Psalm 88:17 kjv
They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
Psalm 88:17 nkjv
They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me altogether.
Psalm 88:17 niv
All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me.
Psalm 88:17 esv
They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together.
Psalm 88:17 nlt
They swirl around me like floodwaters all day long.
They have engulfed me completely.
Psalm 88 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 69:1-2 | Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck... I sink... | Overwhelming floodwaters of trouble |
| Jon 2:3-5 | You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me... | Being engulfed by waters of death |
| Ps 42:7 | Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have swept over me. | Waves of trouble sweeping over |
| Lam 3:54 | Waters closed over my head; I said, 'I am lost.' | Water imagery for feeling consumed/lost |
| Isa 8:7-8 | the Lord is bringing up against them the waters of the River, mighty and many... | Devastating waters representing invaders |
| Ps 18:4 | The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me. | Surrounded by destructive forces |
| Ps 22:12 | Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me. | Encirclement by powerful enemies |
| Ps 118:10-12 | All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off. | Surrounded by enemies, but with eventual deliverance |
| Ps 38:6 | I am bowed down and brought very low; all the day I go about mourning. | Constant suffering and grief |
| Ps 31:10 | For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength fails... | Life consumed by distress and grief |
| Ps 102:4 | My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread. | All-consuming sorrow |
| Job 10:20-21 | Are not my days few? Cease then, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go... | Yearning for a break from incessant suffering |
| Ps 6:6-7 | I am weary with my moaning; every night I drench my bed with tears... | Continuous lamentation |
| Ps 73:6 | Pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. | Metaphorical "covering" or surrounding |
| Ps 55:3-5 | because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked; for they drop trouble upon me and in wrath they hate me. Fear and trembling come upon me; horror overwhelms me. | Terror and horror overwhelming the soul |
| Ps 142:3 | When my spirit faints within me, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. | Feeling cornered and trapped |
| Job 30:14-16 | They come as through a wide breach; amid the crash they roll on. Terrors turn upon me; they pursue my honor as a wind... | Assaulted by relentless terrors |
| Ps 88:3-5 | For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol... You have laid me in the lowest pit, in utter darkness, in the depths. | The broader context of deep, unrelieved suffering in Ps 88 |
| Ps 18:16 | He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. | God's power to deliver from overwhelming waters |
| Ps 32:6 | Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. | Trust in God amidst dangers |
Psalm 88 verses
Psalm 88 17 Meaning
Psalm 88:17 expresses the psalmist's profound distress as he feels perpetually besieged by overwhelming troubles. The troubles are likened to water, an unceasing, pervasive force that has completely enveloped him from every side, continuing without respite throughout his waking hours. It portrays an existence where suffering is the constant, inescapable reality, encompassing him fully and completely.
Psalm 88 17 Context
Psalm 88 stands unique as perhaps the darkest lament in the Psalter, expressing unmitigated suffering without a clear resolution or statement of hope often found in other psalms of complaint. It is ascribed to Heman the Ezrahite, a Levite associated with temple music. The psalmist feels abandoned by God and isolated from others, enduring severe physical, mental, and spiritual agony. Verse 17 depicts the culmination of this overwhelming despair, emphasizing the perpetual and inescapable nature of his plight. The surrounding "waters" metaphor points to relentless calamities, perhaps internal despondency, illness, or external enemies, all combining to completely engulf the sufferer, much like one drowning or caught in an endless torrent. Unlike many laments where divine intervention is pleaded for with an expectation of hearing, Psalm 88 ends with continued darkness, painting a raw and honest picture of profound spiritual crisis and emotional desolation experienced by the faithful.
Psalm 88 17 Word analysis
- They surround me: סבבוני (savvûni). Derived from the Hebrew root savav (to go around, turn, surround, encompass). This verb conveys a sense of being completely enclosed and encircled by hostile forces or circumstances. It suggests an active and continuous act of being pressed in from all directions, leaving no escape.
- like water: כמים (ka-mayim). The Hebrew prefix 'כ' (ka-) means "like" or "as." "מים" (mayim) means water. In biblical poetry, water is a powerful and versatile metaphor. While it can signify life, refreshment, and divine blessing, here it functions as a symbol of overwhelming chaos, danger, and destruction, as seen in floods, torrents, or a sea of troubles. The simile vividly portrays the relentless, uncontrollable, and all-consuming nature of the psalmist's distress.
- all day long: כל-היום (kol-ha-yom). This phrase emphasizes the ceaseless, ongoing duration of the suffering. It is not an occasional or transient burden, but a constant presence from morning to night, leaving no period of respite. This perpetual aspect deepens the sense of despair and exhaustion.
- they encompass me: הקיפוני (hikîphûni). From the Hebrew root naqaph (to strike around, go around, encompass). This verb reinforces the meaning of "surround," doubling down on the imagery of total enclosure. The use of two distinct but related verbs for encirclement ("savvûni" and "hikîphûni") underscores the intensity and totality of the confinement, highlighting that every facet of the psalmist's life is under attack or burdened.
- altogether: יחדו (yaḥdāw). This adverb means "together" or "as one" or "wholly/completely." It amplifies the previous verbs, emphasizing that the various troubles coalesce into a unified, singular, and pervasive force. There is no partial encirclement; the distress is complete and absolute, allowing no corner of existence to remain untouched or unburdened.
Words-group analysis
- They surround me like water: This powerful pairing combines the suffocating effect of encirclement with the irresistible and overwhelming force of water. It's not just that enemies are near, but they are an inescapable, life-threatening torrent, washing over and drowning the psalmist in affliction.
- all day long; they encompass me altogether: This phrase emphatically communicates the continuous and total nature of the psalmist's predicament. The suffering is not only constant ("all day long") but also comprehensive ("altogether"). It pervades every moment and every aspect of his being, signifying a complete and relentless spiritual, emotional, and possibly physical drowning.
Psalm 88 17 Bonus section
The deep pathos of Psalm 88, particularly in this verse, speaks to experiences of unremitting sorrow, isolation, and perceived abandonment. While many Psalms offer a turn to hope or trust, Psalm 88 does not. This unyielding honesty provides a crucial theological space for acknowledging the darkest valleys of human experience without demanding an immediate spiritual resolution or forcing a cheerful outlook. It reveals that expressing raw pain, even despair, to God is a valid and sometimes necessary form of prayer and worship. The repeated, intensified language signifies not just a challenge but an inescapable existential state. The psalmist is not merely passing through a trial, but is living within a continuous flood of adversity, fully submerged.
Psalm 88 17 Commentary
Psalm 88:17 distills the psalmist's dire reality into two stark, repetitive statements of utter envelopment. The "waters" are a universal image of distress, but here they are explicitly an instrument of suffocation, relentless in their attack. The doubling of the verbs "surround" and "encompass," intensified by "all day long" and "altogether," serves to underscore the completeness and constancy of the affliction. There is no escaping this overwhelming pressure, which defines every moment of the psalmist's waking life. The verse is a profound expression of a soul teetering on the brink of being fully consumed by despair, with no clear way out or relief in sight. It stands as a testament to the raw honesty permitted within lament in biblical faith, validating the experience of feeling completely overwhelmed and forsaken, even by God.