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Psalms 88:18

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 88:18 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, And mine acquaintance into darkness. Psalm 89 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, And mine acquaintance into darkness. Psalm 89 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
Psalms 88:18 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 88

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
15I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: While I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16Thy fierce wrath is gone over me; Thy terrors have cut me off.
17They came round about me like water all the day long; They compassed me about together.
18Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, And mine acquaintance into darkness. Psalm 89 Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
← Psalms 88:17Psalms 89:1 →
← Full Chapter 88 Psalms Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Lover and friend hast thou put far from me - That is, Thou hast so afflicted me that they have forsaken me. Those who professed to love me, and whom I loved - those whom I regarded as my friends, and who seemed to be my friends - are now wholly turned away from me, and I am left to suffer alone. See the notes at Psalms 88:8. And mine acquaintance into darkness - The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “my acquaintance from my misery.” Luther, “Thou hast caused my friends and neighbors, and my kindred, to separate themselves far from me, on account of such misery.” The literal rendering would be, my acquaintances are darkness. This may mean either that they had so turned away that…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“88:18 The psalmist restates his second and first charges.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Lover: Psa 88:8, Psa 31:11, Psa 38:11; Job 19:12-15 mine acquaintance: A figurative expression to denote that he now never saw them. Next: Psalms Chapter 89”
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Related study paths

Read Psalms 88 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification