Psalm 88 12

Psalm 88:12 kjv

Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 88:12 nkjv

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 88:12 niv

Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

Psalm 88:12 esv

Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Psalm 88:12 nlt

Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds?
Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?

Psalm 88 verses

Psalm 88 12 Meaning

Psalm 88:12 consists of two rhetorical questions that express the psalmist's profound despair and a sense of imminent death, where he fears God's mighty acts and faithful character will no longer be witnessed or celebrated by him. The questions imply a strong negative answer from the psalmist's current limited understanding: in the darkness of the grave (Sheol) or the "land of forgetfulness," how could God's wonders be known or His righteousness be proclaimed? It reflects an ancient understanding of death as a realm of silence and separation from the living worship and active remembrance of God.

Psalm 88 12 Context

Psalm 88 is one of the darkest and most despairing psalms of lament in the Bible, attributed to Heman the Ezrahite. Unlike many laments that end with a turn towards hope or praise, Psalm 88 concludes with unrelenting gloom ("darkness is my closest friend," v. 18). The psalmist describes himself as dying (vv. 3-4), abandoned by God and people (vv. 5, 8, 18), suffering immensely from God's wrath (vv. 6-7, 15-16), and seemingly forgotten by the Almighty (vv. 14-15).

Verse 12 is part of a series of six rhetorical questions (vv. 10-12) where the psalmist challenges God, asking if God's powerful acts (wonders, lovingkindness, faithfulness, righteousness) can truly be known, declared, or appreciated in the realm of the dead (Sheol, Abaddon, darkness, land of forgetfulness). The cultural and historical context views Sheol, the common grave, as a silent, shadowy place where communication with God or active praise ceases (e.g., Ps 6:5; 115:17; Isa 38:18). The psalmist’s intense plea stems from the belief that if he dies, he will no longer be able to participate in God's worship or be a witness to God's character and power. His plea is not a theological statement on God's omnipotence, but an anguished cry based on his limited, suffering human perspective that death would sever his relationship of praise.

Psalm 88 12 Word analysis

• Shall Your wonders:

  • Hebrew: Hătiwādde‘a (הֲתִוָּדַעַ) pilʾăkā (פִּלְאֲךָ).
  • Hătiwādde‘a: Form of the verb yādaʿ (to know), here in the Niphal (passive) stem, imperfect tense, with interrogative ha-. "Will they be known?" or "Can it be made known?". It implies revelation, disclosure.
  • pilʾăkā: From peleʾ (פֶלֶא), meaning "wonder," "miracle," "extraordinary deed." Refers to God's acts of power and marvels, especially those that defy human explanation and demonstrate His divine capability (e.g., the Exodus plagues, creation).
  • Significance: The psalmist asks if God's astonishing deeds, which reveal His power and majesty, can still be witnessed or acknowledged by him if he enters death's realm. This questions the very purpose of divine action if its witness is extinguished.

• be known: (see above under "Shall Your wonders")

  • Significance: This active form of knowing and making known is central to worship and testimony in ancient Israel. The psalmist fears losing this vital connection.

• in the darkness?

  • Hebrew: baḥōšek (בַּחֹשֶׁךְ).
  • baḥōšek: ba- (in) + ḥōšek (חֹשֶׁךְ), "darkness," "gloom," "obscurity."
  • Significance: In biblical literature, darkness is often associated with Sheol, the grave, death, and absence of light/life/divine presence (Job 10:21; Ps 143:3). It emphasizes the physical and metaphorical state of the dead. This is the first poetic synonym for the grave.

• Or Your righteousness:

  • Hebrew: wĕṣidqātĕkā (וְצִדְקָתֶךָ).
  • wĕṣidqātĕkā: wĕ- (and/or) + ṣidqā (צִדְקָה), "righteousness," "justice," "faithfulness," "deliverance." In a theological sense, God's righteousness often refers to His faithfulness to His covenant, His just governance, and His redemptive acts that establish right relationships and deliver His people.
  • Significance: This word moves from God's general powerful deeds (wonders) to His specific moral and salvific character (righteousness). It implies that His covenant faithfulness and saving acts would also be unseen or uncelebrated by the psalmist in death.

• in the land of forgetfulness?

  • Hebrew: bĕʾereṣ nĕšiyyâ (בְּאֶרֶץ נְשִׁיָּה).
  • bĕʾereṣ: bĕ- (in) + ʾereṣ (אֶרֶץ), "land," "earth," "ground."
  • nĕšiyyâ: (נְשִׁיָּה) "forgetfulness," "oblivion," from nāšâ (נָשָׁה) "to forget."
  • Significance: This is a powerful, metaphorical designation for Sheol, the grave. It suggests that those who enter it are themselves forgotten, and more poignantly for the psalmist, they forget (or cannot act as witnesses) to God's works. The fear is mutual: the living might forget the dead, and the dead are unable to remember or proclaim God's attributes actively. This term underscores the psalmist's isolation and fear of eternal spiritual non-existence, unable to remember or celebrate God.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Shall Your wonders... in the darkness?" vs. "Or Your righteousness... in the land of forgetfulness?": This parallel structure uses two synonymous expressions for death/Sheol ("darkness" and "land of forgetfulness") to underscore the same anguished point. It employs merism (contrasting parts to represent a whole) to express the totality of the grave's inability to participate in divine praise. The progression from general "wonders" to specific "righteousness" highlights that even God's covenant loyalty would seemingly cease to be witnessed from this perspective. The rhetorical questions intensify the desperation, as the implied answer (No!) leaves no room for hope within the psalmist's limited human vision.

Psalm 88 12 Bonus section

• Polemics against contemporary beliefs: While not a direct polemic, this psalm implicitly challenges common ANE views of underworld deities or rituals to communicate with the dead. The psalmist’s questions are directed solely to Yahweh, emphasizing that if Yahweh Himself is not present and active in the realm of the dead in a way that allows for knowledge and praise, then no other power can enable it. It subtly underlines God’s exclusive authority even over the boundaries of life and death, setting Him apart from the localized or limited gods of surrounding nations.
• The development of eschatology: Psalm 88 beautifully illustrates the evolving understanding of the afterlife within biblical revelation. It presents a stark, lamenting view of Sheol that lacks the full clarity of later prophets (e.g., Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2) and, supremely, the New Testament's proclamation of bodily resurrection through Jesus Christ. The "land of forgetfulness" becomes, through Christ, the ground from which new life springs forth, where God's ultimate wonder (resurrection) and righteousness (conquest of sin and death) are eternally revealed.

Psalm 88 12 Commentary

Psalm 88:12 serves as a deeply poignant expression of existential dread from the perspective of a person on the brink of death, living under the Old Covenant's less defined understanding of the afterlife. The psalmist asks two rhetorical questions, not to genuinely seek information, but to underscore his profound fear: "If I die, will Your magnificent deeds (wonders) continue to be known, and will Your faithful character (righteousness) be acknowledged in the realm of the dead?" He views death as "darkness" and the "land of forgetfulness" (Sheol), places where he anticipates no light, no memory, no capacity to bear witness to God's greatness or receive His continued mercies. This is a common lament theme in the Old Testament, where the cessation of praise in Sheol is a powerful motivation for prayer to remain alive.

The anguish arises from a double bind: the psalmist experiences God's present wrath (v. 7, 16) and feels forsaken, yet his greatest fear is that dying will permanently sever his ability to ever know or praise God again, a profound theological tragedy for a person of faith. This lament vividly portrays the limitation of human understanding of God's redemptive plan before the full revelation of Christ's victory over death. While the psalmist perceives the grave as a barrier to God's known active presence and praise, later biblical revelation, especially in the New Testament, declares that God's power extends even into Sheol through Christ's descent and glorious resurrection. Christ’s triumph over death redefines "darkness" and the "land of forgetfulness" by demonstrating that even there, God’s wonders and righteousness can be profoundly revealed and conquer (Eph 4:9; 1 Cor 15:55-57). The psalmist’s despair thus serves as a powerful backdrop highlighting the radical hope brought by the Gospel, which affirms that not even death can separate us from the love of God (Rom 8:38-39).