The darkest psalm: O LORD, God of my salvation, day and night I cry before You. My soul is full of troubles; my life draws near to Sheol. I am like a man without strength, cast off among the dead. You have laid me in the lowest pit. Your wrath lies hard upon me. I am shut up; I cannot escape. LORD, why do You cast off my soul? Darkness is my closest friend.
Read Psalms Chapter 88 Summary
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Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Position in Book
Book IChapters 1-41
Book IIChapters 42-72
Book IIIChapters 73-89
Mostly Asaph's psalms, wrestling with suffering and God's faithfulness to His covenant.
Book IVChapters 90-106
Book VChapters 107-150
Bible Bites
'The apple of my eye' comes from the Bible
The everyday phrase 'the apple of my eye', meaning someone deeply cherished, comes straight from Scripture: 'Keep me as the apple of your eye' (Psalm 17:8). Many common English sayings, from 'a drop in the bucket' to 'the writing on the wall,' were born in the Bible.
Psalm 17:8The Longest Book by Chapter Count
With 150 chapters (psalms), the book of Psalms contains more chapters than any other book in the Bible. These ancient songs range from the shortest chapter in Scripture (Psalm 117 with just 2 verses) to the longest (Psalm 119 with 176 verses).
PsalmsNobody knows what 'Selah' means
The little word 'Selah' appears about 74 times in the Psalms, and its exact meaning has been lost. It may signal a musical pause, a swelling of the instruments, or a moment to stop and reflect. After thousands of years, it remains one of the Bible's small unsolved mysteries.
Psalms