Tyndale Open Study NotesPsalms 88

In this lament, the psalmist sees himself as cast out from God’s presence. At first, he calls on the Lord. When he finds no relief from his suffering, he presents three charges against God (Psalm 88:6–7, 8–12, 13–17).

The psalmist calls on the Lord for salvation.

• A Maskil: This may be a literary or musical term.

• Heman the Ezrahite: Heman might have been:

  • a wise person from the time of King Solomon (1 Kings 4:31),

  • a descendant of Judah (1 Chronicles 2:6), or

  • a member of the Levite family responsible for singing at the temple (1 Chronicles 15:17; 2 Chronicles 5:12).

• In his first complaint, the psalmist blames the Lord for his suffering. God’s overwhelming anger does not make sense to him.

• The phrase the darkest of the depths might refer to:

  • the place of the dead (Psalm 143:3; see Lamentations 3:6), or

  • the deep sea (Psalms 68:22; 69:1–2).

In his second charge, the psalmist claims that God has isolated him and caused his loneliness (compare Psalms 31:11; 38:11). In that culture, loneliness was a curse because relationships mattered more than personal success.

In his third charge, the psalmist accuses the Lord of rejecting him. The force and apparent cruelty of the psalmist’s suffering overwhelm him.

The psalmist restates his second and first charges.