The Meaning of Psalms 88:9 Explained

Psalms 88:9

KJV: Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

YLT: Mine eye hath grieved because of affliction, I called Thee, O Jehovah, all the day, I have spread out unto Thee my hands.

Darby: Mine eye consumeth by reason of affliction. Upon thee, Jehovah, have I called every day; I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

ASV: Mine eye wasteth away by reason of affliction: I have called daily upon thee, O Jehovah; I have spread forth my hands unto thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Mine eye  mourneth  by reason of affliction:  LORD,  I have called  daily  upon thee, I have stretched out  my hands  unto thee. 

What does Psalms 88:9 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 88:9 mean?

My eye wastes away because of affliction I have called upon You Yahweh every daily I have stretched out to You my hands
עֵינִ֥י דָאֲבָ֗ה מִנִּ֫י עֹ֥נִי קְרָאתִ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה בְּכָל־ י֑וֹם שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי אֵלֶ֣יךָ כַפָּֽי

עֵינִ֥י  My  eye 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
דָאֲבָ֗ה  wastes  away 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: דָּאַב  
Sense: (Qal) to become faint, languish.
מִנִּ֫י  because 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
עֹ֥נִי  of  affliction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֳנִי  
Sense: affliction, poverty, misery.
קְרָאתִ֣יךָ  I  have  called  upon  You 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּכָל־  every 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
י֑וֹם  daily 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
שִׁטַּ֖חְתִּי  I  have  stretched  out 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁטַח  
Sense: to spread, spread abroad, stretch out.
אֵלֶ֣יךָ  to  You 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כַפָּֽי  my  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, first person common singular
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.