CORPUS-PSALTERIUMVol. IV
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Corpus Psalterium · Vol. IV

Psalm LXXXVIII (88)

Cantillated — Unresolved Lament

Paul Whitehorn

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Psalm 88 in Hebrew and English, and the words as they are sung.

Heb 1

A Song. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Suffering of Affliction.” A contemplation by Heman, the Ezrahite.

שִׁ֥יר מִזְמ֗וֹר לִבְנֵ֫י קֹ֥רַח לַמְנַצֵּ֣חַ עַל־מָחֲלַ֣ת לְעַנּ֑וֹת מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל לְהֵימָ֥ן הָאֶזְרָחִֽי׃

1Heb 2

Yahweh, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.

יְ֭הוָה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יְשׁוּעָתִ֑י יוֹם־צָעַ֖קְתִּי בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֶגְדֶּֽךָ׃

2Heb 3

Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry.

תָּב֣וֹא לְ֭פָנֶיךָ תְּפִלָּתִ֑י הַטֵּֽה־אָ֝זְנְךָ֗ לְרִנָּתִֽי׃

3Heb 4

For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol.

כִּֽי־שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ׃

4Heb 5

I am counted among those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no help,

נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־אֱיָֽל׃

5Heb 6

set apart among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more. They are cut off from your hand.

בַּמֵּתִ֗ים חָ֫פְשִׁ֥י כְּמ֤וֹ חֲלָלִ֨ים ׀ שֹׁ֥כְבֵי קֶ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹ֣א זְכַרְתָּ֣ם ע֑וֹד וְ֝הֵ֗מָּה מִיָּדְךָ֥ נִגְזָֽרוּ׃

6Heb 7

You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת׃

7Heb 8

Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.

עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְכָל־מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃

8Heb 9

You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can’t escape.

הִרְחַ֥קְתָּ מְיֻדָּעַ֗י מִ֫מֶּ֥נִּי שַׁתַּ֣נִי תוֹעֵב֣וֹת לָ֑מוֹ כָּ֝לֻ֗א וְלֹ֣א אֵצֵֽא׃

9Heb 10

My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, Yahweh. I have spread out my hands to you.

עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־י֑וֹם שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי׃

10Heb 11

Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Selah.

הֲלַמֵּתִ֥ים תַּעֲשֶׂה־פֶּ֑לֶא אִם־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים יָק֤וּמוּ ׀ יוֹד֬וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃

11Heb 12

Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction?

הַיְסֻפַּ֣ר בַּקֶּ֣בֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ אֱ֝מֽוּנָתְךָ֗ בָּאֲבַדּֽוֹן׃

12Heb 13

Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה׃

13Heb 14

But to you, Yahweh, I have cried. In the morning, my prayer comes before you.

וַאֲנִ֤י ׀ אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה שִׁוַּ֑עְתִּי וּ֝בַבֹּ֗קֶר תְּֽפִלָּתִ֥י תְקַדְּמֶֽךָּ׃

14Heb 15

Yahweh, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?

לָמָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה תִּזְנַ֣ח נַפְשִׁ֑י תַּסְתִּ֖יר פָּנֶ֣יךָ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃

15Heb 16

I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted.

עָ֘נִ֤י אֲנִ֣י וְגֹוֵ֣עַ מִנֹּ֑עַר נָשָׂ֖אתִי אֵמֶ֣יךָ אָפֽוּנָה׃

16Heb 17

Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off.

עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי׃

17Heb 18

They came around me like water all day long. They completely engulfed me.

סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־הַיּ֑וֹם הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד׃

18Heb 19

You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.

הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י מַחְשָֽׁךְ׃

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. English: World English Bible (public domain). Verse numbers follow the English Bible; the Hebrew numbering is shown beneath where it differs.

O LORD

God of my salvation

By day I cry

At night before You

Let my prayer

come before You

Incline Your ear

My soul is filled

with troubles

My life draws near

to Sheol

Counted with those

going down

Like a man

without strength

Among the dead

I am released

Like the slain

in the grave

Whom You remember

no more

Cut off

In the pit

in the depths

In the dark

far below

Your wrath

rests on me

All Your waves

have pressed me down

You have put me far

from my companions

You have made me

a horror to them

Shut in

I cannot go out

My eye

fades in affliction

Every day

I call to You

I spread out

my hands

Do You work wonders

for the dead

Do the departed

rise and praise

In the grave

is Your love told

In the dark

is Your truth known

In the pit

are Your wonders

In the land

forgotten

Are Your wonders

known in darkness

Your righteousness

in the land forgotten

But I

cry to You LORD

At morning

my prayer comes before You

Why LORD

do You reject me

Why hide

Your face from me

Afflicted

from my youth

I suffer

Your wrath

has passed over me

Your terrors

have cut me off

They surround me

like waters

They close in

all around

In the darkness

all around

No escape

no relief

You have taken

all I know

Darkness

alone remains

Darkness

alone remains

Darkness

my end

Lyrics by Paul Whitehorn: a singable English rendering of the Hebrew, as sung on this recording.

Corpus Psalterium sets each psalm to music by its Hebrew grammar. Didactic psalms teach; Cantillated psalms are spoken, sung or performed before God. Hear all 150 psalms free.

About these songs. They are a summary and a commentary on the Psalms, not a word-for-word translation. Read what these songs are →

What These Songs Are, and What They Are Not

These songs are not a word-for-word translation of the Psalms. They were never meant to be. Nor do they try to capture every idea in every psalm. In a song, that would be impossible.

What we have done is capture the essence of each psalm: what matters most in it. Think of each song as a summary. Think of it as a cheat sheet. The purpose of the psalm is still being met. God's word to mankind is still being heard.

Behind many of these lines is word research: deep study of the meaning of the Hebrew. So where a line sounds different from your translation, and you think it is wrong, study it. We believe you will find that the essence of what we sing is true.

The truth is that no one can set the Psalms to music without also becoming a commentator. That is what this is. It is a modern commentary on the Psalms: not only the Psalms themselves, and not only the Psalms being sung. So do not think that every word of the psalm is here. It is not. Read the psalm itself, in full.

Why do this at all? Because we believe God intended humanity to be surrounded by His word. This was always the entertainment He wanted us to have: not hours of television, not a day lost in a phone looking at nonsense. The blessed man of Psalm 1 meditates on God's word day and night. How can we meditate on His word if we do not surround ourselves with it?

As ministers, our first responsibility is to share God's word with people. That is what these songs are for.

Paul Whitehorn