Psalm 88 10

Psalm 88:10 kjv

Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.

Psalm 88:10 nkjv

Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

Psalm 88:10 niv

Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you?

Psalm 88:10 esv

Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Selah

Psalm 88:10 nlt

Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead?
Do the dead rise up and praise you? Interlude

Psalm 88 verses

Psalm 88 10 Meaning

Psalm 88:10 expresses the desperate cry of the psalmist Heman the Ezrahite, who feels he is on the brink of death. He asks rhetorical questions of God, implicitly suggesting that God does not perform wonders for the dead, nor do the deceased (referred to as "departed" or "shades") rise from the grave to offer praise. The underlying plea is for divine intervention before he descends into death, as his current understanding dictates that death would remove him from the realm where God's active power is visibly demonstrated, and where humans can offer grateful worship. The verse highlights a deep fear of silence and cessation of relationship with God in the grave.

Psalm 88 10 Context

Psalm 88 is a unique and profoundly dark lament within the Psalter, often called the "Dark Psalm" or the "Psalm without Hope." It stands out because, unlike most other laments, it ends without any turn toward hope, confidence, or resolution. The psalmist, Heman the Ezrahite, describes a comprehensive and unrelenting experience of suffering: isolation, affliction from youth, divine abandonment, terrifying physical symptoms, loss of friends and loved ones, and overwhelming darkness.

Verse 10 is part of a series of rhetorical questions in verses 9-12 where the psalmist desperately pleads with God based on the traditional biblical understanding of Sheol (the grave/abode of the dead) as a place of silence and inactivity. He argues that if God allows him to die, God will lose a worshipper and someone who can bear witness to His mighty deeds. The psalmist appeals to God's self-interest, asking how God's wonders (pele), lovingkindness (ḥesed), faithfulness (ʾemūnāh), and righteous deeds (ṣiddqāh) could be known, praised, or performed "in the grave" (v. 11), "in Abaddon" (v. 11), or "in the land of forgetfulness" (v. 12). For the ancient Israelite, the sphere of God's active, salvific work and public praise was generally understood to be among the living on earth, as the full revelation of resurrection was yet to come. This makes Psalm 88:10 a raw expression of the dread of final separation and the loss of the ability to worship God.

Psalm 88 10 Word analysis

• Do you work wonders (הֲלַמֵּתִים תַּעֲשֶׂה פֶּלֶא, HaLaMetim Ta'aseh Pele):
• הֲ (Ha-): This is an interrogative prefix, akin to "Do you...?" It introduces a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer or conveying deep doubt/challenge.
• לַמֵּתִים (LaMetim): Consists of the preposition לַ (la-), "for/to," and מֵתִים (metim), the masculine plural of מֵת (met), meaning "dead ones" or "the deceased." It signifies those who have physically died and descended to Sheol.
• תַּעֲשֶׂה (Ta'aseh): This is the second person masculine singular imperfect form of the verb עָשָׂה (asah), "to do, make, work, perform." It implies continuous or habitual action, here querying God's performance of miracles for the dead.
• פֶּלֶא (Pele): This noun means "wonder, miracle, amazing thing." It refers to an extraordinary, supernatural act, usually by God, displaying His power and might (e.g., Exod 3:20; Ps 78:12). The psalmist questions if such awe-inspiring acts are manifested for or among the dead.
• Significance: The rhetorical question asks whether God's potent, miraculous power, so evident in the realm of the living, extends to the inert realm of the dead in a way that benefits them or manifests His glory through them. The implied answer, from the psalmist's perspective, is "no." He is challenging God, based on common Israelite understanding of death, to act now, while he is still alive.
• Do the departed rise up (אִם רְפָאִים יָקוּמוּ, Im Repha'im Yaqumu):
• אִם (Im): Here, also an interrogative particle, similar to "do/will" or "whether," indicating another challenging or doubting question.
• רְפָאִים (Repha'im): This crucial term holds multiple connotations in the Old Testament, but in contexts related to the dead (e.g., Prov 2:18; Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19), it refers to "shades," "ghosts," "feeble ones," or the "departed spirits" residing in Sheol. They are typically depicted as weak, inert, and lacking power or knowledge. In other contexts, Repha'im refers to ancient giant peoples. Here, the meaning clearly points to the deceased and their perceived state of powerlessness.
• יָקוּמוּ (Yaqumu): This is the third person masculine plural imperfect form of the verb קוּם (qum), meaning "to rise, stand up, arise." While קוּם is often used for physical rising (e.g., from bed, a seat), it can also carry connotations of resurrection in certain prophetic contexts (e.g., Dan 12:2; Isa 26:19). In this lament, however, it’s questioned if they "rise up" from the state of death to praise God, implying a lack of such an active capacity.
• Significance: This reinforces the state of inertness and powerlessness commonly associated with the dead in the Old Testament. The psalmist challenges the idea that these powerless "shades" could perform an active function like praising God, thereby implicitly urging God to save him from this state.
• to praise you? (יוֹדוּךָ, Yodukha):
• יוֹדוּךָ (Yodukha): This combines the third person masculine plural imperfect of the verb יָדָה (yadah), meaning "to praise, thank, give thanks, confess," with the second person masculine singular suffix ךָ (kha), "you." This verb frequently describes acts of thanksgiving, confession, and active worship directed to God.
• Significance: Praise is a primary function of the living and a central theme in the Psalms. The psalmist implies that if he dies, God will be deprived of his active praise, suggesting a motivation for God to preserve his life. The question underscores the prevalent belief that praise ceased in the realm of the dead, contrasting sharply with the later New Testament understanding of eternal life and worship.
• Selah (סֶלָה):
• This term is commonly found in Psalms and Habakkuk, primarily understood as a musical or liturgical direction. It signals a pause or interlude, either for reflection on the preceding words, a musical accompaniment to play, or a change in vocalization.
• Significance: Here, Selah punctuates a profound and desperate series of rhetorical questions, drawing the reader's or listener's attention to the weighty theological implications and emotional intensity of the psalmist's plea. It demands contemplation of the dire scenario presented.

• Words-group analysis:
• "Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you?": This combined question challenges God on two fronts related to the dead: His miraculous action on their behalf and their capacity for praise. It highlights the prevailing ancient Israelite belief that the dead in Sheol are disconnected from the active realm of God's wonders and the sphere of praise, prompting the psalmist to make his case for immediate divine intervention to avert death. It underscores a central tension between the goodness and power of God and the perceived finality and silence of death, prior to a fuller understanding of resurrection.

Psalm 88 10 Bonus section

The understanding of the afterlife, particularly Sheol, in the Old Testament, as reflected in Psalm 88, often portrays it as a place of shadows, silence, and oblivion, where active communion and praise of God cease. This presents a stark contrast with the progressive revelation throughout the Scriptures, culminating in the New Testament's triumphant proclamation of Christ's victory over death and the grave. The question posed in Psalm 88:10 finds its ultimate answer not in a denial of God's power in death, but in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who "has the keys of Death and Hades" (Rev 1:18). This demonstrates that God's wonders indeed extend beyond the grave, and the "departed" can rise to praise Him through the resurrection hope found in Christ (1 Cor 15:54-57). Psalm 88:10 serves as a powerful reminder of the Old Covenant's anticipation for such a transformative future and underscores the preciousness of life and the urgency of living in praise and obedience to God in the here and now.

Psalm 88 10 Commentary

Psalm 88:10 encapsulates the deep theological and existential struggle of the psalmist Heman. From his perspective at the brink of death, the grave (Sheol) represented a place of silence and separation from the active praise of God and the experience of His wonders. His rhetorical questions are not an assertion of God's inability, but a desperate plea framed around the current understanding of death: "Why would You let me die now, when I can still praise You and experience Your miracles in the land of the living? What good am I to You as a silent inhabitant of the grave?" The lament stems from a faith that desires to continue its relationship with God through worship, viewing physical death as a terrifying barrier to this spiritual connection. This verse vividly portrays the desperation of one facing an end that, from a mortal, temporal viewpoint, seemed to negate the very purpose of his existence as a worshipper of Yahweh. It emphasizes the importance of utilizing one's life to honor and praise the Most High God.