Psalms 88:16
1018
88:16 Your anger overwhelms me; 
your terrors destroy me.
88:17 They surround me like water all day
long;
they join forces and encircle me.
88:18 You cause my friends and neighbors
to keep their distance;
those who know me leave me alone in the
darkness.
Psalm 89
A well-written song by Ethan the Ezrachite.
89:1 I will sing continually about the
Lord’s faithful deeds;
to future generations I will proclaim your
faithfulness.
89:2 For I say, “Loyal love is permanently
established;
in the skies you set up your faithfulness.”10
89:3 The Lord said,11
“I have made a covenant with my chosen
one;
I have made a promise on oath to David,
my servant:
89:4 ‘I will give you an eternal dynasty12
and establish your throne throughout fu-
ture generations.’”13 (Selah)
89:5 O Lord, the heavens14 praise your
amazing deeds,
as well as your faithfulness in the angelic
assembly.15
 tn Heb “passes over me.”
 tn Heb “they encircle me together.”
 tn Heb “you cause to be far from me friend and neigh-
bor.”
 tn Heb “those known by me, darkness.”
 sn Psalm 89. The psalmist praises God as the sovereign
creator of the world. He recalls God’s covenant with David,
but then laments that the promises of the covenant remain
unrealized. The covenant promised the Davidic king military
victories, but the king has now been subjected to humiliating
defeat.
 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term ‫ש ִּכיל‬ ׂ ְ ‫( ַמ‬maskil) is un-
certain. See the note on the phrase “well-written song” in the
superscription of Ps 88.
 tn Or “forever.”
 tn Heb “to a generation and a generation I will make
known your faithfulness with my mouth.”
 tn Heb “built.”
10 sn You set up your faithfulness. This may allude to the
Lord’s heavenly throne, which symbolizes his just rule and
from which the Lord decrees his unconditional promises (see
vv. 8, 14).
11 tn The words “the Lord said” are supplied in the transla-
tion for clarification. It is clear that the words of vv. 3-4 are
spoken by the Lord, in contrast to vv. 1-2, which are spoken
by the psalmist.
12 tn Heb “forever I will establish your offspring.”
13 tn Heb “and I will build to a generation and a generation
your throne.”
14 tn As the following context makes clear, the personified
“heavens” here stand by metonymy for the angelic beings
that surround God’s heavenly throne.
15 tn Heb “in the assembly of the holy ones.” The phrase
“holy ones” sometimes refers to God’s people (Ps 34:9) or to
their priestly leaders (2 Chr 35:3), but here it refers to God’s
heavenly assembly and the angels that surround his throne
(see vv. 6-7).
89:6 For who in the skies can compare to
the Lord?
Who is like the Lord among the heavenly
beings,16
89:7 a God who is honored17 in the great
angelic assembly,18
and more awesome than19 all who sur-
round him?
89:8 O Lord, sovereign God!20
Who is strong like you, O Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
89:9 You rule over the proud sea.21
When its waves surge,22 you calm them.
89:10 You crushed the Proud One23 and
killed it;24
with your strong arm you scattered your
enemies.
89:11 The heavens belong to you, as does
the earth.
You made the world and all it contains.25
89:12 You created the north and the south.
Tabor and Hermon26 rejoice in your
name.
89:13 Your arm is powerful,
16 tn Heb “sons of gods”; or “sons of God.” Though ‫ֵא ִלים‬
(’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the Hebrew
text, it is likely that the final mem (‫ )ם‬is actually enclitic rather
than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some,
following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase
occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8. The phrase ‫ְבנֵי ֵא ִלים‬
(vÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here
and in Ps 29:1. Since the “sons of gods/God” are here as-
sociated with “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council
of the holy ones,” the heavenly assembly (comprised of so-
called “angels” and other supernatural beings) appears to be
in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these su-
pernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaan-
ite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is
called “the sons of El.” The OT apparently uses the Canaanite
phrase, applying it to the supernatural beings that surround
the Lord’s heavenly throne.
17 tn Heb “feared.”
18 tn Heb “in the great assembly of the holy ones.”
19 tn Or perhaps “feared by.”
20 tn Traditionally “God of hosts.” The title here pictures the
Lord as enthroned in the midst of the angelic hosts of heav-
en.
21 tn Heb “the majesty of the sea.”
22 tn Heb “rise up.”
23 tn Heb “Rahab.” The name “Rahab” means “proud one.”
Since it is sometimes used of Egypt (see Ps 87:4; Isa 30:7),
the passage may allude to the exodus. However, the name is
also used of the sea (or the mythological sea creature) which
symbolizes the disruptive forces of the world that seek to re-
place order with chaos (see Job 9:13; 26:12). Isa 51:9 ap-
pears to combine the mythological and historical referents.
The association of Rahab with the sea in Ps 89 (see v. 9) sug-
gests that the name carries symbolic force in this context. In
this case the passage may allude to creation (see vv. 11-12),
when God overcame the great deep and brought order out
of chaos.
24 tn Heb “like one fatally wounded.”
25 tn Heb “the world and its fullness, you established
them.”
26 sn Tabor and Hermon were two of the most prominent
mountains in Palestine.