Psalms 88:7
Psalms 88:7 in Multiple Translations
Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. [Selah
The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah.)
Your hostility crushes me; you are drowning me under your crashing waves. Selah.
Thine indignation lyeth vpon me, and thou hast vexed me with all thy waues. Selah.
Upon me hath Thy fury lain, And [with] all Thy breakers Thou hast afflicted. Selah.
Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
For who in the clouds can be compared to the Lord: or who among the sons of God shall be like to God?
It seems like you are very angry with me, and it is as though you have crushed me like ocean waves crash down on people [MET]. (Think about that!)
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 88:7
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 88:7 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
שַׁ֭תַּ/נִי
בְּ/ב֣וֹר
תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת
בְּ֝/מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים
בִּ/מְצֹלֽוֹת
שַׁ֭תַּ/נִי
shîyth
H7896
to set
V-Qal-Perf-2ms | Suff
בְּ/ב֣וֹר
bôwr
H953
pit
Prep | N-ms
תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת
tachtîy
H8482
lower
Adj
בְּ֝/מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים
machshâk
H4285
darkness
Prep | N-mp
בִּ/מְצֹלֽוֹת
mᵉtsôwlâh
H4688
depth
Prep | N-fp
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 88:7
שַׁ֭תַּ/נִי
shîyth
H7896
"to set"
V-Qal-Perf-2ms | Suff
This Hebrew word means to place or set something, and it's used in many different ways, like appointing someone to a job or setting your mind to do something. It appears in books like Genesis and Exodus. It can also mean to lay hands on someone or make something happen.
Definition: : make/establish 1) to put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to put, lay (hand upon) 1a2) to set, station, appoint, fix, set mind to 1a3) to constitute, make (one something), make like, perform 1a4) to take one's stand 1a5) to lay waste 1b) (Hophal) to be imposed, be set upon
Usage: Occurs in 80 OT verses. KJV: apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay (up), let alone, [idiom] look, make, mark, put (on), [phrase] regard, set, shew, be stayed, [idiom] take. See also: Genesis 3:15; Psalms 21:7; Psalms 3:7.
בְּ/ב֣וֹר
bôwr
H953
"pit"
Prep | N-ms
This word refers to a cistern or pit, often used to hold water or as a prison. In the Bible, it is used to describe a place of confinement, like a dungeon or well. It is a physical hole in the ground.
Definition: pit, well, cistern, dungeon, pit of the grave
Usage: Occurs in 62 OT verses. KJV: cistern, dungeon, fountain, pit, well. See also: Genesis 37:20; Proverbs 5:15; Psalms 7:16.
תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת
tachtîy
H8482
"lower"
Adj
Tachtiy means lowermost or the lowest parts, and can also refer to the depths or a pit. It is used figuratively to describe something as low or inferior.
Definition: 1) low, lower, lowest 1a) lowest (as adj) 1b) the lower parts (subst)
Usage: Occurs in 19 OT verses. KJV: low (parts, -er, -er parts, -est), nether (part). See also: Genesis 6:16; Psalms 88:7; Psalms 63:10.
בְּ֝/מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים
machshâk
H4285
"darkness"
Prep | N-mp
This word means darkness, either literal or figurative, and can refer to a physical place or a state of being. It appears in several places in the Bible, including Psalm 23:4 and Isaiah 9:2, where it is used to describe a lack of light or understanding.
Definition: 1) darkness, dark place, secrecy 1a) hiding-place 1b) dark region 1c) grave Aramaic equivalent: cha.shokh (חֲשׁוֹךְ "darkness" H2816)
Usage: Occurs in 7 OT verses. KJV: dark(-ness, place). See also: Psalms 74:20; Psalms 143:3; Psalms 88:7.
בִּ/מְצֹלֽוֹת
mᵉtsôwlâh
H4688
"depth"
Prep | N-fp
This word refers to a deep place, like the bottom of a sea or a low area. It's used to describe the depth of water or a deep location in the Bible. The deep sea is a mysterious place.
Definition: depth, the deep, the deep sea
Usage: Occurs in 11 OT verses. KJV: bottom, deep, depth. See also: Exodus 15:5; Psalms 69:16; Psalms 68:23.
Study Notes — Psalms 88:7
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 88:7 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 88:7
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 88:7
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 88:7
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 88:7
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
- Sermons on Psalms 88:7
Context — I Cry Out before You
5I am forsaken among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, who are cut off from Your care.
6You have laid me in the lowest Pit, in the darkest of the depths.
7Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah
8You have removed my friends from me; You have made me repulsive to them; I am confined and cannot escape. 9My eyes grow dim with grief. I call to You daily, O LORD; I spread out my hands to You.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalms 42:7 | Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and waves have rolled over me. |
| 2 | Job 6:4 | For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. |
| 3 | Romans 2:5–9 | But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each one according to his deeds.” To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek; |
| 4 | 1 Peter 2:24 | He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” |
| 5 | Jonah 2:3 | For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the current swirled about me; all Your breakers and waves swept over me. |
| 6 | Psalms 38:1 | O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. |
| 7 | John 3:36 | Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.” |
| 8 | Psalms 102:10 | because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside. |
| 9 | Psalms 90:7 | For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath. |
| 10 | Psalms 32:4 | For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah |
Psalms 88:7 Summary
This verse is saying that the psalmist feels like God is very angry with him and that he is being overwhelmed by his circumstances. It's like he is drowning in a sea of problems and can't catch his breath. The psalmist is feeling the weight of God's judgment, but this is not the same as the wrath that God has for those who do not know Him, as described in Romans 5:9. The psalmist is still crying out to God for help, even in the midst of feeling overwhelmed, which shows that he trusts in God's love and mercy, as described in Psalms 136:1.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean for God's wrath to weigh heavily upon someone?
This phrase suggests that the psalmist is feeling the full weight of God's judgment and displeasure, much like the Israelites did when they disobeyed Him in the wilderness, as described in Numbers 11:1-3 and Deuteronomy 1:34-35.
How can the psalmist say that God's waves have submerged him when God is a loving God?
The psalmist is using a metaphor to describe the overwhelming sense of God's power and judgment, similar to what is described in Psalms 42:7, where the psalmist feels like he is being overwhelmed by waves of water.
What is the significance of the word 'Selah' at the end of this verse?
The word 'Selah' is a musical term that indicates a pause or a time for reflection, similar to what is seen in Psalms 3:2, where the psalmist is calling out to God in distress and then pauses to reflect on his situation.
Can a Christian experience God's wrath like the psalmist does in this verse?
While Christians are not under God's wrath in the same way that unbelievers are, as described in John 3:36, they can still experience God's discipline and correction, as described in Hebrews 12:5-11, which can feel like God's wrath.
Reflection Questions
- How do you feel when you are facing a difficult situation and it seems like God is far away?
- What are some ways that you can practically apply the principle of waiting on God, even when it feels like His wrath is upon you?
- How can you balance the idea of God's wrath with the idea of His love and mercy, as described in Psalms 103:8-10?
- What are some things that you can do to remind yourself of God's presence and love when you are feeling overwhelmed by circumstances?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 88:7
The wrath lieth hard upon me,.... So some good men apprehend, when they are under afflictive dispensations of Providence, and are left of God, and have not his immediate presence, and the discoveries
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 88:7
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me - as a heavy burden (Psalms 38:3-4). Thou hast afflicted (me) with all thy waves.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
Thy wrath; either, first, the sense of thy wrath; or rather, secondly, the effects of it; as the next clause explains this. With all thy waves; with thy judgments, breaking in furiously upon me like the waves of the sea.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
Psalms 88:7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah.Ver. 7. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me] So it did upon David, Psalms 32:3, but especially upon the Son of David, the Lord Christ, of whose sufferings these were but types, or as chips of his cross. And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves] But all this while it is thy doing, and that carrieth comfort in it.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
(7) And thou hast afflicted.—Literally, And thou hast pressed (me) down with all thy breakers, supplying the object, and taking the accusative in the text as the instrument, as in Psalms 102:23, where the same verb is used (Authorised Version, “weakened”).
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
Verse 7. Thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves.] The figures in this verse seem to be taken from a tempest at sea. The storm is fierce, and the waves cover the ship.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 88:7
7. Thy wrath &c.] Cp. Psalms 32:4; Psalms 38:2. thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves] Cp. Psalms 42:7 for the metaphor.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 88:7
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me - Presses me down; burdens me. The meaning is, that that which was the proper and usual expression of wrath or displeasure - to wit, bodily and mental suffering - pressed hard on him.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 88:7
7. Thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves—The figure of the deeps, Psalms 88:6, is brought forward. He is in the boiling depths of the ocean, and a heavy tempest is raging over him.
Sermons on Psalms 88:7
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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The Sword of His Pure, Infinite, and Incensed Wrath by Thomas Brooks | Thomas Brooks emphasizes the profound depth of God's wrath against sin, illustrated by the extreme suffering inflicted upon His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. He argues that while God |
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And He Shall Put His Hand Upon the Head of the Burnt-Offering by C.H. Spurgeon | C.H. Spurgeon emphasizes the profound significance of Jesus being made 'sin for us' through the symbolic act of transferring sin to the burnt offering. He explains that the act of |
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Be Filled With the Holy Spirit - Part 1 by Jackie Pullinger | In this sermon, the speaker shares his experiences of preaching the gospel in a challenging environment. He talks about how he spent time with gangsters and criminals, sharing the |
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Life Changing Message!!@! - His and His Alone by K.P. Yohannan | This sermon emphasizes the radical commitment to following Jesus, illustrated through personal stories of persecution, sacrifice, and unwavering faith. It highlights the importance |
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Trusting God Is Not an Option by David Wilkerson | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of surrendering every aspect of one's life to God. He encourages believers to wait on God with a diligent attitude, ready to |
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An Invitation to Follow Him by K.P. Yohannan | K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the profound invitation from Jesus to follow Him, which transcends mere evangelism and calls for a life of obedience and surrender to God's will. He reflec |
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Knowing Christ Pt 4 by Philip Powell | In this sermon, the speaker focuses on the importance of knowing God and having eternal life. He emphasizes that the purpose of the book of 1 John is not to give us eternal life, b |