Discovery BoxPsalms 87:1--88:18
ContextWritten by the Korahites; a psalm, a song.
87:1 The Lord’s city is in the holy hills. 2
87:2 The Lord loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.
87:3 People say wonderful things about you, 3
O city of God. (Selah)
87:4 I mention Rahab 4 and Babylon to my followers. 5
Here are 6 Philistia and Tyre, 7 along with Ethiopia. 8
It is said of them, “This one was born there.” 9
87:5 But it is said of Zion’s residents, 10
“Each one of these 11 was born in her,
and the sovereign One 12 makes her secure.” 13
87:6 The Lord writes in the census book of the nations, 14
“This one was born there.” 15 (Selah)
87:7 As for the singers, as well as the pipers –
all of them sing within your walls. 16
A song, a psalm written by the Korahites; for the music director; according to the machalath-leannoth style; 18 a well-written song 19 by Heman the Ezrachite.
88:1 O Lord God who delivers me! 20
By day I cry out
and at night I pray before you. 21
Pay attention 23 to my cry for help!
88:3 For my life 24 is filled with troubles
and I am ready to enter Sheol. 25
88:4 They treat me like 26 those who descend into the grave. 27
I am like a helpless man, 28
88:5 adrift 29 among the dead,
like corpses lying in the grave,
whom you remember no more,
and who are cut off from your power. 30
88:6 You place me in the lowest regions of the pit, 31
in the dark places, in the watery depths.
88:7 Your anger bears down on me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah)
88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;
you make me an appalling sight to them.
I am trapped and cannot get free. 32
88:9 My eyes grow weak because of oppression.
I call out to you, O Lord, all day long;
I spread out my hands in prayer to you. 33
88:10 Do you accomplish amazing things for the dead?
Do the departed spirits 34 rise up and give you thanks? (Selah)
88:11 Is your loyal love proclaimed in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the place of the dead? 35
88:12 Are your amazing deeds experienced 36 in the dark region, 37
or your deliverance in the land of oblivion? 38
88:13 As for me, I cry out to you, O Lord;
in the morning my prayer confronts you.
88:14 O Lord, why do you reject me,
and pay no attention to me? 39
88:15 I am oppressed and have been on the verge of death since my youth. 40
I have been subjected to your horrors and am numb with pain. 41
88:16 Your anger overwhelms me; 42
your terrors destroy me.
88:17 They surround me like water all day long;
they join forces and encircle me. 43
88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors to keep their distance; 44
those who know me leave me alone in the darkness. 45
[87:1] 1 sn Psalm 87. The psalmist celebrates the Lord’s presence in Zion and the special status of its citizens.
[87:1] 2 tn Heb “his foundation [is] in the hills of holiness.” The expression “his foundation” refers here by metonymy to the
[87:3] 3 tn Heb “glorious things are spoken about you.” The translation assumes this is a general reference to compliments paid to Zion by those who live within her walls and by those who live in the surrounding areas and lands. Another option is that this refers to a prophetic oracle about the city’s glorious future. In this case one could translate, “wonderful things are announced concerning you.”
[87:4] 4 sn “Rahab,” which means “proud one,” is used here as a title for Egypt (see Isa 30:7).
[87:4] 5 tn Heb “to those who know me” (see Ps 36:10). Apparently the
[87:4] 7 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[87:4] 9 tn Heb “and this one was born there.” The words “It is said of them” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied for clarification and stylistic purposes (see v. 5). Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand “there” as referring to Zion, but it seems more likely that the adverb refers to the nations just mentioned. The foreigners are identified by their native lands.
[87:5] 10 tn Heb “and of Zion it is said.” Another option is to translate, “and to Zion it is said.” In collocation with the Niphal of אָמַר (’amar), the preposition lamed (-לְ) can introduce the recipient of the statement (see Josh 2:2; Jer 4:11; Hos 1:10; Zeph 3:16), carry the nuance “concerning, of” (see Num 23:23), or mean “be named” (see Isa 4:3; 62:4).
[87:5] 11 tn Heb “a man and a man.” The idiom also appears in Esth 1:8. The translation assumes that the phrase refers to each of Zion’s residents, in contrast to the foreigners mentioned in v. 4. Those advocating the universalistic interpretation understand this as a reference to each of the nations, including those mentioned in v. 4.
[87:5] 12 tn Traditionally “Most High.”
[87:5] 13 tn Heb “and he makes her secure, the Most High.”
[87:6] 14 tn Heb “the
[87:6] 15 tn As noted in v. 4, the translation assumes a contrast between “there” (the various foreign lands) and “in her” (Zion). In contrast to foreigners, the citizens of Zion have special status because of their birthplace (v. 5). In this case vv. 4 and 6 form a structural frame around v. 5.
[87:7] 16 tc Heb “and singers, like pipers, all my springs [are] in you.” The participial form חֹלְלִים (kholÿlim) appears to be from a denominative verb meaning “play the pipe,” though some derive the form from חוּל (khul, “dance”). In this case the duplicated lamed (ל) requires an emendation to מְחֹלְלִים (mÿkholÿlim, “a Polel form). The words are addressed to Zion. As it stands, the Hebrew text makes little, if any, sense. “Springs” are often taken here as a symbol of divine blessing and life”), but this reading does not relate to the preceding line in any apparent way. The present translation assumes an emendation of כָּל־מַעְיָנַי (kol-ma’yanay, “all my springs”) to כֻּלָּם עָנוּ (kullam ’anu, “all of them sing,” with the form עָנוּ being derived from עָנָה, ’anah, “sing”).
[88:1] 17 sn Psalm 88. The psalmist cries out in pain to the Lord, begging him for relief from his intense and constant suffering. The psalmist regards God as the ultimate cause of his distress, but nevertheless clings to God in hope.
[88:1] 18 tn The Hebrew phrase מָחֲלַת לְעַנּוֹת (makhalat lÿ’annot) may mean “illness to afflict.” Perhaps it refers to a particular style of music, a tune title, or a musical instrument. The term מָחֲלַת also appears in the superscription of Ps 53.
[88:1] 19 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
[88:1] 20 tn Heb “O
[88:1] 21 tn Heb “[by] day I cry out, in the night before you.”
[88:2] 22 tn Heb “may my prayer come before you.” The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive, indicating the psalmist’s desire or prayer.
[88:2] 23 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
[88:3] 25 tn Heb “and my life approaches Sheol.”
[88:4] 26 tn Heb “I am considered with.”
[88:4] 27 tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.
[88:4] 28 tn Heb “I am like a man [for whom] there is no help.”
[88:5] 30 tn Heb “from your hand.”
[88:6] 31 tn The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit,” “cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead. See v. 4.
[88:8] 32 tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”
[88:9] 33 tn Heb “I spread out my hands to you.” Spreading out the hands toward God was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). The words “in prayer” have been supplied in the translation to clarify this.
[88:10] 34 tn Heb “Rephaim,” a term that refers to those who occupy the land of the dead (see Isa 14:9; 26:14, 19).
[88:11] 35 tn Heb “in Abaddon,” a name for Sheol. The noun is derived from a verbal root meaning “to perish,” “to die.”
[88:12] 37 tn Heb “darkness,” here a title for Sheol.
[88:12] 38 tn Heb “forgetfulness.” The noun, which occurs only here in the OT, is derived from a verbal root meaning “to forget.”
[88:14] 39 tn Heb “[why] do you hide your face from me?”
[88:15] 40 tn Heb “and am dying from youth.”
[88:15] 41 tn Heb “I carry your horrors [?].” The meaning of the Hebrew form אָפוּנָה (’afunah), which occurs only here in the OT, is unclear. It may be an adverb meaning “very much” (BDB 67 s.v.), though some prefer to emend the text to אָפוּגָה (’afugah, “I am numb”) from the verb פוּג (pug; see Pss 38:8; 77:2).
[88:16] 42 tn Heb “passes over me.”
[88:17] 43 tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
[88:18] 44 tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neighbor.”
