The Meaning of Psalms 88:17 Explained

Psalms 88:17

KJV: They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.

YLT: They have surrounded me as waters all the day, They have gone round against me together,

Darby: They have surrounded me all the day like water; they have compassed me about together.

ASV: They came round about me like water all the day long; They compassed me about together.

Discover Psalms 88:17

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Psalms 88:17?

MEANING: What does Psalms 88:17 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Psalms 88:17 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Psalms 88:17?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They came round about  me daily  like water;  they compassed  me about together. 

What does Psalms 88:17 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 88:1-18 - A Cry From The Waves
Most of the psalms which begin in sorrow end in exuberant joy and praise. This is an exception. There seems to be no break in the monotony of grief and despair. In Psalms 88:1-8 it would appear that the psalmist was oppressed by some loathsome disorder which made even his friends shrink from companionship. But it is a hopeful sign when, even in such circumstances, a man can still speak of God as "the God of my salvation."
In Psalms 88:9-18 the psalmist combats his despair by reminding God and himself that his has been a praying soul. Surely the Almighty will not forget his outstretched hands, nor the prayers that have anticipated the morning! It is a true argument. That you can pray at all is a sure sign that the divine Spirit is within your heart. From unknown depths He is helping your infirmity, and this proves that God has not forgotten or forsaken you. If just now life's bark is overwhelmed with difficulty, God rules the waves. The storm-wind will presently subside at His rebuke. Lover and friend will again stand round about you, and your soul will come back into light. God's days are not like man's-from morning to evening, but from dark to dawn. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 88

1  A prayer containing a grievous complaint

What do the individual words in Psalms 88:17 mean?

They came around me like water all day long they engulfed me altogether
סַבּ֣וּנִי כַ֭מַּיִם כָּל־ הַיּ֑וֹם הִקִּ֖יפוּ עָלַ֣י יָֽחַד

סַבּ֣וּנִי  They  came  around  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural, first person common singular
Root: סָבַב  
Sense: to turn, turn about or around or aside or back or towards, go about or arou nd, surround, encircle, change direction.
כַ֭מַּיִם  like  water 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
הַיּ֑וֹם  day  long 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הִקִּ֖יפוּ  they  engulfed 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָקַף 
Sense: to strike, strike off.
עָלַ֣י  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יָֽחַד  altogether 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יַחַד 
Sense: union, unitedness adv.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 88:17?

Loading Information...

Similar Scriptures for Psalms 88:17

Psalms 22:16 [5]
Psalms 69:1-2 [2]
Matthew 27:39-44 [2]
Job 16:12-13 [2]
Job 30:14-15 [2]
Psalms 124:4 [2]
Psalms 42:7 [2]
Psalms 118:10-12 [2]
Psalms 116:3 [2]
Lamentations 3:5-7 [2]
read less