TRV
Translation
King James Version
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Complete Jewish Bible
You have made friends and companions shun me; the people I know are hidden from me.
Berean Standard Bible
You have removed my beloved and my friend; darkness is my closest companion.
American Standard Version
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, And mine acquaintance into darkness.
World English Bible Messianic
You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.
Geneva Bible (1599)
My louers and friends hast thou put away from me, and mine acquaintance hid themselues.
Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast put far from me lover and friend, Mine acquaintance is the place of darkness!
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 88 verses 10–18
10 ¶ Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
In these verses,
I. The psalmist expostulates with God concerning the present deplorable condition he was in (Psa 88:10-12): "Wilt thou do a miraculous work to the dead, and raise them to life again? Shall those that are dead and buried rise up to praise thee? No; they leave it to their children to rise up in their room to praise God; none expects that they should do it; and wherefore should they rise, wherefore should they live, but to praise God? The life we are born to at first, and the life we hope to rise to at last, must thus be spent. But shall thy lovingkindness to thy people be declared in the grave, either by those or to those that lie buried there? And thy faithfulness to thy promise, shall that be told in destruction? shall thy wonders be wrought in the dark, or known there, and thy righteousness in the grave, which is the land of forgetfulness, where men remember nothing, nor are themselves remembered? Departed souls may indeed know God's wonders and declare his faithfulness, justice, and lovingkindness; but deceased bodies cannot; they can neither receive God's favours in comfort nor return them in praise." Now we will not suppose these expostulations to be the language of despair, as if he thought God could not help him or would not, much less do they imply any disbelief of the resurrection of the dead at the last day; but he thus pleads with God for speedy relief: "Lord, thou art good, thou art faithful, thou art righteous; these attributes of thine will be made known in my deliverance, but, if it be not hastened, it will come too late; for I shall be dead and past relief, dead and not capable of receiving any comfort, very shortly." Job often pleaded thus, Job 7:8; Job 10:21.
II. He resolves to continue instant in prayer, and the more so because the deliverance was deferred (Psa 88:13): "Unto thee have I cried many a time, and found comfort in so doing, and therefore I will continue to do so; in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee." Note, Though our prayers be not answered immediately, yet we must not therefore give over praying, because the vision is for an appointed time, and at the end it shall speak and not lie. God delays the answer in order that he may try our patience and perseverance in prayer. He resolves to seek God early, in the morning, when his spirits were lively, and before the business of the day began to crowd in - in the morning, after he had been tossed with cares, and sorrowful thoughts in the silence and solitude of the night; but how could he say, My prayer shall prevent thee? Not as if he could wake sooner to pray than God to hear and answer; for he neither slumbers nor sleeps; but it intimates that he would be up earlier than ordinary to pray, would prevent (that is, go before) his usual hour of prayer. The greater our afflictions are the more solicitous and serious we should be in prayer. "My prayer shall present itself before thee, and be betimes with thee, and shall not stay for the encouragement of the beginning of mercy, but reach towards it with faith and expectation even before the day dawns." God often prevents our prayers and expectations with his mercies; let us prevent his mercies with our prayers and expectations.
III. He sets down what he will say to God in prayer. 1. He will humbly reason with God concerning the abject afflicted condition he was now in (Psa 88:14): "Lord, why castest thou off my soul? What is it that provokes thee to treat me as one abandoned? Show me wherefore thou contendest with me." He speaks it with wonder that God should cast off an old servant, should cast off one that was resolved not to cast him off: "No wonder men cast me off; but, Lord, why dost thou, whose gifts and callings are without repentance? Why hidest thou thy face, as one angry at me, that either hast no favour for me or wilt not let me know that thou hast?" Nothing grieves a child of God so much as God's hiding his face from him, nor is there any thing he so much dreads as God's casting off his soul. If the sun be clouded, that darkens the earth; but if the sun should abandon the earth, and quite cast it off, what a dungeon would it be! 2. He will humbly repeat the same complaints he had before made, until God have mercy on him. Two things he represents to God as his grievances: - (1.) That God was a terror to him: I suffer thy terrors, Psa 88:15. He had continual frightful apprehensions of the wrath of God against him for his sins and the consequences of that wrath. It terrified him to think of God, of falling into his hands and appearing before him to receive his doom from him. He perspired and trembled at the apprehension of God's displeasure against him, and the terror of his majesty. Note, Even those that are designed for God's favours may yet, for a time, suffer his terrors. The spirit of adoption is first a spirit of bondage to fear. Poor Job complained of the terrors of God setting themselves in array against him, Job 6:4. The psalmist here explains himself, and tells us what he means by God's terrors, even his fierce wrath. Let us see what dreadful impressions those terrors made upon him, and how deeply they wounded him. [1.] They had almost taken away his life: "I am so afflicted with them that I am ready to die, and" (as the word is) "to give up the ghost. Thy terrors have cut me off," Psa 88:16. What is hell, that eternal excision, by which damned sinners are for ever cut off from God and all happiness, but God's terrors fastening and preying upon their guilty consciences? [2.] They had almost taken away the use of his reason: When I suffer thy terrors I am distracted. This sad effect the terrors of the Lord have had upon many, and upon some good men, who have thereby been put quite out of the possession of their own souls, a most piteous case, and which ought to be looked upon with great compassion. [3.] This had continued long: From my youth up I suffer thy terrors. He had been from his childhood afflicted with melancholy, and trained up in sorrow under the discipline of that school. If we begin our days with trouble, and the days of our mourning have been prolonged a great while, let us not think it strange, but let tribulation work patience. It is observable the Heman, who became eminently wise and good, was afflicted and ready to die, and suffered God's terrors, from his youth up. Thus many have found it was good for them to bear the yoke in their youth, that sorrow has been much better for them than laughter would have been, and that being much afflicted, and often ready to die, when they were young, they have, by the grace of God, got such an habitual seriousness and weanedness from the world as have been of great use to them all their days. Sometimes those whom God designs for eminent services are prepared for them by exercises of this kind. [4.] His affliction was now extreme, and worse than ever. God's terrors now came round about him, so that from all sides he was assaulted with variety of troubles, and he had no comfortable gale from any point of the compass. They broke in upon him together like an inundation of water; and this daily, and all the day; so that he had no rest, no respite, not the lest breathing-time, no lucid intervals, nor any gleam of hope. Such was the calamitous state of a very wise and good man; he was so surrounded with terrors that he could find no place of shelter, nor lie any where under the wind. (2.) That no friend he had in the world was a comfort to him (Psa 88:18): Lover and friend hast thou put far from me; some are dead, others at a distance, and perhaps many unkind. Next to the comforts of religion are those of friendship and society; therefore to be friendless is (as to this life) almost to be comfortless; and to those who have had friends, but have lost them, the calamity is the more grievous. With this the psalmist here closes his complaint, as if this were that which completed his woe and gave the finishing stroke to the melancholy piece. If our friends are put far from us by scattering providences, nay, if by death our acquaintance are removed into darkness, we have reason to look upon it as a sore affliction, but must acknowledge and submit to the hand of God in it.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 10–18. Public domain.
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Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 88
For this purpose he briefly sketches in what follows the troubles of Christ's body. For it is not in the Head alone that they took place, since it is said to Saul too, "Why do you persecute Me?" [Acts 9:4] and Paul himself, as if placed as an elect member in the same body, says, "That I may fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh." [Colossians 1:24] "Why then, Lord, have You cast off my soul? Why hidest Thou Your face from me?"
"I am poor, and in toils from my youth up: and when lifted up, I was thrown down, and troubled" [Psalm 88:15].
"Your wraths went over me: Your terrors disturbed me" [Psalm 88:16].
"They came round about me all day like water: they compassed me about together" [Psalm 88:17].
"A friend You have put far from me: and mine acquaintance from my misery" [Psalm 88:18]. All these evils have taken place, and are happening in the limbs of Christ's body, and God turns away His face from their prayers, by not hearing as to what they wish for, since they know not that the fulfilment of their wishes would not be good for them. The Church is "poor," as she hungers and thirsts in her wanderings for that food with which she shall be filled in her own country: she is "in toils from her youth up," as the very Body of Christ says in another Psalm, "Many a time have they overcome me from my youth." And for this reason some of her members are lifted up even in this world, that in them may be the greater lowliness. Over that Body, which constitutes the unity of the Saints and the faithful, whose Head is Christ, go the wraths of God: yet abide not: since it is of the unbelieving only that it is written, that "the wrath of God abides upon him." [John 3:36] The terrors of God disturb the weakness of the faithful, because all that can happen, even though it actually happen not, it is prudent to fear; and sometimes these terrors so agitate the reflecting soul with the evils impending around, that they seem to flow around us on every side like water, and to encircle us in our fears. And as the Church while on pilgrimage is never free from these evils, happening as they do at one moment in one of her limbs, at another in another, he adds, "all day," signifying the continuation in time, to the end of this world. Often too, friends and acquaintances, their worldly interests at stake, in their terror forsake the Saints; of which says the Apostle, "all men forsook me: may it not be laid to their charge." [2 Timothy 4:16] But to what purpose is all this, but that early in the morning, that is, after the night of unbelief, the prayers of this holy Body may in the light of faith prevent God, until the coming of that salvation, which we are at present saved by hoping for, not by having, while we await it with patience and faithfulness. Then the Lord will not repel our prayers, as there will no longer be anything to be sought for, but everything that has been rightly asked, will be obtained: nor will He turn His face away from us, since we shall see Him as He is: [1 John 3:2] nor shall we be poor, because God will be our abundance, all in all: [1 Corinthians 15:28] nor shall we suffer, as there will be no more weakness: nor after exaltation shall we meet with humiliation and confusion, as there will be no adversity there: nor bear even the transient wrath of God, as we shall abide in His abiding love: nor will His terrors agitate us, because His promises realized will bless us: nor will our friend and acquaintance, being terrified, be far from us, where there will be no foe to dread.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 88:18 serves as the stark and unyielding conclusion to one of the Psalter's most profound laments, encapsulating the psalmist Heman's ultimate cry of despair. This verse expresses a complete and utter sense of isolation and abandonment, which he attributes directly to God's actions, portraying a world devoid of human connection and plunged into spiritual darkness, uniquely lacking the typical hopeful resolution found in other psalms of lament.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalm 88:18 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound despair. The psalmist's claim that all "lover and friend" and "acquaintance" have been put far away or into darkness is a powerful use of Hyperbole, emphasizing the totality and overwhelming nature of his isolation rather than a literal count. The phrase "into darkness" functions as a potent Metaphor for a state of utter hopelessness, despair, and a living death, evoking the imagery of Sheol or the grave. There is also a subtle use of Personification where "darkness" is treated as a place or state into which people can be sent, further emphasizing its oppressive and all-encompassing nature. The entire psalm, culminating in this verse, is a quintessential example of Lament, a genre characterized by raw, honest expression of suffering and complaint to God, often without the typical resolution or praise found in other psalms, making its conclusion particularly impactful.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 88:18 stands as a profound theological statement on the depths of human suffering and the perplexing experience of divine silence or perceived abandonment. It validates the raw honesty of lament, demonstrating that even in the most profound anguish, believers can cry out to God with their true feelings, even when those feelings involve blaming God for their plight. This psalm challenges simplistic notions of faith, affirming that genuine faith can coexist with deep despair and a sense of being utterly forsaken. It reminds us that God is big enough to handle our darkest questions and accusations, and that His presence is not always felt as comfort, but sometimes as an overwhelming absence or even as the perceived source of our pain, pushing us to wrestle authentically with the mysteries of His sovereignty and our suffering.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 88:18 offers a profound validation for the human experience of profound despair, isolation, and feeling utterly abandoned, even by God. In a world that often pressures individuals to maintain a facade of strength or constant optimism, this verse grants permission for honest lament. It assures us that the Bible does not shy away from expressing the deepest human suffering, and that our darkest emotions, our feelings of being cut off from all support, are known to God and can be brought before Him without pretense. This psalm serves as a powerful reminder to cultivate empathy for those experiencing extreme isolation, depression, or a sense of being cut off from all support, urging us to minister to those in deep spiritual and emotional "darkness" with compassion and understanding, recognizing that their experience, however bleak, is acknowledged within the sacred text. It challenges us to sit with those who suffer without offering trite answers, but rather by simply acknowledging their pain as real and valid in the eyes of God.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Psalm 88 end without a hopeful resolution, unlike most other laments?
Answer: Psalm 88 is unique in the Psalter precisely because it offers no turn towards hope, no vow of praise, and no expression of renewed trust in God at its conclusion. This serves several crucial purposes. Firstly, it validates the reality of unmitigated suffering and despair, acknowledging that not all suffering has an immediate, comforting resolution. It gives voice to those who feel utterly forsaken, providing a biblical precedent for expressing raw, unadulterated pain to God. Secondly, its starkness emphasizes the depth of the psalmist's anguish, making it a powerful testament to the human condition at its lowest ebb. It stands as a theological anomaly that forces readers to grapple with the mystery of suffering and divine silence, preventing simplistic answers to complex pain. It shows that even in the darkest valleys, the conversation with God, however desperate, continues, and that the biblical text provides space for such profound and unresolved grief, which can be a source of comfort for those experiencing similar feelings.
Is it acceptable to "blame" God for suffering, as the psalmist seems to do in this verse?
Answer: The psalmist's direct accusation, "hast thou put far from me," reflects a profound and honest expression of his perceived reality within a covenant relationship. While it might seem to "blame" God, it is more accurately understood as a raw, unfiltered cry from the depths of anguish. In ancient Israelite thought, God was seen as sovereign over all things, including both blessings and curses, as outlined in Deuteronomy 28. Therefore, when suffering occurred, it was natural to attribute it, at some level, to God's action or permission. The Bible, particularly in the Psalms and the book of Job, often portrays individuals wrestling honestly and even aggressively with God about their suffering. This demonstrates that God is big enough to handle our anger, our confusion, and our accusations. It encourages an authentic relationship with God where all emotions, even the most challenging, can be expressed, rather than suppressed. It's a testament to the intimacy of the covenant that such direct address is permitted and preserved in Scripture, validating the full spectrum of human experience before a sovereign God.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 88:18, with its raw depiction of utter isolation and perceived divine abandonment, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Heman's cry, "Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, [and] mine acquaintance into darkness," echoes with chilling resonance in the agony of Gethsemane and, most strikingly, on the cross. There, Jesus, the Son of God, truly became "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). As He bore the sin of the world, He experienced a unique and unparalleled separation from His Father, crying out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). This was not merely the loss of human companionship, though His disciples had abandoned Him and fled (Matthew 26:56), but a cosmic, spiritual darkness where the Father "put far from" Him the beloved Son as He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus entered into the very "darkness" of sin and death, experiencing the ultimate isolation and divine judgment so that those who believe in Him might never be truly forsaken or cast into eternal darkness. His solidarity with Heman's lament transforms it from a cry of despair into a testimony of God's deepest empathy and redemptive power, assuring us that our High Priest can sympathize with our weaknesses, having been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Through His suffering, He conquered the darkness, offering light and eternal connection to all who trust in Him.