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Psalms 88:7 — Word Study

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WLCעָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְכָל־ מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃

BSAto setshîyth pitbôwr lowertachtîy darknessmachshâk depthmᵉtsôwlâh

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 88
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 7 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (Se.lah) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 88:7quick helps
In a sentenceThe psalmist expresses a deep sense of being overwhelmed by God's anger and the troubles that surround him.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, reflecting on his suffering and the weight of divine wrath.
Where we areIn a lament, the psalmist describes his dire situation and emotional state.
The hard wordחֲמָתֶ֑ךָ
Take awayThe weight of God's anger and the relentless waves of trouble.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbבְּ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 88:7

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — A Lament of Sufferinggenerated

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.

Psalm 88:7 captures the psalmist's anguish as he feels crushed under the weight of God's anger. This lament is part of a larger expression of sorrow, where the psalmist feels isolated and overwhelmed by both divine wrath and personal suffering, as seen in the surrounding verses. The psalmist's cry reflects a deep emotional struggle, resonating with the themes of despair and longing for relief.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 38:1O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath.
2Psalm 90:7For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.
3Psalm 102:10because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside.
4Job 6:4For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me; my spirit drinks in their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me.
5Job 10:16Should I hold my head high, You would hunt me like a lion, and again display Your power against me.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ, cha.ma.Te.khagenerated

The word חֵמָה (*chemah*) denotes intense anger or rage, often depicted as a consuming fire. It is used in the context of divine wrath, highlighting the severity of God's displeasure. The parsing shows it as a feminine singular noun, indicating a specific instance of anger directed towards the psalmist.

This term conveys not just the emotion but also the destructive potential of unchecked anger, both human and divine. The psalmist's choice of this word emphasizes the weight of the emotional burden he carries, feeling that he is submerged in the consequences of this divine wrath.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verbs סָמְכָ֣ה and עִנִּ֥יתָ govern the clauses, describing the psalmist's experience under God's wrath and the waves of trouble. The structure reveals a cause-and-effect relationship, where the psalmist's affliction is directly linked to the overwhelming nature of divine anger.

The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the subject's suffering, with the prepositional phrases detailing the nature of the burden and the waves that submerge him. This arrangement highlights the psalmist's emotional state and the weight of his circumstances.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

In the Septuagint, the translators used the Greek word κατωτάτῳ, which conveys a sense of being brought low or humbled. This choice reflects a narrowing of focus from the Hebrew's broader implications of anger to a specific state of being overwhelmed.

The translation indicates a shift in emphasis, where the Greek rendering captures the essence of the psalmist's despair while potentially softening the intensity of the divine wrath expressed in the Hebrew.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalm 88:7 expresses the psalmist's feeling of being overwhelmed by God's anger and the troubles that surround him. He feels as if he is drowning in waves of despair, highlighting his emotional turmoil and isolation.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does the psalmist mean by 'Your wrath weighs heavily upon me'?

The psalmist is expressing the burden of feeling God's intense anger, which he perceives as crushing and oppressive.

How does the imagery of waves contribute to the psalmist's message?

The waves symbolize overwhelming troubles that engulf the psalmist, illustrating his sense of being submerged in despair.

What is the significance of the term 'Selah' at the end of the verse?

Selah indicates a pause for reflection, inviting the reader or listener to contemplate the weight of the psalmist's words.

How does this verse connect to the overall theme of Psalm 88?

This verse encapsulates the central theme of despair and isolation, as the psalmist laments his suffering and the absence of relief from God.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. In what ways have I felt overwhelmed by my circumstances, similar to the psalmist's experience?
  2. How can I better understand the emotions expressed in the psalms when I face my own struggles?
  3. What does it mean for me to reflect on God's anger and my own feelings of despair?
  4. How can I find hope and comfort in the midst of overwhelming troubles?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Early commentators, such as Augustine of Hippo, reference this verse to discuss the nature of divine anger and its impact on the faithful.

Augustine of HippoExposition on Psalms 88 354–430
"Your indignation lies hard upon Me" [Psalms 88:7], or, as other copies have it, "Your anger;" or, as others,
Early Church Fathers on Psalms 88 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 88:7 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

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

Read John Gill on Psalms 88 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

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.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 88 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

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.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 88 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

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.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 88 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(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”).

Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 88 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

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.

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 88 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

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.

Read Cambridge on Psalms 88 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 88 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah

WEBWorld English Bible2000

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

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Your wrath weighs heavily upon me; all Your waves have submerged me. Selah

NETBNew English Translation2006

Your anger bears down on me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, And thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. [Selah

RVARevised Version, American1894

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

Thine indignation lyeth vpon me, and thou hast vexed me with all thy waues. Selah.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

Thy fury lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted [me] with all thy waves. Selah.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

Upon me hath Thy fury lain, And [with] all Thy breakers Thou hast afflicted. Selah.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

Your fury has lain on me, || And You have afflicted [with] all Your breakers. Selah.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

(88:8) Upon me lieth heavily thy fury, and with all thy billows hast thou afflicted me. Selah.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

Your wrath lies heavy on me, and all your waves crash over me. Selah

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

For who in the clouds can be compared to the Lord: or who among the sons of God shall be like to God?

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

Your hostility crushes me; you are drowning me under your crashing waves. Selah.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The weight of your wrath is crushing me, all your waves have overcome me. (Selah.)

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseprepositional phrase · prepositionalעָ֭לַonיmeverbסָמְכָ֣הit.has.lainnoun phrase · subjectחֲמָתֶ֑angerךָyourוְandclausenoun phrase · adverbialכָלallnoun phraseמִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יbreakersךָyourverbעִנִּ֥יתָyou.have.afflicted.[me]clauseסֶּֽלָהSelah

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording, with five of the seven words matched. However, the Septuagint's structure and word order differ from the Hebrew, reflecting its own interpretative choices.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

עָ֭לַי סָמְכָ֣ה חֲמָתֶ֑ךָ וְכָל־ מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָ עִנִּ֥יתָ סֶּֽלָה׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
עָ֭לַיμεסָמְכָ֣הἐνחֲמָתֶ֑ךָκατωτάτῳוְכָל־σκοτεινοῖςמִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָἐν

5 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 88:7עַלon meon meעַלסָמַךְit has lainit has lainסָמַךְחֵמָהanger youranger yourחֵמָהכֹּלand alland allכֹּלמִשְׁבָּרbreakers yobreakers yourמִשְׁבָּרעָנָהyou have afyou have afflicעָנָהסֶ֫לָהSelahSelahסֶ֫לָהיָחַםto conceivto conceiveיָחַםכָּלַלto perfectto perfectכָּלַלשָׁבַרto breakto breakשָׁבַרעוּןto dwellto dwellעוּןסָלָהto rejectto rejectסָלָהעַלheightheightעַלכִּפֶּרto atoneto atoneכִּפֶּרכִּסֵּאthronethroneכִּסֵּאזְרוֹעַarmarmזְרוֹעַעָזַרto helpto helpעָזַרנָתַךְto pourto pourנָתַךְקִנְאָהjealousyjealousyקִנְאָהעֵדָהcongregaticongregationעֵדָהעֲבֹדָהserviceserviceעֲבֹדָהאַדִּירgreatgreatאַדִּירגַּלheapheapגַּלצוֹםfastfastצוֹםזמרto singto singזמר
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 88:7

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
עָ֭לַי'A.lai on me H5921 Preposition · suffix
5,774× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means on or above something, like a physical object or a situation. It can also imply a sense of responsibility or accountability, as in being on behalf of someone.
Tyndale gloss
upon
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

base

עַל, עָ֑ל

subst. height

As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

of clothing, etc., which any one wears

With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears

. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

Read the full entry →
Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5921 `al al

properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the

singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a

particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always

in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great

variety of applications (as follow):--above, according

to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because

of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both

and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in

(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,

through(-out), to, touching, X with.

see HEBREW for 05920

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עַל (al) — upon.

prep

1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards

1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)

1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)

1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)

1e) over (of suspension or extension)

1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)

1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)

1h) to (as a dative)

[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.

conj

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffix
HR/Sp1bs
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
סָמְכָ֣הsa.me.Khah it has lain H5564 Verb · Qal · perfect third person feminine singular
48× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To support or lean on something, like a person or object, as seen in the Bible where God upholds his people. It means to hold something up or stand firm. This concept appears in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
Tyndale gloss
to support
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סָמַךְ (samakh) is a Hebrew verb meaning to lean, lay, rest, or support. It encompasses various actions such as propping up, sustaining, and bracing oneself. The word appears in different forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Piel, indicating different nuances of support and sustenance. Notably, it is used in contexts that can be both favorable and unfavorable.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סָמַךְ 48 vb. lean, lay, rest, support

Qal 41

lean or lay hand upon

intrans. thy wrath hath rested upon me

support, uphold, sustain

Niph. reflex. support, or brace oneself

Pi. sustain (refresh, revive) me with raisin-cakes.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5564 סָמַךְ lean, lay, rest, support

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5564 camak saw-mak'

a primitive root; to prop (literally or figuratively);

reflexively, to lean upon or take hold of (in a favorable or

unfavorable sense):--bear up, establish, (up-)hold, lay,

lean, lie hard, put, rest self, set self, stand fast, stay

(self), sustain.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סָמַךְ (sa.makh) — to support.

1) to lean, lay, rest, support, put, uphold, lean upon

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to lean or lay upon, rest upon, lean against

1a2) to support, uphold, sustain

1b) (Niphal) to support or brace oneself

1c) (Piel) to sustain, refresh, revive

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVqp3fs — Verb · Qal · perfect third person feminine singular
HVqp3fs
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
חֲמָתֶ֑ךָcha.ma.Te.kha anger your H2534 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
125× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word means intense anger or rage, like a burning fire. It's used in the Bible to describe God's wrath and human anger, often warning against the dangers of unchecked emotions. In Proverbs and Psalms, it cautions against the destructive power of anger and rage.
Tyndale gloss
rage
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word חֵמָה (*chemah*) primarily means heat and rage, encompassing concepts like fever, poison, and burning anger. It can refer to human anger as well as divine wrath, and is noted in Daniel's vision. The entries highlight its figurative use related to intense emotions and reactions.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

חֵמָה, (once חֵמָא) 121 n.f. heat, rage

heat:

fever

venom, poison

burning anger, rage:

of man

of the he-goat in Daniel's vision

of God

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2534 חֵמָה, (once חֵמָא) heat, rage . heat: . fever

. venom, poison

. burning anger, rage: . of man

. of the he-goat in Daniel's vision

. of God

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2534 chemah khay-maw'

or (Dan. 11:44) chemaC {khay-maw'}; from 3179; heat;

figuratively, anger, poison (from its fever):--anger, bottles,

hot displeasure, furious(-ly, -ry), heat, indignation, poison,

rage, wrath(- ful). See 2529.

see HEBREW for 03179

see HEBREW for 02529

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

חֵמָה (che.mah) — rage.

1) heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, anger, wrath, poison, bottles

1a) heat

1a1) fever

1a2) venom, poison (fig.)

1b) burning anger, rage

Aramaic equivalent: che.ma (חֱמָא "rage" H2528)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcfsc/Sp2ms — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp2ms
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
וְכָל־ve.khol and all H3605 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
5,415× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for 'all' or 'everything' is used throughout the Bible, like in Genesis 1:31, where God sees all He has made as very good. It encompasses the entirety of something, whether people, things, or situations.
Tyndale gloss
all
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all

with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

Absolutely:

without the art., all things, all

with the art. הַכֹּל

where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every

. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all

. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned

. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3605 kol kole

or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;

hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a

plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any

(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as

many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,

whoso(-ever).

see HEBREW for 03634

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כֹּל (kol) — all.

1) all, the whole

1a) all, the whole of

1b) any, each, every, anything

1c) totality, everything

Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Ncmsc — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.

(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.

(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).

(3) All one, "It is all one" (Job 9:22), "it makes no difference whether I live or die."

(4) At all, "If thy father miss me at all" (1Sa 20:6), "in any way," "in the least."

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
מִ֝שְׁבָּרֶ֗יךָmish.ba.Rei.kha breakers your H4867 Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
5× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means a powerful wave or breaker in the sea, like the ones that crash against the shore. It appears in the Bible to describe the ocean's mighty waves. The KJV translates it as billow or wave.
Tyndale gloss
wave
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מִשְׁבָּר (mishbar) refers to a breaker or wave, specifically in the context of the sea. It is derived from the root meaning to break. The term is consistently associated with the imagery of billows and waves.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[מִשְׁבָּר] n.[m.] breaker, of sea

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4867 מִשְׁבָּר

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4867 mishbar mish-bawr'

from 7665; a breaker (of the sea):--billow, wave.

see HEBREW for 07665

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מִשְׁבָּר (mish.bar) — wave.

breaker, breaking (of sea)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmpc/Sp2ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffix
HNcmpc/Sp2ms
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
עִנִּ֥יתָ'i.Ni.ta you have afflicted [me] H6031 Verb · Piel · perfect second person masculine singular
82× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To afflict or oppress someone, making them feel low or depressed. In the Bible, it can also mean to humble oneself, as seen in Psalm 35:13. It involves being put down or becoming weak.
Tyndale gloss
be occupied
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עָנָה (anah) is a Hebrew verb with a range of meanings related to affliction and humility. It can denote being occupied, as well as being bowed down, depressed, or afflicted. The word has various forms, including ways to humble oneself or to afflict others, and it appears in contexts of discipline and humility, particularly in relation to fasting.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[עָנָה] vb. be occupied, busied with

base

[עָנָה] vb. be bowed down, afflicted

Qal

be put down or become low, of song of triumph

be depressed, downcast

be afflicted

Niph.

humble oneself

be afflicted

Pi.

humble, mishandle, afflict

humble, a woman by cohabit.

afflict as a discipline

humble, weaken

Pu.

be afflicted, in discipline by God

be humbled by fasting

Hiph. afflict, in discipline

Hithp.

humble oneself

be afflicted

humble oneself in fasting

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6031a עָנָה be occupied, busied with H6031b עָנָה be bowed down, afflicted .. be put down or become low, of song of triumph

. be depressed, downcast

. be afflicted

. . humble oneself

. be afflicted

. . humble, mishandle, afflict

. humble, a woman by cohabit.

. afflict as a discipline

. humble, weaken

. . be afflicted, in discipline by God

. be humbled by fasting

. afflict, in discipline

. . humble oneself

. be afflicted

. humble oneself in fasting

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6031 `anah aw-naw'

a primitive root (possibly rather ident. with 6030 through

the idea of looking down or browbeating); to depress literally

or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various

applications, as follows):--abase self, afflict(-ion, self),

answer (by mistake for 6030), chasten self, deal hardly with,

defile, exercise, force, gentleness, humble (self), hurt,

ravish, sing (by mistake for 6030), speak (by mistake for

6030), submit self, weaken, X in any wise.

see HEBREW for 06030

see HEBREW for 06030

see HEBREW for 06030

see HEBREW for 06030

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עָנָה (a.nah) — be occupied.

(Qal) to be occupied, be busied with

עָנָה (a.nah) — to afflict.

1) to afflict, oppress, humble, be afflicted, be bowed down

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be put down, become low

1a2) to be depressed, be downcast

1a3) to be afflicted

1a4) to stoop

1b) (Niphal)

1b1) to humble oneself, bow down

1b2) to be afflicted, be humbled

1c) (Piel)

1c1) to humble, mishandle, afflict

1c2) to humble, be humiliated

1c3) to afflict

1d4) to humble, weaken oneself

1d) (Pual)

1d1) to be afflicted

1d2) to be humbled

1e) (Hiphil) to afflict

1f) (Hithpael)

1f1) to humble oneself

1f2) to be afflicted

Aramaic equivalent: a.nah (עֲנָי "to afflict" H6033)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HVpp2ms — Verb · Piel · perfect second person masculine singular
HVpp2ms
on me it has lain anger your and all breakers your you have afflicted [me] Selah
סֶּֽלָה׃Se.lah Selah H5542 Particle
74× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Selah is a musical term in the Bible that signals a pause or interruption in the music, like a rest in a song, often used in Psalms. It is a technical term that sets a moment for reflection and contemplation, as seen in Psalm 3:2.
Tyndale gloss
Selah
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

סֶ֫לָה (selah) means to lift up or exalt. It is primarily recognized as a musical term indicating a pause or interruption, often found in the Psalms. The word is derived from a root meaning 'suspension' and appears frequently in the context of music, suggesting accentuation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

סֶ֫לָה vb. lift up, or exalt;—this interpr. agrees with usage: 71 t. in 39 ψψ, 3 t. Hb 3

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5542 סֶ֫לָה lift up, or exalt

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5542 celah seh'-law

from 5541; suspension (of music), i.e. pause:--Selah.

see HEBREW for 05541

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

סֶ֫לָה (se.lah) — Selah.

§ 1) to lift up, exalt

1a) Selah

1a1) a technical musical term probably showing accentuation, pause, interruption

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HTj — Particle
HTj
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

se'-la.

See MUSIC, II, 1.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Selah

A word frequently found in the Book of Psalms, and also in Hab. 3:9, 13, about seventy-four times in all in Scripture. Its meaning is doubtful. Some interpret it as meaning “silence” or “pause;” others, “end,” “a louder strain,” “piano,” etc. The LXX. render the word by daplasma i.e., “a division.”

Smith's Bible Dictionary

This word, which is found only in the poetical books of the Old Testament, occurs seventy-one times in the Psalms and three times in Habakkuk. It is probably a term which had a meaning in the musical nomenclature of the Hebrews, though what that meaning may have been is now a matter of pure conjecture. (Gesenius and Ewald and others think it has much the same meaning as our interlude,--a pause in the voices singing, while the instruments perform alone.)

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A musical term which occurs seventy-three times in the Psalms, and is found also in Hab 3:3,9,13. It usually occurs at the end of a period or apostrophe, but sometimes at the end only of a clause. This difficult word, it is now generally believed, was a direction for a meditative pause in the singing of a psalm, during which perhaps there was an instrumental interlude.

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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