The Psalmist weeps and complains bitterly about the ills and sufferings of Israel during exile, which he describes in detail. This generation of Jews is often well off materially. Yet there is increasing sadness and pain because of many divorces, Jews who no longer strictly observe Jewish traditions or even no longer observe them at all, assimilation, Jews who are tempted to become Christians and thus renounce their own tradition, etc. Psalm 88 applies to this tragic situation. King David, who was also a prophet, wrote the Psalms timelessly. They apply to every generation of Jews.
- Text Psalm 88
- Hebrew text of Psalm 88 – תהילים פח
- Listen to Psalm 88
- Explanation of Psalm 88 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
- Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 88
- Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
- Psalm 1 to 92
Text Psalm 88
A song with musical accompaniment by the sons of Korah, for the conductor, about the sick and afflicted one, a maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. O Lord, the G-d of my salvation! I cried during the day; at night I stood before You. May my prayer come before You; open Your ear to my supplication. For my soul is full of trouble, and my life has reached the grave.
….I’m poor and almost dead. I have borne Your fear, it is well-founded. Your wrath of fire has passed over me; Your horrors have cut me off. They surround me all day long like water; they encompass me together. You are estranged from me, lover and friend; my acquaintances are in a dark place.
Hebrew text of Psalm 88 – תהילים פח
{a} A song of a psalm for the sons of Korah to triumph over sickness, to answer a wise man for the faith of the citizen:
{b} Jehovah, the God of my salvation, in the day I cried out in the night against you {c} Come before you my prayer, incline your ear to me: {d} for seven evils of my soul and my life have come to Saul: {e} I thought that when I went down a pit, I was like a man without a deer: {And} among the dead I searched like him for spaces that lay graves that you did not remember yet and how many of your hands were cut off: {g} Put me in a cistern, under pots, in shadows, in shadows :
You have turned away from me a known one who has given me abominations because he is in prison and I will not come out. When you are dead, you will not do this, if ghosts rise up and lead you to death
: Let him know in the darkness your terror and your righteousness in the land of women: {Yad} And I turn to you, O Lord, and in the morning my prayers go before you:
{to} Why, Lord, do you forsake me Hide your face from me. 18} Soap me like water all day round me together :
Listen to Psalm 88
Listen to Psalm 88 in Hebrew.
Explanation of Psalm 88 by Rabbi Yitzchok Rubin
Exile not only means that Jews live outside Israel, but also that Jews become alienated from their own faith. Many Jews have forgotten that they are G-d’s Chosen People. They have become dumbfounded by the emptiness of material life. The Psalmist writes that he has lost the focus of his life and has fallen into the abyss of the pit. The Jews need to be awakened by the desperate words of the Psalmist. Many Jews think that non-Jews will like them when they start living in the ,real world., But the truth is that they actually despise Jews. Jews have created their own prison by assimilating into the non-Jewish world.
Rabbi Rubin calls on Jews to observe mitzvot free from self-interest. Serving G‑d should be central to the life of the Jew.
This Psalm was written by the sons of Korah who knew how empty misplaced life is. You would think it is a lament, but it is a song because they knew that one day the Jews will wake up and all despair will disappear. The pain that Jews experience today is a springboard to future redemption.
Commentary by Rashi on Psalm 88
Per verse the commentary of Rashi, the Jewish Bible commentator who lived from 1040-1105. Rashi is considered the teacher of teachers. All traditional Jews regard Rashi as an authority on the Jewish Bible and Talmud. Hence it is important to record his commentary on the Psalms. Rashi uses new Hebrew supplemented with Old French words. His language is sometimes somewhat oracularly short. For further explanation it is wise to consult an orthodox Jewish rabbi.
Verse 1
A song with musical accompaniment from the sons of Korah, for the conductor, about the sick and afflicted one, a maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
about the sick and afflicted one : Hebrew על-מחלתלענות, as to the one who is sick with love and misery, for she suffers the pains of exile.
from Heman the Ezrahite : One of the musicians who played a musical instrument, and the sons of Korah ordained this psalm that Heman should recite it on the ‘duchan’ [stage].
of Heman the Ezrahite : He was one of the sons of Zerah the son of Judah, for his lineage is set forth in (I Chronicles 2:6): “And the sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Chalcol, and Dardah [ sic].” All five were great sages, as is said regarding Solomon (1 Kings 5:11): ,And he was wiser than all men, than Ethan the Ezraite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Dardah, the sons of Mahol., , and they established the Psalms which were written in the Book of Psalms. Therefore they are called the sons of Mahol. So I found in exact comments.
a maskil : Where it says ‘maskil’ it was said through an interpreter. The prophet placed an interpreter before him, and when he saw a prophecy coming upon him, he would recite the prophecy to the interpreter, who would make it heard.
Verse 2
O Lord, the G-d of my salvation! I cried during the day; by night I stood before You.
I wept by day; at night : And also at night I am ready for You.
Verse 4
For my soul is full of trouble, and my life has reached the grave.
For my soul is full of trouble : He says this about the people of Israel.
Verse 5
I was numbered with those who went down into the pit; I was like a man without strength.
without strength : Hebrew איל, as (above 22:20): ,My strength (אילותי), make haste to help me.,
Verse 6
I am regarded among the dead who are free, as the dead who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who were cut off by Your hand.
among the dead who are free : I am among the dead, free from the world and like the dead, who are free from the world.
who were cut off by Your hand : By Your blows they were cut off from the world.
Verse 7
You have placed me in the lowest pit, in dark places, in the depths.
You have placed me in the lowest pit : That is exile.
Verse 8
Your anger is hard on me, and [with] all Your waves You have tormented [me] continually.
lies hard : leans and hangs [sic] on me.
and [with] all Your waves You have tormented [me] continually : Hebrew משבריך, an expression of the waves of the sea. They are all the storms of Your wrath; with all these You have continually tormented me.
Verse 9
You have alienated my friends from me; You have made me an abomination to them; [I’m] trapped and can’t go out.
You have made me an abomination to them : The nations, in whose sight I was esteemed, now I am abhorrent to them.
[I’m] imprisoned : Locked in a prison and I can’t go out.
Verse 11
Will you perform a miracle for the dead? Will the shades rise and thank You forever?
Will you perform a miracle for the dead? : Do You perform a miracle and miracles for the wicked, who are called dead even while they are alive?
Will the shades rise and thank You forever? : Hebrew רפאים, illuminated. The weak. Will the nations who have weakened their [Israeli] hands through Your service rise up and thank You? This is a miracle.
Verse 12
Will Your kindness be told in the grave, Your faith in destruction?
Will Your kindness be told in the grave : if we die in the hands of our enemies, can we recite Your praise in the grave?
Verse 16
I am poor and almost dead. I have borne Your fear, it is well-founded.
and near death : Hebrew וגוע מנער, dying from the strangulation of sudden death, as (Exodus 14:27): ,and the Lord strangled (וינער)., Menachem (p. 123) defines וינער as an expression of beating, such as (Isaiah 33:15): who (נוער) shakes his hands to hold a bribe; (Isaiah 52:2), Shake yourself (התנערי) from the dust, arise; (Isaiah 1:31), And the [ir] power shall become as dragging (לנערת); (Job 38:13), “so that the wicked may be shaken off (וינערו)”; (Nehemiah 5:13), “even so may it be shaken out (נעור) and emptied.”
this is well-founded : Hebrew .ונה. Your fear is established and established in my heart. אפוּנה is an expression of (Proverbs 25:11): a word spoken with the right root (אפניו); on its base.
Verse 19
You are estranged from me, lover and friend; my acquaintances are in a dark place.
From my acquaintances I am withdrawn : Hebrew מחשך. I become withdrawn and deprived.
Further explanation of the above Jewish comments
The greatest danger to the Jewish people is assimilation. It is difficult for many Jews in the Diaspora to live Jewishly in a non-Jewish environment. They think they will be more accepted by non-Jews if they observe non-Jewish customs and deny their own Jewish traditions. They live under the assumption that they will no longer be discriminated against. These Jews no longer observe Jewish laws (as strictly) and become liberal or conservative Jews. Others even become atheists. They marry or live with non-Jews and give their children little or no Jewish education.
According to Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar, this assimilation actually leads to anti-Semitism. If Jews no longer keep their own laws, they cannot be a light to the nations. Jews have been given the task by G-d to bring holiness and goodness into the world. This can only be done by setting a good example. When Jews fail to fulfill their Divine task, this leads to anti-Semitism.
Not only are Jews in the diaspora having a hard time, Jews are also under pressure in the modern state of Israel. There is an ongoing debate in society about how great the influence of Judaism should be. Secular Jews believe that the influence of Orthodox Jews is too great, while Orthodox Jews believe that Israeli society is not religious enough. The latter argue for the preservation of Jewish traditions. Secular Jews point to ‘freedom of religion’, which they believe is a fundamental value in a democratic state.
But despite the great danger of assimilation, Torah Jews always remain positive. After all, the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people is valid forever , as G-d has promised in the Torah. So the Jewish people will never disappear. Once the Messiah comes, the Jewish people will be forever freed from all ills and suffering. All Jews will then observe the Torah and all non-Jews the Noahide commandments.
Psalm 1 to 92
Would you like to read more Psalms with a Jewish interpretation? Go to: Psalms 1 through 92.