Psalm 88 1

Psalm 88:1 kjv

O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:

Psalm 88:1 nkjv

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to "Mahalath Leannoth." A Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite. O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You.

Psalm 88:1 niv

A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite. LORD, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you.

Psalm 88:1 esv

O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you.

Psalm 88:1 nlt

O LORD, God of my salvation,
I cry out to you by day.
I come to you at night.

Psalm 88 verses

Psalm 88 1 Meaning

Psalm 88:1 is an urgent and desperate plea, capturing the deep anguish of the psalmist Heman, who identifies God as the source of his salvation even while in profound distress. It reveals a persistent, unceasing cry for help, uttered directly and continuously before the divine presence, underscoring both the intensity of the suffering and the foundational belief that God alone can deliver.

Psalm 88 1 Context

Psalm 88 stands unique as the darkest and most despairing lament in the entire Psalter. Authored by Heman the Ezrahite, a Levite musician (1 Chr 2:6, 1 Chr 6:33), this psalm describes suffering so profound that it overwhelms the psalmist completely, without any apparent shift to hope, trust, or praise often found in other laments. The psalmist feels abandoned by God and left in a "deep pit," close to death, and views even his friends as distant. This opening verse, "O Lord, God of my salvation," sets a profound tension: how can the psalmist, while feeling utterly forsaken, still address God as his "salvation"? It immediately establishes the foundational belief of the one crying out, even amidst his utter desolation, that salvation ultimately rests with God alone, despite his current desperate state. This context is critical to understanding the intensity and unwavering direction of the prayer.

Psalm 88 1 Word analysis

• O Lord (יְהֹוָה - YHWH): This is the tetragrammaton, the personal, covenant name of God, revealing Him as the ever-present, faithful, self-existent One who enters into relationship with His people. Addressing God by this specific name, even in such despair, signifies a deep-seated belief in His covenant loyalty and personal engagement, distinguishing Him from any other deities or forces.
• God (אֱלֹהִים - Elohim): This is a general term for God, often associated with His creative power, sovereignty, and judicial authority. When used with YHWH, as here ("Lord God"), it emphasizes both God's personal faithfulness (YHWH) and His supreme power and authority over all things (Elohim), acknowledging His omnipotence and universal reign, even over the dark circumstances described.
• of my salvation (יְשׁוּעָתִי - Yeshuati): The Hebrew noun "yeshua" means "salvation," "deliverance," or "rescue." The suffix "-ti" means "my." This phrase is deeply significant; even as he experiences immense suffering, the psalmist attributes his very possibility of deliverance, rescue, and well-being to God. This isn't just a hopeful request but a statement of truth about God's identity and His past dealings with the psalmist, implying an acknowledgment that deliverance, if it comes, can only come from this specific God.
• I cry out (צָעַקְתִּי - Tsa'aqti): A strong verb denoting a loud, anguished shout, a desperate cry for help, or a complaint. It suggests profound distress and urgency, not a gentle petition. It’s the cry often associated with intense suffering, injustice, or imminent danger (e.g., Israel's cry in Egypt, people crying out against oppressors). The "ti" ending is a first-person singular perfect tense, indicating a past action with continuing relevance, or an immediate, resolute action from the psalmist.
• day and night (יוֹם וָלַיְלָה - Yom wa-Laylah): Literally "day and night." This phrase signifies persistence, continuity, and an unceasing, unrelenting experience of prayer and suffering. There is no relief, no break in the anguish or the prayer. It conveys the total immersion of the psalmist in his distress and his constant, desperate appeal to God, underscoring the severity of his condition.
• before You (נֶגְדְּךָ - Negdekha): This prepositional phrase means "in front of You," "in Your presence," or "directly facing You." It emphasizes direct communication and transparent vulnerability before God. The psalmist is laying bare his agony and urgent pleas immediately and intimately to God, asserting his right to be heard despite the feeling of being unheard or abandoned later in the psalm.

Words-Group Analysis:

• "O Lord, God of my salvation": This opening sets up a profound theological paradox, unique to psalms of lament. The psalmist identifies the very God he is crying out to, even while feeling distant and unheeded, as the source and agent of his personal salvation. This is a theological declaration rather than merely a desperate plea, grounding the petition in the enduring character of God despite the current, crushing circumstances. It suggests a knowledge of God's redemptive history and His personal relationship with His people.
• "I cry out day and night before You": This phrase conveys the psalmist's profound suffering and his relentless pursuit of God amidst it. The continuous "crying out" signifies an extraordinary level of distress and a desperate, unwavering focus on God as the sole recourse. It is an act of extreme persistence and honesty in prayer, unreservedly bringing the deepest anguish into God's immediate presence without cease.

Psalm 88 1 Bonus section

This psalm, and especially its opening, highlights the crucial theological tension between God's identity (the God of salvation) and the human experience of profound, unremitting suffering. Unlike most psalms of lament, Psalm 88 does not conclude with a shift towards hope, renewed trust, or praise. It remains in the darkness, making it a profound testament to the full breadth of human emotional and spiritual experience acknowledged within Scripture. It demonstrates that genuine faith encompasses not just joy and praise, but also raw, unvarnished cries of despair to a God who hears, even when His response is not immediately felt or understood. This psalm validates the experience of those who feel God has withdrawn, while still affirming Him as their only source of hope.

Psalm 88 1 Commentary

Psalm 88:1 plunges the reader immediately into the psalmist’s intense suffering. It is a powerful articulation of a faith that clings to God's character as "salvation" even when the immediate experience is one of profound abandonment and darkness. The dual address to God as both the personal "Lord" (YHWH) and the powerful "God" (Elohim) establishes the theological foundation of the cry—a desperate appeal to the One who is intimately known yet seemingly distant in the moment. The "crying out day and night" is not a mere petition but an unceasing, desperate lament, a vocalized outpouring of relentless anguish. This verse sets the stage for what many scholars consider the bleakest psalm in the entire Bible, as it begins with faith in God's saving power, but the surrounding context quickly dissolves into an abyss of despair, highlighting that prayer can be raw, relentless, and at times, without the expected resolution or feeling of divine presence. It permits and legitimizes honest, anguished wrestling with God even when His hand of deliverance feels absent.

• Example for Practical Usage: In moments of deepest sorrow or sustained crisis, Psa 88:1 models authentic, persistent prayer. It grants permission to call out to God without ceasing, even when answers seem absent or hope is dim, grounding our desperate cries in the truth that God fundamentally remains the God of our salvation.