Psalms 88:9

THE CRY REPEATED; HELP! BEFORE TOO LATE

"I have called daily upon thee, O Jehovah;

I have spread forth my hands unto thee.

Wilt thou show wonders to the dead?

Shall they that are deceased arise and praise thee?

(Selah)

Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or thy faithfulness in Destruction?

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark?

And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?"

The string of questions here are presumed by the psalmist to call for negative answers; and the thought seems to be, "Hurry up and help me, God, before it is too late."

Again, in this section, the gathering darkness of approaching death dominates it. Note the additional synonyms for death: "the dead" (Psalms 88:10); "the deceased" (Psalms 88:10); "the grave" (Psalms 88:11); "Destruction" (Psalms 88:1); "the dark" (Psalms 88:12); "the land of forgetfulness" (Psalms 88:12). " Destruction" is translated "Abaddon" in some versions.

We agree that hardly anything could be more sad than this psalm. One's heart instinctively goes out to a fellow-human sufferer who seems to have no hope whatever of recovery.