concerning such a trial as this, when Heman, who was so famed for wisdom, was yet, when the world frowned upon him, neglected, as a vessel in which is no pleasure.
VI.He looked upon his case as helpless and deplorable:
"I am shut up, and I cannot come forth, a close prisoner, under the arrests of divine wrath, and no way open of escape." He therefore lies down and sinks under his troubles, because he sees not any probability of getting out of them. For thus he bemoans himself (Psa 88:9): My eye mourneth by reason of affliction. Sometimes giving vent to grief by weeping gives some ease to a troubled spirit. Yet weeping must not hinder praying; we must sow in tears: My eye mourns, but I cry unto thee daily. Let prayers and tears go together, and they shall be accepted together. I have heard thy prayers, I have seen thy tears.
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
3 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Nor was Mary less than was befitting the mother of Christ. When the apostles fled, she stood before the cross and with reverent gaze beheld her Son’s wounds, for she awaited not her child’s death but the world’s salvation. Or perhaps that “regal chamber” knew that through her Son’s death would be the world’s redemption, and through her own death she thought she would give herself for the common good. But Jesus had no need of a helper in redeeming all, for he saved all without a helper. Therefore he says, “I have become as a man without help, free among the dead.” Indeed, he received the devotion of his parent, but he did not seek another’s aid.
Next, David made it clear that Christ would be buried when he said, “They have put me in the lowest pit in the dark places and in the shadow of death.” Nor was David silent about the spices used on his shroud. Since the women brought myrrh, spice and cassia, hear what the prophet said: “Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh, spice and cassia, and with them the daughters of kings gladdened you in your honor.” See how he also predicted that Christ would rise again. “You will not leave my soul in hell, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption.” Isaiah expressed the same thing in a different way. For he said, “The Lord wishes to cleanse him from his wounds, to show him light, to justify the righteous one who has served many well.”
"They laid Me in the lowest pit" [Psalm 88:6], that is, the deepest pit. For so it is in the Greek. But what is the lowest pit, but the deepest woe, than which there is none more deep? Whence in another Psalm it is said, "You brought me out also of the pit of misery." "In a place of darkness, and in the shadow of death," whiles they knew not what they did, they laid Him there, thus deeming of Him; they knew not Him "whom none of the princes of this world knew." [1 Corinthians 2:8] By the "shadow of death," I know not whether the death of the body is to be understood, or that of which it is written, "That they walked in darkness and in the land of the shadow of death, a light is risen on them," [Isaiah 9:2] because by belief they were brought from out of the darkness and death of sin into light and life. Such an one those who knew not what they did thought our Lord, and in their ignorance accounted Him among those whom He came to help, that they might not be such themselves.
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Summary
Psalm 88:6, a profoundly poignant verse from one of the Psalter's most somber laments, articulates the psalmist's overwhelming sense of abandonment and despair. Heman the Ezrahite cries out, perceiving himself to be actively placed by God into the deepest, darkest, and most desolate conditions imaginable, akin to the realm of the dead. This verse powerfully encapsulates the raw, unvarnished cry of a soul experiencing profound suffering and perceived divine rejection, serving as a stark portrayal of existential anguish.
Context
Literary Context
Psalm 88 stands as a unique and stark anomaly within the Book of Psalms. Unlike nearly all other laments, it offers no traditional turn from despair to hope, no expression of trust, and no vow of praise. From its opening cry in Psalm 88:1 to its chilling conclusion in Psalm 88:18, the psalm remains steeped in unrelieved darkness, concluding with the declaration that "darkness is my closest friend." This unyielding sorrow underscores the depth of human suffering and the biblical permission for such honest, even agonizing, expression before God. The verse in question, Psalm 88:6, serves as a central image of this utter desolation, portraying the psalmist's perceived descent into the very depths of the earth, a place of ultimate separation and decay.
Historical & Cultural Context
The superscription attributes the psalm to Heman the Ezrahite, a Levite musician and temple singer from the lineage of Kohath, as noted in 1 Chronicles 6:33. This background is significant, as it highlights that even those dedicated to worship and service to God could experience such profound spiritual and physical distress. The imagery of "pit," "darkness," and "deeps" draws from ancient Near Eastern concepts of Sheol, the underworld or realm of the dead, often depicted as a dark, dusty, and isolated place beneath the earth. Cisterns or dungeons, which were often deep, dark, and difficult to escape, also contribute to this imagery, symbolizing imprisonment, isolation, and impending death. These were not merely abstract metaphors but vivid depictions of real-world experiences of confinement and despair.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several overarching themes within Psalm 88 and the broader Psalter. Firstly, it embodies extreme despair and suffering, using vivid metaphors to convey a state of absolute hopelessness, akin to being buried alive or confined to the grave. Secondly, the direct address "Thou hast laid me" highlights the theme of divine agency in suffering, a bold and honest accusation that God is not merely allowing but actively inflicting the psalmist's pain. This raw grappling with God's perceived role in affliction is a hallmark of biblical lament, seen also in the extensive suffering depicted in the book of Job. Lastly, the imagery of "darkness" and "deeps" underscores the theme of isolation and abandonment, portraying a complete severance from light, life, and human connection, even from God Himself, despite the psalmist's persistent cries for deliverance.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
A primitive root meaning "to place" or "to put" in a very wide application. Here, it conveys intentionality and agency. The psalmist perceives God as actively and deliberately placing him in this dire situation, not merely allowing it to happen. This emphasizes the psalmist's sense of being a direct object of divine action, however painful.
Meaning a pit hole, especially one used as a cistern or a prison. This term evokes images of a deep, often inescapable cavity, frequently associated with death or imprisonment. It suggests a place of confinement, deprivation, and imminent demise, a grave-like existence.
Meaning darkness or, concretely, a dark place. Beyond the mere absence of light, this word signifies profound gloom, confusion, despair, and spiritual desolation. It represents a state devoid of comfort, hope, or divine presence, an all-encompassing envelopment in obscurity.
Verse Breakdown
"Thou hast laid me"
This opening clause is striking for its direct, accusatory tone. The psalmist does not merely feel that God has allowed his suffering or is distant from it; rather, he perceives God as the active agent, the one who has deliberately placed him in this terrible predicament. This raw, honest, and almost confrontational address to God is characteristic of lament psalms, where the sufferer grapples directly with God's sovereignty and justice in the face of inexplicable pain.
"in the lowest pit"
This phrase immediately establishes the extreme nature of the psalmist's condition. The "lowest pit" signifies a place of ultimate degradation, imprisonment, or proximity to death, often identified with Sheol, the realm of the dead. It conveys a sense of being utterly trapped and beyond rescue by human means, a profound descent into the abyss.
"in darkness"
This clause deepens the sense of desolation. Darkness here is not just the absence of light but a powerful metaphor for spiritual and emotional despair, confusion, and separation from life and joy. It implies a state of profound isolation, where hope, comfort, and divine illumination are entirely absent.
"in the deeps"
This final clause reinforces and intensifies the preceding imagery. "The deeps" echoes "darkness" and "lowest pit," creating a cumulative effect of utter hopelessness. It suggests being submerged, overwhelmed, and hidden away in a place of profound obscurity and peril, from which escape seems impossible, emphasizing a state of being utterly lost and unseen.
Literary Devices
Psalm 88:6 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey the psalmist's profound anguish. The most prominent is Metaphor, where "lowest pit," "darkness," and "deeps" are not literal geographical locations but powerful symbolic representations of the psalmist's spiritual, emotional, and physical state of utter despair, isolation, and proximity to death. The repetition of similar concepts ("darkness," "deeps") creates a powerful Parallelism and Emphasis, intensifying the feeling of being completely enveloped by suffering and highlighting the comprehensive nature of his affliction. The phrase "Thou hast laid me" uses Direct Address and a form of Hyperbole to express the psalmist's perception of God's direct, active role in his suffering. This is an expression of intense feeling rather than a detached theological statement about God's character. This direct accusation also borders on Anthropopathism, attributing human-like actions (laying someone down) and emotions (active placement into suffering) to God in the context of the psalmist's raw emotional experience.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Psalm 88:6 offers a profound theological insight into the nature of human suffering and divine sovereignty. It challenges simplistic notions of faith by demonstrating that profound despair, even a sense of being actively afflicted by God, is a valid and biblically acknowledged human experience. The psalmist's raw honesty validates the believer's right to lament and to bring their darkest emotions directly to God, trusting that He can bear the weight of such accusations. The verse underscores that suffering can plunge individuals into a state akin to death, where light, hope, and connection seem utterly absent, yet the very act of voicing this pain to God is an act of faith, however tenuous. It reminds us that God's presence is not always perceived as comforting or benevolent in the midst of extreme affliction, yet the dialogue with Him persists, a testament to the enduring, if strained, relationship.
Reflection and Application
Psalm 88:6 provides a vital biblical precedent for acknowledging and expressing the deepest forms of human suffering, including spiritual darkness and feelings of abandonment by God. In a world that often pressures believers to maintain a façade of constant joy or to quickly "get over" their pain, this psalm, and particularly this verse, grants permission for authentic lament. It teaches us that faith is not the absence of doubt or despair, but the courage to bring those very struggles before God. For those experiencing depression, chronic illness, grief, or spiritual desolation, Psalm 88:6 offers solidarity, affirming that their experience is not outside the scope of biblical reality. It reminds us that even when God feels distant or even hostile, the path to healing often begins with raw, honest articulation of our pain, trusting that God is big enough to hear and respond, even if the response is not immediate or what we expect. It encourages us to sit with the discomfort of unanswered questions and unalleviated suffering, knowing that such seasons are part of the human journey and can be expressed within the sacred space of prayer, fostering a deeper, more resilient faith.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is it truly God who "lays" people in the lowest pit, or is this just the psalmist's perception?
The psalmist's declaration "Thou hast laid me" reflects his intense, subjective experience and perception of his suffering. In biblical lament, it is common for sufferers to directly attribute their pain to God, not necessarily as a detached theological statement about God's ultimate character, but as an honest, visceral expression of their anguish and confusion. It's a cry of "Why, God?" or "You are doing this to me!" rather than a dispassionate theological analysis. This raw honesty is permitted and even encouraged in the Psalms, demonstrating that God is robust enough to handle our most difficult questions and accusations. It's a testament to the intimate, personal relationship the psalmist has with God, even in the midst of profound distress, recognizing God's ultimate sovereignty over all circumstances, even those that bring great pain.
Does this verse suggest that God causes all suffering?
No, this verse does not suggest that God is the direct cause of all suffering. Rather, it reflects the psalmist's deeply personal and anguished interpretation of his particular affliction. The Bible presents a complex view of suffering, attributing it to various sources: human sin, the fallen world, spiritual warfare, natural consequences, and sometimes, for mysterious divine purposes that are beyond human comprehension. While God is sovereign over all things, including suffering, the psalmist's cry is an expression of his immediate pain and perceived divine agency, not a comprehensive theological treatise on the origin of evil. It's a powerful example of how believers grapple with the problem of evil and suffering in their personal relationship with God, as seen in the extensive laments of the book of Job or the book of Lamentations.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Psalm 88:6 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The psalmist's cry of being "laid in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps" foreshadows the unparalleled suffering of the Son of God. Jesus, though innocent, was indeed "laid" low, not by His own sin, but by the Father's will for the salvation of humanity. His descent into the "lowest pit" was most acutely experienced on the cross, where He bore the full weight of human sin and the divine wrath against it. His agonizing cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" recorded in Matthew 27:46, echoes the psalmist's sense of divine abandonment, a darkness deeper than any human could experience, as the very fellowship of the Trinity was momentarily broken for our sake. Jesus truly entered the "deeps" of death and the grave, experiencing the full horror of separation from God, as described in Philippians 2:8, so that those who believe in Him might be lifted out of their own pits of despair and brought into His marvelous light. His voluntary humiliation and suffering, even to the point of death on a cross, means that He "tasted death for everyone" as stated in Hebrews 2:9, conquering the "pit" and "darkness" so that we might have eternal life and hope, even in our darkest moments.