The Meaning of Psalms 88:3 Explained

Psalms 88:3

KJV: For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.

YLT: For my soul hath been full of evils, And my life hath come to Sheol.

Darby: For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draweth nigh to Sheol.

ASV: For my soul is full of troubles, And my life draweth nigh unto Sheol.

Discover Psalms 88:3

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Psalms 88:3?

MEANING: What does Psalms 88:3 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Psalms 88:3 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Psalms 88:3?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For my soul  is full  of troubles:  and my life  draweth nigh  unto the grave. 

What does Psalms 88:3 Mean?

Study Notes

grave
Heb. "Sheol," .
hell
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Context Summary

Psalm 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: Psalm 88

1  A prayer containing a grievous complaint

What do the individual words in Psalms 88:3 mean?

for is full of troubles my soul and my life to the grave draws near
כִּֽי־ שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה בְרָע֣וֹת נַפְשִׁ֑י וְחַיַּ֗י לִשְׁא֥וֹל הִגִּֽיעוּ

שָֽׂבְעָ֣ה  is  full 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׂבַע  
Sense: to be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, be surfeited.
בְרָע֣וֹת  of  troubles 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine plural
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
נַפְשִׁ֑י  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וְחַיַּ֗י  and  my  life 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
לִשְׁא֥וֹל  to  the  grave 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
הִגִּֽיעוּ  draws  near 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 88:3?

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