Psalm 88:16 kjv
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
Psalm 88:16 nkjv
Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off.
Psalm 88:16 niv
Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me.
Psalm 88:16 esv
Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me.
Psalm 88:16 nlt
Your fierce anger has overwhelmed me.
Your terrors have paralyzed me.
Psalm 88 16 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 90:7 | For we are consumed by your anger and terrified by your wrath. | Divine wrath consumes |
| Lam 2:4 | He has bent His bow like an enemy...poured out His wrath like fire. | God's wrath poured out |
| Isa 5:25 | Therefore the Lord's anger burns against His people; His hand is stretched out... | God's hand of anger |
| Nah 1:6 | Who can stand before His indignation? Who can endure the heat of His anger? | Endurance against divine fury |
| Jer 30:24 | The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back... | Lord's anger is relentless |
| Num 11:33 | While the meat was still between their teeth...the wrath of the Lord kindled. | Wrath kindled for disobedience |
| Job 19:11 | He has also kindled His wrath against me, and He counts me as one of His adversaries. | God's wrath directly against Job |
| Deut 32:22 | For a fire is kindled by My anger, and burns to the lowest part of Sheol... | God's anger consumes to Sheol |
| Rev 6:16-17 | "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who is seated on the throne...for the great day of their wrath has come." | Day of divine wrath has come |
| Psa 6:1 | O Lord, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor discipline me in Your wrath. | Prayer against God's anger |
| Job 6:4 | For the arrows of the Almighty are in me; my spirit drinks their poison; the terrors of God are arrayed against me. | Terrors of God assail |
| Job 7:14 | then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions... | Divine terrors frighten |
| Deut 28:20 | The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything...because of your evil deeds. | Terrors as divine judgment |
| 1 Sam 16:14 | Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. | Harmful spirit from God |
| Isa 53:8 | By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living... | Suffering servant cut off |
| Psa 37:9 | For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. | Evildoers cut off by judgment |
| Isa 38:12 | Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is plucked up and removed from me...My life is cut off as by a weaver. | Life cut off prematurely |
| Psa 22:1-2 | My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me... | Cry of abandonment |
| Lam 3:1 | I am the man who has seen affliction under the rod of His wrath. | Affliction from God's wrath |
| Psa 42:7 | Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have swept over me. | Overwhelmed by God's waves |
| Jon 2:3 | For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas...all Your waves and Your breakers passed over me. | Swept over by God's power |
| Matt 27:46 | About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?” | Christ's cry of desolation |
| Job 13:21 | Only withdraw Your hand from me, and let not dread of You terrify me. | Prayer for dread to depart |
| Psa 18:4 | The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me. | Overwhelmed by destructive forces |
| Psa 89:38 | But You have cast off and rejected Your anointed; You have become furious with Him. | Feeling rejected by God |
| Psa 38:2 | For Your arrows have sunk into me, and Your hand has come down on me. | God's hand causes suffering |
Psalm 88 verses
Psalm 88 16 Meaning
Psalm 88:16 describes the Psalmist's overwhelming experience of divine wrath and terrifying judgments, leading to a profound sense of being utterly destroyed or cut off. It vividly portrays a state of extreme distress and desolation, directly attributed to the active hand of God. The verse expresses that God's intense anger and fearsome presence have swept over and consumed the individual, leaving them feeling completely undone.
Psalm 88 16 Context
Psalm 88 is uniquely profound in its lament. It is a "Maskil," often signifying a contemplative or instructional psalm. It stands as perhaps the darkest psalm in the entire Psalter, marked by relentless despair without any customary shift to hope, praise, or deliverance. The Psalmist, Heman the Ezrahite, presents himself as someone nearing death, socially isolated, physically afflicted, and abandoned by God. Verse 16 deepens this theological crisis, as the Psalmist perceives God not merely as absent, but as the active agent of his suffering and impending doom. Unlike typical laments that end with a plea for salvation and a declaration of trust, Psalm 88 concludes in darkness, with the Psalmist's "companions have gone into darkness" (v. 18), signifying complete desolation and divine rejection. This challenges simple notions of divine reward and punishment, highlighting a profound, incomprehensible suffering directly orchestrated by God.
Psalm 88 16 Word analysis
- Thy fierce wrath (חֲרוֹנְךָ֙, charonəḵā):
- charon (חָרוֹן): This Hebrew term denotes a strong, burning anger or hot displeasure. It is often used to describe God's righteous anger, especially against sin or rebellion (e.g., Num 25:4; Ps 78:49).
- Significance: Here, it conveys an active, intense, and consuming divine indignation, experienced by the Psalmist as a personal and destructive force. It's not passive disapproval but a formidable, searing fire.
- goeth over me (עָבַ֣ר עָלַי֙, ʿāḇar ʿālāy):
- ʿāḇar (עָבַר): To pass over, sweep across, transgress, cross, go through. The preposition ʿal (עַל) implies "upon" or "over."
- Significance: The imagery suggests being overwhelmed, submerged, or engulfed by the wrath, similar to a flood or a destructive storm (cf. Ps 42:7; Jon 2:3). It emphasizes the pervasive and inescapable nature of the divine judgment, leaving the Psalmist no escape or sanctuary. It denotes the experience as a continuous, active process that is completely overwhelming.
- thy terrors (בְּעוּתֶ֣יךָ, bəʿûṯeyḵā):
- bəʿût (בְּעוּת): Derived from a root meaning "to alarm, to frighten suddenly." It refers to dreadful or frightening experiences, or a state of terror.
- Significance: These are not ordinary fears but profound, incapacitating dreads directly caused by God. They are an active expression of divine power designed to cause extreme spiritual and psychological anguish. This implies the horrific impact of God's direct interaction in the Psalmist's suffering, a divine "dread" that completely unmans him.
- have cut me off (צִמְּתֻ֣תֻנִי, tzimməṯuṯunî):
- tzâmat (צָמַת): To destroy, put an end to, utterly consume, to annihilate. It implies being completely severed or wiped out. The suffix indicates "me."
- Significance: This strong verb portrays a complete and irreversible destruction or annihilation, either literally bringing the Psalmist to the brink of death or metaphorically destroying his life, hope, and connections. It underscores the ultimate, finality of the suffering as directly stemming from God's terrors. The Psalmist feels his very existence has been terminated by these divine forces.
- "Thy fierce wrath goeth over me": This phrase vividly portrays the Psalmist's perception of God's active, overwhelming anger as an inescapable, all-consuming force. It's not a mere personal feeling but an invasive spiritual flood that envelops him, highlighting an intimate, yet terrifying, encounter with divine judgment.
- "thy terrors have cut me off": This underscores the annihilating and isolating effect of divine judgment. The "terrors" are not just fear-inducing experiences, but active agents of destruction that sever the Psalmist's connection to life, hope, and community, indicating a profound sense of utter devastation and impending demise, orchestrated by God Himself.
Psalm 88 16 Bonus section
Psalm 88 is notable for its theological frankness, representing the only psalm that ends without any clear resolution of hope or praise. This challenges common theological frameworks that expect suffering to lead to triumph or clearer understanding. It permits a voice of utter despair to be part of the inspired Scriptures, showing that even in the deepest spiritual abandonment, one can still cry out to God, however unanswered the plea might feel. The Psalmist's unwavering attribution of his suffering to God, even in his distress, showcases a deep, albeit painful, engagement with the reality of God's sovereign hand over all circumstances, including profound personal desolation. This verse is a poignant reminder that genuine faith encompasses grappling with the perplexing and terrifying aspects of divine providence.
Psalm 88 16 Commentary
Psalm 88:16 articulates the raw, unmitigated despair of a soul consumed by the active judgment of God. This verse, at the heart of the darkest psalm, shows the Psalmist's unyielding belief that his suffering and near-death state are direct divine actions, not merely unfortunate circumstances. "Fierce wrath" describes an intense, burning anger, while "goeth over me" suggests an engulfing, inescapable deluge, leaving no part of the Psalmist untouched. "Thy terrors" are not general fears, but profound, spiritual dread directly emanating from God, which have had a decisive, destructive impact: they "have cut me off," implying a complete severing from life, hope, and perhaps even connection to God himself, leading to utter ruination. This verse powerfully portrays the unique and profound theological crisis of Psalm 88, where God is perceived not as deliverer but as the very source of one's complete undoing. It stands as a vital expression of lament, acknowledging the awe-inspiring, and sometimes terrifying, dimensions of God's nature and the mystery of profound, divinely-sanctioned suffering.