The Meaning of Psalms 88:4 Explained

Psalms 88:4

KJV: I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:

YLT: I have been reckoned with those going down to the pit, I have been as a man without strength.

Darby: I am reckoned with them that go down into the pit; I am as a man that hath no strength:

ASV: I am reckoned with them that go down into the pit; I am as a man that hath no help,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

I am counted  with them that go down  into the pit:  I am as a man  [that hath] no strength: 

What does Psalms 88:4 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 88:4 mean?

I am counted with those who go down to the pit I am like a man no [who has] strength
נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי עִם־ י֣וֹרְדֵי ב֑וֹר הָ֝יִ֗יתִי כְּגֶ֣בֶר אֵֽין־ אֱיָֽל

נֶ֭חְשַׁבְתִּי  I  am  counted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
י֣וֹרְדֵי  those  who  go  down  to 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
ב֑וֹר  the  pit 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּור 
Sense: pit, well, cistern.
הָ֝יִ֗יתִי  I  am 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כְּגֶ֣בֶר  like  a  man 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֶּבֶר  
Sense: man, strong man, warrior (emphasising strength or ability to fight).
אֵֽין־  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
אֱיָֽל  [who  has]  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱיָל  
Sense: strength.