Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 88:13
But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
13. But as for me, unto thee, Jehovah, have I cried for help,
And in the morning shall my prayer come before thee.
He contrasts himself with the dead, whose covenant relation with God is at an end. He at least can still pray, and in spite of all discouragement will not cease to pray.
Prevent = ‘go to meet,’ as in Psa 59:10; Psa 79:8. The first thought of each day shall be prayer. Cp. Psa 5:3; Psa 55:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
13 18. Death brings no hope. Will not God then listen to his prayer and grant him some relief in his extremity of suffering and solitude?
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But unto thee have I cried, O Lord – I have earnestly prayed; I have sought thy gracious interposition.
And in the morning – That is, each morning; every day. My first business in the morning shall be prayer.
Shall my prayer prevent thee – Anticipate thee; go before thee: that is, it shall be early; so to speak even before thou dost awake to the employments of the day. The language is that which would be applicable to a case where one made an appeal to another for aid before he had arisen from his bed, or who came to him even while he was asleep – and who thus, with an earnest petition, anticipated his rising. Compare the notes at Job 3:12; compare Psa 21:3; Psa 59:10; Psa 79:8; Psa 119:148; Mat 17:25; 1Th 4:15.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 88:13
In the morning shall my prayer prevent Thee.
Morning devotion
As the Oriental traveller sets out for the sultry journey over burning sands by loading up his camel under the palm-trees shade, and fills his water flagons from the crystal fountain which sparkles at its roots, so does Christs pilgrim draw his morning supplies from the exhaustless spring. Morning is the golden hour for prayer and praise. The mind is fresh; the mercies of the night and the new resurrection of the dawn both prompt a devout soul to thankfulness. The buoyant heart takes its earliest flight, like the lark, towards the gates of heaven. One of the finest touches in Bunyans immortal allegory is his description of Christian in the chamber of Peace, who awoke and sang while his window looked out to the sun rising. In the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee. (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. Shall my prayer prevent thee.] It shall get before thee; I will not wait till the accustomed time to offer my morning sacrifice, I shall call on thee long before others come to offer their devotions.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. Early, come to thee, before the ordinary time of morning prayer, or before the dawning of the day, or the rising of the sun. The sense is, Though I have hitherto got no answer to my prayers, yet I will not give over praying nor hoping for an answer.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13. preventmeetthat is, hewill diligently come before God for help (Ps18:41).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But unto thee have I cried, O Lord,…. Formerly, and had been heard, answered, and relieved, and which was an encouragement to cry again to him in his distress; Christ was always heard, Joh 11:42, or, now, in his present case, yet was not heard, at least not immediately answered; which was the case of the Messiah, when forsaken by his God and Father, Ps 22:1, yet still determines to continue praying, as follows:
and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee; not before the Lord is awake, and can hear; for he neither slumbers nor sleeps, and he always hears: but the meaning is, that he would pray before he entered upon another business; this should be the first thing in the morning he would do, and this he would do before others did, or he himself used to do; before the usual time of morning prayer; signifying, he would pray to him very early, which is expressive of his vehemency, fervency, and importunity and earnestness, and what a sense he had of his case, and of his need of divine help: so Christ rose early in the morning, a great while before day, to pray, Mr 1:35.
[See comments on Ps 5:4].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
He who complains thus without knowing any comfort, and yet without despairing, gathers himself up afresh for prayer. With he contrasts himself with the dead who are separated from God’s manifestation of love. Being still in life, although under wrath that apparently has no end, he strains every nerve to struggle through in prayer until he shall reach God’s love. His complaints are petitions, for they are complaints that are poured forth before God. The destiny under which for a long time he has been more like one dying than living, reaches back even into his youth. (since is everywhere undeclined) is equivalent to . The of the lxx is the right indicator for the understanding of the .. . . Aben-Ezra and Kimchi derive it from , like from ,
(Note: The derivation is not contrary to the genius of the language; the supplementing productive force of the language displayed in the liturgical poetry of the synagogue, also changes particles into verbs: vid., Zunz, Die synagogaie Poesie des Mittelalters, S. 421.)
and assign to it the signification of dubitare. But it may be more safely explained after the Arabic words Arab. afana , afina , ma’fun (root ‘f , to urge forwards, push), in which the fundamental notion of driving back, narrowing and exhausting, is transferred to a weakening or weakness of the intellect. We might also compare , Arab. faniya , “to disappear, vanish, pass away;” but the of the lxx favours the kinship with that Arab. afina , infirma mente et consilii inops fuit ,
(Note: Abulwald also explains after the Arabic, but in a way that cannot be accepted, viz., “for a long time onwards,” from the Arabic iffan ( ibban , iff , afaf , ifaf , taiffah ), time, period – time conceived of in the onward rush, the constant succession of its moments.)
which has been already compared by Castell. The aorist of the lxx, however, is just as erroneous in this instance as in Psa 42:5; Psa 55:3; Psa 57:5. In all these instances the cohortative denotes the inward result following from an outward compulsion, as they say in Hebrew: I lay hold of trembling (Isa 13:8; Job 18:20; Job 21:6) or joy (Isa 35:10; Isa 51:11), when the force of circumstances drive one into such states of mind. Labouring under the burden of divine dispensations of a terrifying character, he finds himself in a state of mental weakness and exhaustion, or of insensible (senseless) fright; over him as their destined goal before many others go God’s burnings of wrath ( plur. only in this instance), His terrible decrees (vid., concerning on Psa 18:5) have almost annihilated him. is not an impossible form (Olshausen, 251, a), but an intensive form of , the last part of the already inflected verb being repeated, as in , Hos 4:18 (cf. in the department of the noun, , edge-edges = many edges, Psa 149:6), perhaps under the influence of the derivative.
(Note: Heidenheim interprets: Thy terrors are become to me as (Lev 25:23), i.e., inalienably my own.)
The corrections (from ) or (from ) are simple enough; but it is more prudent to let tradition judge of that which is possible in the usage of the language. In Psa 88:18 the burnings become floods; the wrath of God can be compared to every destroying and overthrowing element. The billows threaten to swallow him up, without any helping hand being stretched out to him on the part of any of his lovers and friends. In v. 19 a to be now explained according to Job 16:14, viz., My familiar friends are gloomy darkness; i.e., instead of those who were hitherto my familiars (Job 19:14), darkness is become my familiar friend? One would have thought that it ought then to have been (Schnurrer), or, according to Pro 7:4, , and that, in connection with this sense of the noun, ought as subject to have the precedence, that consequently is subject and predicate: my familiar friends have lost themselves in darkness, are become absolutely invisible (Hitzig at last). But the regular position of the words is kept to if it is interpreted: my familiar friends are reduced to gloomy darkness as my familiar friend, and the plural is justified by Job 19:14: Mother and sister (do I call) the worm. With this complaint the harp falls from the poet’s hands. He is silent, and waits on God, that He may solve this riddle of affliction. From the Book of Job we might infer that He also actually appeared to him. He is more faithful than men. No soul that in the midst of wrath lays hold upon His love, whether with a firm or with a trembling hand, is suffered to be lost.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(13) But unto Thee . . .Better, But as for me, I, &c. The pronoun is emphatic. The speaker has not gone down to the land where all is silent and forgotten, and can therefore still cry to God, and send his prayer to meet (prevent, i.e. go to meet; see Psa. 17:13) the Divine Being who still has an interest in him. And this makes the expostulation of the next verses still stronger. Why, since the sufferer is still alive, is he forsaken, or seemingly forsaken, by the God of that covenant in which he still abides?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Unto thee have I cried Here faith rallies and reasserts herself, as in Psa 88:1. No relief has yet come, but the psalmist gives himself to prayer, which itself implies hope.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
There is a great degree of earnestness in the sorrows, again repeated, through these verses. Jesus, from the moment of his birth to the cross, sanctified and set apart as he was, a Nazarite from the womb, in the eye of the law, stood forth the Surety and the burden-bearer both of the sins and sorrows of his people: and it is a blessed thought for the believer, in the heart-felt knowledge and conviction of it, that though such rich, free, sovereign grace is shown to a poor sinner, in the providing of such a substitute as Jesus to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself, yet, in the accomplishment of this great undertaking, there was no favor nor forbearance shown to Christ. If he will be a Surety, he shall smart for it: never will the law relax a single claim, nor justice forgive an iota of what is due. Thou shalt not come out thence, from the prison of the sinner’s dreadful bondage, until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing; Mat 5:26 . Reader, do not hastily pass over this sweet view of Jesus. In the thorough conviction that the Lord Christ, in all his sufferings, personated his people, bore their sins, expiated their transgressions, and died, the just for the unjust, to bring them unto God; here lieth the whole assurance of salvation. It is this which alone gives confidence in every true believer’s soul, against sin and Satan, the terrors of God’s law and justice. Here alone are founded the triumphs of faith, in believing the record, which God hath given of his Son.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 88:13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
Ver. 13. But unto thee have I cried ] Oh, condescend to thy poor crying creature in extremity.
In the morning
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 88:13-18
13But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14O Lord, why do You reject my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;
I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.
16Your burning anger has passed over me;
Your terrors have destroyed me.
17They have surrounded me like water all day long;
They have encompassed me altogether.
18You have removed lover and friend far from me;
My acquaintances are in darkness.
Psa 88:13-18 This repeats the emphasis of the previous verses. The psalmist feels estranged from God and family and friends! He is alone! This Psalm ends in despair (cf. Psa 88:14)! He does not understand what is happening to him, either physically or spiritually!
Psa 88:15 Does this verse imply that the psalmist has been sick from his youth and is near death or is this imagery of a prolonged sense of abandonment by God?
The verb in the MT (BDB 806, KB 918, Qal imperfect) can be from one of two roots.
1. – BDB 67, either (1) to be helpless, (2) to be confused, or (3) very, very much
2. – found only here and meaning uncertain
3. – to grow numb (NET Bible)
This verse is difficult to translate because the MT is difficult (JPSOA footnote)
LXX and after being exalted,
I was humbled and became perplexed
Peshitta I have been proud, but now I am humbled and crushed
Psa 88:18 in darkness The same consonants can mean withholding (Peshitta). JPSOA takes the MT darkness and translates it as cannot see.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. As you read this Psalm what is your first impression?
2. What is the psalmist’s problem?
3. Why does he feel God has abandoned him? Does he express any hope? How?
4. Describe the OT view of the afterlife.
5. Why is Psa 88:4 so painful?
6. Does the psalmist express any hope that God will hear, come, help?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
prevent = come before.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 88:13-18
Psa 88:13-18
THE CRY REPEATED; MORE DETAILS OF SORROW
“But unto thee, O Jehovah, have I cried;
And in the morning shall my prayer come before thee.
Jehovah, why casteth thou off my soul?
Why hidest thou thy face from me?
I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up:
While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
Thy fierce wrath is gone over me;
They terrors have cut me off.
They came round about me like water all the day long;
They compassed me about together.
Lover and friend hast thou put far from me,
And mine acquaintance unto darkness.”
“In the morning shall my prayer come before thee” (Psa 88:13). “Although the psalmist’s distress has reached critical proportions, his faith in God greets each new day with prayer, in spite of the fact that he is perplexed by God’s purposes as seen in his life. He could not understand the reason for his wretched condition; and it was a mystery to him why he should have been required to pass through such terrible experiences; but he kept on praying every day! That is the glory of this ancient Saint. What a contrast is he with those persons who, signally blessed of God, and passing through life with large measures of success, and with practically no suffering of any kind, but who never worship God and never pray!
“Why hidest thou thy face?” (Psa 88:14). The most sorrowful thing about this psalm is that the psalmist has no sense of feeling that God has answered his prayers, or even heard them. No assurance, comfort, and encouragement of any kind have come to him. He feels utterly cut off from every blessing of God.
In whatever direction the psalmist looks, he sees only blackness and despair. “Looking backward at the past, he sees nothing but health and fortune (Psa 88:15). Looking unto God he is terrified (Psa 88:15 b-17). Looking for human comfort, he can see no one at all (Psa 88:18).
“Lover and friend hast thou put far from me” (Psa 88:18). This is another line that would be extremely difficult to apply to the nation of Israel; but it seems appropriate enough if referred to the desertion of a leper by his family and friends.
“And mine acquaintance into darkness” (Psa 88:18). Baigent noted that we should read this as, “Darkness is my one companion left.
“Darkness” (Psa 88:18). What an awful word with which to close a psalm; and yet it is admittedly very apt and appropriate for a psalm like this.
“Herein lies the wonder of this psalmist’s triumphant faith. That a man should see no light at all and yet go right on supplicating God in fervent, ceaseless prayer that is an unqualified marvel. Truly, this Old Testament saint can be our master and teacher.”
Kidner addressed the question of, “What, really, is the roll of this psalm in Scripture? and we are indebted to him for some of the thoughts we have paraphrased here in our own efforts to assess the meaning of this psalm for Christians today.
(1) This psalm reveals the truth that Christians may sometimes be subjected to the most unrelenting and terrible misfortunes in passing through this earthly life. It happened to Job; it happened to this psalmist; and it can happen to any child of God.
What a joyful thing it is that, unlike the pitiful sufferer here, the Christian today has the advantage of the blessed hope of the resurrection “in Christ” and the hope of eternal glory in heaven.
(2) There is the lesson of this psalm that no matter how discouraging and terrible one’s lot in life may be, he should not fail to lay the matter before the Lord in prayer. God always answers the prayers of his saints, even if their specific requests must be denied, as in the case of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.”
(3) Our lives upon earth are only a moment compared to the ceaseless ages of eternity; and our attitude during the very worst of experiences should be the same as that of Job, who cried, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him” (Job 13:15).
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 88:13. One meaning of the original for prevent is “to precede.” David meant that in the morning he would offer a prayer to precede the favors he expected to get from God through the day.
Psa 88:14. This is another of David’s plaintive appeals to God. My soul referred to his life in general. His distress was so great that he felt as if he had been cast off from the face of the Lord.
Psa 88:15. Thy terrors referred to the terrible afflictions that God suffered the enemies to impose upon David. They were so bitter that he was distracted at times.
Psa 88:16. Again David was using strong language to express the bitterness of his experiences. Cut me off means he was undone and cast down in despair.
Psa 88:17. Water is often used figuratively to compare the volume of afflictions overflowing one. Those imposed upon David were like a continuous flood.
Psa 88:18. See comments at Psa 88:8 for the explanation of this.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
and in: Psa 5:3, Psa 119:147, Psa 119:148, Mar 1:35
prevent thee: “Come before thee.” See note on Psa 21:3.
Reciprocal: Job 19:10 – destroyed Lam 3:56 – hide 1Th 4:15 – prevent
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 88:13-18. In the morning shall my prayer prevent thee That is, shall be offered to thee early, before the ordinary time of morning prayer, or before the dawning of the day, or the rising of the sun. The sense is, Though I have hitherto got no answer to my prayers, yet I will not give over praying and hoping for an answer. Why hidest thou thy face from me? This proceeding seems not to agree with the benignity of thy nature, nor with the manner of thy dealing with thy people. I am ready to die from my youth up My whole life hath been filled with a succession of deadly calamities. O Lord, take some pity upon me, and let me have a little breathing space before I die. While I suffer thy terrors Upon my mind and conscience, which accompany and aggravate my outward miseries, I am distracted I am so astonished, that I know not what to do with myself. They came about me like water As the waters of the sea encompass him who is in the midst, and at the bottom of it.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3. The sufferer’s faith 88:13-18
For the third time, Heman cried out to God for help (cf. Psa 88:1-2; Psa 88:13). He asked for an explanation of his suffering (Psa 88:14). Then he described his sufferings further (Psa 88:15-18). Still, he kept turning to God in prayer, waiting for an answer and some relief.
"With darkness as its final word, what is the role of this psalm in Scripture? For the beginning of an answer we may note, first, its witness to the possibility of unrelieved suffering as a believer’s earthly lot. The happy ending of most psalms of this kind is seen to be a bonus, not a due; its withholding is not a proof of either God’s displeasure or His defeat. Secondly, the psalm adds its voice to the ’groaning in travail’ which forbids us to accept the present order as final. It is a sharp reminder that ’we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies’ (Rom 8:22 f.). Thirdly, this author, like Job, does not give up. He completes his prayer, still in the dark and totally unrewarded. The taunt, ’Does Job fear God for naught?’, is answered yet again. Fourthly, the author’s name allows us, with hindsight, to see that his rejection was only apparent (see the opening comments on the psalm). His existence was no mistake; there was a divine plan bigger than he knew, and a place in it reserved most carefully for him." [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 319. See also Brueggemann, pp. 80-81.]
When God does not relieve affliction, the godly continue to pray, trusting that He will eventually grant their petition if this is His will.