16 Thy fierce wrath H2740 goeth over H5674 me; thy terrors H1161 have cut me off. H6789
[[A Psalm H4210 of David, H1732 to bring to remembrance.]] H2142 O LORD, H3068 rebuke H3198 me not in thy wrath: H7110 neither chasten H3256 me in thy hot displeasure. H2534 For thine arrows H2671 stick fast H5181 in me, and thy hand H3027 presseth me sore. H5181
Who knoweth H3045 the power H5797 of thine anger? H639 even according to thy fear, H3374 so is thy wrath. H5678
Because H6440 of thine indignation H2195 and thy wrath: H7110 for thou hast lifted me up, H5375 and cast me down. H7993
Surely H403 he hath borne H5375 our griefs, H2483 and carried H5445 our sorrows: H4341 yet we did esteem H2803 him stricken, H5060 smitten H5221 of God, H430 and afflicted. H6031 But he was wounded H2490 for our transgressions, H6588 he was bruised H1792 for our iniquities: H5771 the chastisement H4148 of our peace H7965 was upon him; and with his stripes H2250 we are healed. H7495 All we like sheep H6629 have gone astray; H8582 we have turned H6437 every one H376 to his own way; H1870 and the LORD H3068 hath laid H6293 on him the iniquity H5771 of us all.
He was taken H3947 from prison H6115 and from judgment: H4941 and who shall declare H7878 his generation? H1755 for he was cut off H1504 out of the land H776 of the living: H2416 for the transgression H6588 of my people H5971 was he stricken. H5061
And after H310 threescore H8346 and two H8147 weeks H7620 shall Messiah H4899 be cut off, H3772 but not for himself: and the people H5971 of the prince H5057 that shall come H935 shall destroy H7843 the city H5892 and the sanctuary; H6944 and the end H7093 thereof shall be with a flood, H7858 and unto the end H7093 of the war H4421 desolations H8074 are determined. H2782
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 88
Commentary on Psalms 88 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 88
This psalm is a lamentation, one of the most melancholy of all the psalms; and it does not conclude, as usually the melancholy psalms do, with the least intimation of comfort or joy, but, from first to last, it is mourning and woe. It is not upon a public account that the psalmist here complains (here is no mention of the afflictions of the church), but only upon a personal account, especially trouble of mind, and the grief impressed upon his spirits both by his outward afflictions and by the remembrance of his sins and the fear of God's wrath. It is reckoned among the penitential psalms, and it is well when our fears are thus turned into the right channel, and we take occasion from our worldly grievances to sorrow after a godly sort. In this psalm we have,
Those who are in trouble of mind may sing this psalm feelingly; those that are not ought to sing it thankfully, blessing God that it is not their case.
A song or psalm for the sons of Korah, to the chief musician upon Mahalath Leannoth, Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite.
Psa 88:1-9
It should seem, by the titles of this and the following psalm, that Heman was the penman of the one and Ethan of the other. There were two, of these names, who were sons of Zerah the son of Judah, 1 Chr. 2:4, 6. There were two others famed for wisdom, 1 Ki. 4:31, where, to magnify Solomon's wisdom, he is said to be wiser than Heman and Ethan. Whether the Heman and Ethan who were Levites and precentors in the songs of Zion were the same we are not sure, nor which of these, nor whether any of these, were the penmen of these psalms. There was a Heman that was one of the chief singers, who is called the king's seer, or prophet, in the words of God (1 Chr. 25:5); it is probable that this also was a seer, and yet could see no comfort for himself, an instructor and comforter of others, and yet himself putting comfort away from him. The very first words of the psalm are the only words of comfort and support in all the psalm. There is nothing about him but clouds and darkness; but, before he begins his complaint, he calls God the God of his salvation, which intimates both that he looked for salvation, bad as things were, and that he looked up to God for the salvation and depended upon him to be the author of it. Now here we have the psalmist,
Psa 88:10-18
In these verses,