Psalm 88:6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 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, 1 Chron. 2:4, 6. There were two others famed for wisdom, 1 Kgs. 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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 88:6

Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit ,.... The Targum interprets it of "captivity which was like unto the lowest pit;' and so Jarchi and Kimchi. Some understand it of a prison or dungeon, into which the psalmist was put; it may be interpreted of the pit of the grave, into which Christ was laid; though he continued in it not so long as to see corruption; from that prison and judgment he was quickly taken, Psalm 16:10 , "in darkness"; both corporeal and spiritual, Matthew 27:45 , and it... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 88:6

Verse 6 6Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit. The Psalmist now acknowledges more distinctly, that whatever adversities he endured proceeded from the Divine hand. Nor indeed will any man sincerely betake himself to God to seek relief without a previous persuasion that it is the Divine hand which smites him, and that nothing happens by chance. It is observable that the nearer the prophet approaches God the more is his grief embittered; for nothing is more dreadful to the saints than the judgment... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 88:1-18

Metrically, the psalm is almost without divisions—"a slow, unbroken wail," expressive of "the monotony of woe." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 88:1-18

The saddest psalm in the Psalter. For in well nigh all others, though there may be darkness of soul, a very night of darkness, yet we see the light arise; though we see "weeping endure for the night," yet we see also that "joy cometh in the morning." But in this psalm we do not see such coming of joy. The believer who wrote it was one who was called to "walk in darkness, and bad no light." But he is holding on; he prays, and perseveres in prayer; he recognizes the hand of God in his... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 88:1-18

Light in the darkness. This is the darkest, saddest psalm of all the Psalms. I. A PICTURE OF THE MOST DESPAIRING MISERY . Scarcely possible to think that such unalleviated misery ever existed. 1 . Utter physical and mental weakness and prostration. (Verse 6.) As good as dead. 2 . Utterly forsaken of all his friends. (Verses 8, 18.) And God had put them from him. 3 . Cast off from God, by reason of is wrath. (Verses 7, 14, 15, 16.) He is abandoned utterly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 88:6

Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit. The affliction whereof the psalmist complains has come direct from the hand of Cod. It is some severe stroke of illness which has brought him to his last gasp. The "lowest pit" is here metaphorical—the deepest depth of calamity. In darkness; literally, in darknesses , where no ray of thy favour shines upon me. In the deeps (comp. Psalms 69:2 , "deep waters, where the floods overflow him"). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 88:6

Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit - That is, I am as if I were thus laid; the deep grave seems now to lie so certainly before me, that it may be spoken of as if it were already my abode. The words rendered “lowest pit” mean literally the pit under, or beneath. The reference is to the sepulchre, as in Psalms 88:4.In darkness - The dark grave; the realms of the dead. See the notes at Job 10:21-22.In the deeps - The caverns; the deep places of the earth or the sea. All these expressions are... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 88:6-7

Psalms 88:6-7. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, &c. In hopeless and remediless calamities. Thus greatly may good men be afflicted, and 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. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me The sense of thy wrath, or rather, the effects of it, as the next clause explains it. Thou hast... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 88:1-18

Psalms 88:0 Darkness and despairOvercome with trials and seeing no way out of the situation, the writer prays desperately to God (1-2). He sees himself as being close to death, with no way of being rescued (3-5). He feels as if he has been left to die by both God and friends (6-8). He wants to experience God’s saving power now, while he is still alive, for it will be too late when he is dead (9-12).Looking back, the writer sees that all his life he has had nothing but suffering, yet God still... read more

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