Psalms 88:7

KJV

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah.

KJV (with Strong's)

Thy wrath {H2534} lieth hard {H5564}{H8804)} upon me, and thou hast afflicted {H6031}{H8765)} me with all thy waves {H4867}. Selah {H5542}.

Complete Jewish Bible

Your wrath lies heavily on me; your waves crashing over me keep me down. (Selah)

Berean Standard Bible

Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah

American Standard Version

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. [Selah

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Psalm 88:7 is a profound and intensely dark lament, articulating the psalmist's overwhelming sense of being crushed by divine wrath and affliction. This verse encapsulates the unique despair of Psalm 88, which stands out in the Psalter for its sustained portrayal of suffering without a traditional turn towards hope or deliverance, presenting a raw and unvarnished cry of a soul feeling abandoned and besieged by God's hand.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Psalm 88 is uniquely positioned within Book Three of the Psalter (Psalms 73-89), a collection often characterized by national crisis, questions of divine justice, and profound lament. Attributed to Heman the Ezrahite, a Levite musician (as noted in [1 Chronicles 6:33](/1_chronicles/6-33 "1 Chronicles 6:33 - Heman the Singer")), this psalm is distinct for its unremitting tone of despair. Unlike most lament psalms, which typically move from complaint to a declaration of trust or praise, Psalm 88 ends in unbroken gloom, with the psalmist's "darkness" remaining his only companion. This sustained sorrow amplifies the weight of verses like Psalm 88:7, where the affliction is directly attributed to God, making it one of the Bible's most challenging and honest expressions of spiritual anguish.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** While the specific historical circumstances of Heman are not detailed, the psalm reflects a profound personal crisis, possibly involving severe illness, social ostracism, or a deep spiritual struggle that felt like divine abandonment. In ancient Israel, suffering was often interpreted through a lens of divine causality, where affliction could be seen as a direct consequence of sin or, more broadly, as a manifestation of God's sovereign will. The psalmist's raw accusation, "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me," aligns with this worldview, expressing an honest, albeit agonizing, wrestling with God's perceived role in his suffering. This cultural understanding allowed for direct, even confrontational, lament within prayer, viewing God as the ultimate source of all circumstances, good or ill.

* **Key Themes:** Psalm 88:7 contributes significantly to several overarching themes within the psalm and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it powerfully conveys the theme of **overwhelming affliction**, depicting a soul submerged and crushed by relentless suffering, feeling as though God Himself is the source of their pain. Secondly, it grapples with the paradox of **divine wrath and sovereignty**, where the psalmist directly attributes his suffering to God's hand, acknowledging God's ultimate control even over his deepest anguish. This challenges simplistic understandings of faith, affirming God's sovereignty even in the face of inexplicable suffering. The **metaphor of waves** is a potent biblical image for overwhelming distress or judgment, echoing similar expressions of being engulfed by trouble found in passages such as [Jonah 2:3](/jonah/2-3 "Jonah's Prayer from the Fish's Belly") and [Psalm 42:7](/psalms/42-7 "Psalm 42:7 - Deep Calls to Deep"). Finally, the verse exemplifies the theme of **raw honesty in prayer**, demonstrating that the biblical tradition not only permits but encourages the expression of the deepest, most agonizing feelings to God, even when those feelings are despair, confusion, or a sense of divine abandonment.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Wrath (Hebrew, _charon'_):** This word (חָרוֹן) denotes a burning, intense anger or indignation. It implies a fierce, consuming heat, often associated with divine displeasure or judgment. In this context, it underscores the psalmist's perception that God's anger is not merely passive but actively pressing down upon him, causing immense suffering.
* **Lieth hard upon me (Hebrew, _samakh'_):** The verb (סָמַךְ) means "to lean upon," "to support," or "to lay a burden upon." The Qal perfect form here emphasizes a completed action with ongoing oppressive effect. It vividly conveys the image of a crushing weight, a heavy burden that is actively and relentlessly pressing down on the psalmist, making escape impossible. This is not a fleeting touch but a sustained, oppressive force.
* **Waves (Hebrew, _mishbarim'_):** This term (מִשְׁבָּרִים) literally refers to "breakers" or "billows"—the powerful, crashing waves of the sea. It is a common biblical metaphor for overwhelming distress, calamity, or judgment, suggesting a relentless succession of blows that threaten to drown or engulf the one experiencing them. The plural "all thy waves" emphasizes the totality and relentless nature of the affliction, coming directly from God.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Thy wrath lieth hard upon me":** This clause directly attributes the psalmist's profound suffering to God's active wrath. The imagery of wrath "lying hard" upon him conveys an oppressive, inescapable weight, suggesting that the divine displeasure is not merely a distant concept but a tangible, crushing force experienced personally and acutely. It highlights the psalmist's conviction that his anguish is directly orchestrated or permitted by God.
* **"and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves":** Building on the previous clause, this phrase reinforces the direct divine agency in the psalmist's suffering. The metaphor of "waves" powerfully communicates a sense of being overwhelmed, submerged, and relentlessly battered by successive blows of trouble. The addition of "all thy waves" emphasizes the comprehensive and inescapable nature of this affliction, portraying it as a flood of divine judgment or distress from which there is no respite.
* **"Selah.":** This liturgical or musical notation, appearing frequently in the Psalms, serves as an instruction to pause, reflect, or perhaps for a musical interlude. In the context of Psalm 88:7, "Selah" compels the reader or worshiper to linger on the profound and disturbing truth expressed—the direct experience of divine wrath and overwhelming affliction—allowing its full weight and despair to sink in before proceeding.

#### Literary Devices
Psalm 88:7 is rich in literary devices that amplify its message of despair. The most prominent is **Metaphor**, specifically the imagery of "waves" to represent overwhelming affliction and divine judgment. This vivid comparison evokes a sense of being drowned or ceaselessly battered by powerful forces, emphasizing the psalmist's feeling of being submerged and helpless. **Personification** is also evident in "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me," where wrath is given the human-like ability to "lie hard" or press down, making the divine displeasure feel like a tangible, oppressive entity. The language also employs **Hyperbole** to convey the extremity of the psalmist's suffering, suggesting a totality of affliction ("all thy waves") that borders on the unbearable. Finally, as a core component of a lament psalm, the verse functions as a direct **Complaint** or accusation to God, a raw and unvarnished expression of suffering and perceived divine abandonment.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalm 88:7 presents a challenging but vital theological truth: God's sovereignty extends even to the deepest realms of human suffering, and sometimes, that suffering is perceived as directly from His hand. This verse forces us to grapple with the mystery of divine affliction, reminding us that faith does not always provide easy answers or immediate relief from pain. It validates the experience of feeling abandoned by God, even when one is righteous, and affirms that such raw, honest lament is a legitimate form of prayer. The psalmist's direct accusation, "Thy wrath," speaks to a profound theological understanding that God is ultimately in control of all circumstances, even the most painful, and that He is robust enough to receive our darkest emotions and questions. This psalm, therefore, serves as a crucial counter-narrative to any theology that suggests faith always leads to prosperity or immediate deliverance from suffering.

* [Jonah 2:3](/jonah/2-3 "Jonah 2:3 - Jonah's Prayer in the Fish's Belly")
* [Psalm 42:7](/psalms/42-7 "Psalm 42:7 - Deep Calls to Deep")
* [Lamentations 3:1-20](/lamentations/3 "Lamentations 3 - A Personal Lament of Suffering")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalm 88:7 offers a profound pastoral gift: it grants permission to lament with unvarnished honesty, even when our pain feels like divine abandonment. In a world that often pressures believers to maintain a facade of strength or perpetual joy, this verse reminds us that God is big enough to handle our deepest sorrows, our most agonizing questions, and even our accusations. It validates the experience of profound spiritual darkness and emotional despair, assuring us that such feelings do not disqualify us from God's presence or care. For those walking through seasons of inexplicable suffering, where God feels distant or even hostile, Psalm 88:7 provides a voice, a script for prayer that acknowledges the raw, often unbearable reality of their pain without offering simplistic solutions. It invites us to bring our whole selves, brokenness and all, into the presence of a God who understands and can bear the weight of our despair.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does Psalm 88:7 challenge your preconceived notions about how believers should express suffering or interact with God during times of deep pain?**
* **In what ways might the psalmist's raw honesty in attributing his suffering directly to God be an act of profound, albeit painful, faith?**
* **How can this verse provide comfort or solidarity to those experiencing profound spiritual or emotional darkness, where God feels absent or even hostile?**

### FAQ
**Why is Psalm 88 so unique among the Psalms?**

Answer: Psalm 88 stands out because, unlike most lament psalms, it does not conclude with a traditional turn to hope, praise, or a declaration of trust in God's deliverance. It begins in despair and ends in unbroken gloom, with the psalmist's "darkness" (as in [Psalm 88:18](/psalms/88-18 "Psalm 88:18 - Darkness My Only Companion")) remaining his only companion. This makes it one of the Bible's most raw and unvarnished expressions of human suffering and perceived divine abandonment, offering no easy resolution but validating the reality of profound and sustained anguish.

**Does "Thy wrath" in Psalm 88:7 imply that the psalmist is being punished for a specific sin?**

Answer: While suffering in the Old Testament was often linked to sin (as seen in passages like [Deuteronomy 28](/deuteronomy/28 "Deuteronomy 28 - Blessings and Curses")), Psalm 88 does not explicitly state a reason for the psalmist's suffering or confess a specific sin. The psalmist attributes his affliction directly to God's wrath, reflecting a theological understanding of divine sovereignty over all circumstances, including pain. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's a direct punitive action for a specific transgression. Sometimes, suffering is a mystery, a part of the human condition in a fallen world, or even a pathway for God's purposes that are not immediately clear to the one enduring it. The psalmist's focus is on the *experience* of divine wrath, not necessarily its *cause*.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalm 88:7, with its profound cry of feeling crushed by divine wrath and overwhelmed by God's waves of affliction, finds its ultimate and most poignant fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While Heman's lament speaks of personal suffering, Jesus, on the cross, bore the full weight of God's wrath against the sin of humanity. The darkness that fell over the land from the sixth to the ninth hour ([Matthew 27:45](/matthew/27-45 "Matthew 27:45 - Darkness at the Crucifixion")) mirrored the spiritual darkness and divine abandonment that Jesus experienced. His agonizing cry, `"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"` ([Matthew 27:46](/matthew/27-46 "Matthew 27:46 - Jesus' Cry of Dereliction"); [Mark 15:34](/mark/15-34 "Mark 15:34 - Jesus Cries Out")), echoes the psalmist's feeling of being cast off. On the cross, Jesus became sin for us, enduring the "waves" of divine judgment and the crushing weight of God's holy anger, so that we might be reconciled to God and delivered from wrath ([Romans 5:9](/romans/5-9 "Romans 5:9 - Justified by His Blood"); [1 Thessalonians 1:10](/1_thessalonians/1-10 "1 Thessalonians 1:10 - Delivered from Wrath")). Thus, the despair of Psalm 88, particularly verse 7, foreshadows the ultimate suffering of the Lamb of God, who fully identified with humanity's deepest anguish, even to the point of feeling the Father's abandonment, in order to secure our salvation. He is the one who truly experienced the "Selah" of God's wrath, allowing its full weight to fall upon Him for our redemption.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 42:7

Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.

Job 6:4

For the arrows of the Almighty [are] within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.

Romans 2:5

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Romans 2:9

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

1 Peter 2:24

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Psalms 38:1

¶ A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

Revelation 6:16

And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: