Table of Contents
Background and Context
Psalm 88 is the darkest and most sorrowful psalm in the entire Psalter. It is a raw, unrelenting lament from a man named Heman the Ezrahite, one of the three chief Levitical musicians appointed by King David. Heman was a respected sage and worship leader, which makes the content of his prayer all the more shocking. This is not the cry of a novice, but the prayer of a mature man of God who is drowning in a lifetime of suffering.
The psalm is a “Maskil,” a song of instruction, and its designated tune, “Mahalath Leannoth,” can be translated as “For Singing About Sickness and Affliction.” Unlike almost every other lament in the Bible, this one has no final turn to hope. There is no concluding vow of praise, no confident expression that God will save. It begins in darkness, wrestles with God in the darkness, and ends with the devastating line, “the darkness is my closest friend.“
Why is such a psalm in the Bible? Because it gives a divinely inspired voice to the experience of profound, unresolved suffering. It validates the prayers of those who are in a “dark night of the soul,” where God feels distant, his promises seem empty, and all hope feels lost. It is a testament to the fact that faith can continue to cry out to God even when it receives no answer and feels no comfort.
Theological Themes
Though bleak, this psalm teaches profound theological truths about suffering and faith.
The Reality of Lifelong Suffering: The psalmist is not facing a temporary crisis. His affliction has been with him his entire life. “From my youth I have suffered and am close to death” (verse 15). The psalm gives a voice to those who live with chronic pain, illness, depression, or a seemingly unending series of tragedies.
The Mystery of God in Our Pain: Heman’s primary struggle is that he sees God as the direct author of his suffering. He does not blame fate, enemies, or sin. He says to God, “You have put me in the lowest pit… Your wrath lies heavily on me… Your terrors have destroyed me” (verses 6, 7, 16). The psalm honestly portrays the agonizing mystery of a loving God who allows or even causes profound suffering in the lives of His faithful servants.
Faith as a Persistent Cry: Even though Heman feels no hope, he has not stopped praying. The psalm itself is a prayer. He cries out to God “day and night” (verse 1). His faith is not a feeling of confidence, but a stubborn, desperate act of turning toward God even when God feels like an enemy. This is the very essence of a faith that endures.
The Pain of Utter Isolation: A major component of Heman’s suffering is his complete social isolation. He says to God, “You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them” (verse 8). His suffering has pushed everyone away, leaving him utterly alone. The psalm acknowledges that one of the deepest pains in suffering is the loss of human companionship and comfort.
Literary Structure and Genre
Psalm 88 is the purest example of an individual lament psalm in the Bible. It is a direct, desperate address to God from a suffering soul.
- Verses 1-9a: The psalmist’s unceasing cry and his description of being overwhelmed by an affliction he attributes to God, resulting in his complete isolation.
- Verses 9b-12: A series of desperate, argumentative questions to God, pleading for a reason to live by pointing out that the dead cannot praise Him.
- Verses 13-18: A final, heartbreaking summary of his lifelong suffering, his unanswered question of “Why?”, and his ultimate descent into darkness.
Verse by Verse Commentary on Psalm 88
Verses 1-9a: A Relentless Cry from the Pit
“LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you… I am overwhelmed with troubles… I am counted among those who go down to the pit… you have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths. Your wrath lies heavily on me… You have taken from me my closest friends.”
The psalm opens with a statement of faith that is immediately engulfed by the reality of pain. Heman addresses God as the one who saves, but his experience is the opposite. He cries out relentlessly, day and night.
He describes his life using the imagery of death. His soul is full of troubles, and he feels he is already in the pit (Sheol, the grave). He is like a man with no strength, already dwelling among the dead, forgotten by God and cut off from His care.
Crucially, he sees God as the one who has done this to him. “You have put me in the lowest pit.” He feels the full weight of God’s wrath. This divine affliction has led to his total social isolation. His friends are gone, and he is repulsive to them. He is a prisoner in his own suffering and cannot escape.
Verses 9b-12: An Argument from the Grave
“I call to you, LORD, every day; I spread out my hands to you. Do you show your wonders in the grave? Will the dead rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?”
Heman continues his daily, desperate prayer. He then begins to argue with God, attempting to motivate Him to act. His argument is a series of six rhetorical questions. Will God perform miracles for the dead? Will His love and faithfulness be declared from the grave? Will His righteousness be known in the “land of oblivion”? The implied answer to all of these questions is “No.” Heman is essentially saying, “God, if you let me die, you will lose a worshiper. My death will bring you no glory. Save me, so I can continue to praise you in the land of the living.”
Verses 13-18: The Final, Unanswered Question
“But I cry to you for help, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have suffered and am close to death… Your wrath has swept over me… you have taken my companions and loved ones from me; the darkness is my closest friend.”
The psalmist makes one final appeal. He emphasizes that his prayer is not a one-time event; it comes before God every morning. This leads to the central, agonizing question of his life: “Why, LORD, do you reject me and hide your face from me?” He receives no answer.
He summarizes his condition: he has suffered since his youth. God’s wrath has swept over him like a flood, surrounding him completely.
The psalm ends with the final stripping away of all comfort. Every last human connection is gone. His companions, loved ones, friends, and neighbors have all been taken away by God. He is left with only one companion. In one of the most devastating final lines in all of literature, he concludes: “the darkness is my closest friend.“
Practical Lessons for Today
The Bible is Honest About Suffering: The inclusion of Psalm 88 in the Bible is a profound gift. It tells us that God is not afraid of our darkest and most honest questions. Scripture does not offer easy answers or platitudes for every situation. It gives us permission to lament, to be honest about our pain, and to cry out even when we feel no hope.
Faith is Not a Feeling: Heman’s faith is not seen in his feelings of confidence or joy, because he has none. His faith is seen in the simple, stubborn fact that he is still talking to God. He has not turned his back on God; he has turned toward God with his pain. True faith sometimes looks like crying out into the darkness, believing that God is there even when you can’t feel Him.
Jesus Entered This Darkness for Us: The experience of Heman—being overwhelmed by God’s wrath, abandoned by his friends, and surrounded by darkness—is a foreshadowing of the experience of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was plunged into the ultimate darkness so that we would never have to be. He understands the pain of this psalm because He lived it.
We are Not Alone in the Dark: When we go through seasons of profound suffering and doubt, this psalm reminds us that we are not the first. A great and wise man of God, Heman the Ezrahite, has walked this path before. His prayer stands forever as a comfort and a companion to all who feel that darkness is their closest friend.
Cross References
Job 3:20-23: “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, to those who long for death that does not come… who are enclosed by God?” The book of Job is the most extensive exploration of the themes found in Psalm 88—innocent suffering, the feeling of being targeted by God, and the agonizing question of “Why?”
Lamentations 3:6-8: “He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. He has walled me in so I cannot escape… Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer.” Jeremiah’s lament after the fall of Jerusalem uses very similar imagery of being trapped in darkness and feeling that his prayers are not being heard.
Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” This description of the Suffering Servant, fulfilled in Jesus, powerfully reflects the social isolation and rejection experienced by the psalmist.
Mark 15:34: “And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).” Jesus’ cry from the cross is the ultimate expression of the desolation and divine abandonment that Heman experiences in Psalm 88, showing that Christ entered into our deepest darkness.