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Psalm 88:10-12
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 88:10-12
New Catholic Bible
10 and my eyes grow dim[a] with my suffering.
[b]Every day I call out to you, O Lord,
and spread out my hands to you.
11 Do you perform wonders[c] for the dead?
Do the shades rise up and give you praise? Selah
12 Is your kindness[d] celebrated in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the tomb?
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:10 Eyes grow dim: see note on Ps 6:8.
- Psalm 88:10 The psalmist prays to be saved in order to continue to praise the Lord for his wondrous deeds, for those in the grave can no longer do so (see notes on Pss 6:6; 9:2).
- Psalm 88:11 Wonders: see note on Ps 9:2. Rise up: i.e., a simple act of rising to give praise in the kingdom of the dead (see Isa 14:9)—not a bona fide resurrection from the dead.
- Psalm 88:12 The psalmist would be unable to render praise to God if he were to go to the grave, also known as the “pit.” Kindness . . . faithfulness: see notes on Pss 6:5; 36:6f. The tomb: literally, “destruction,” another name for the grave or the pit; in Hebrew it is Abaddon (see Job 26:6; 28:22; Prov 15:11; Rev 9:11).
