Psalms 88:16 — Word Study
WLCעָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי׃
BSAafflictedʻânîy Iʼănîy to diegâvaʻ youthnôʻar to liftnâsâʼ terrorʼêymâh to distractpûwn△
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| עָ֭לַי | over me | Preposition, suffix |
| עָבְר֣וּ | they have passed | Verb, Qal, perfect third person common plural |
| חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ | anger your | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ | terrors your | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי׃ | they have destroyed me | Verb piel perfect third person common plural, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me. |
| KJV | Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. |
| ASV | Thy fierce wrath is gone over me; Thy terrors have cut me off. |
| YLT | Over me hath Thy wrath passed, Thy terrors have cut me off, |
| WEB | Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off. |
| BBE | The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments. |
Where they part company is חֲרוֹן — see How Translations Differ.
The verse consists of two main clauses, each detailing the psalmist's experience of God's wrath and terrors.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, Ellicott & more — read them ›
clause
verbוְ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 88:16
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Lament of Distressgenerated
Psalm 88:16 reveals the psalmist's profound sense of abandonment and despair, feeling engulfed by God's fierce wrath and terrifying judgments. This lament expresses the depths of emotional suffering, as the psalmist grapples with feelings of being overwhelmed and destroyed, akin to the sentiments found in other lament psalms such as Psalm 38:1-2 and Psalm 102:10.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 38:1–2 | O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. |
| 2 | Psalm 89:46 | How long, O LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? Will Your wrath keep burning like fire? |
| 3 | Psalm 90:7–11 | For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath. |
| 4 | Psalm 102:10 | because of Your indignation and wrath, for You have picked me up and cast me aside. |
| 5 | Isaiah 53:4–6 | Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 10 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — חֲרוֹן, cha.ro.Nei.khagenerated
The word חֲרוֹן (charown) refers to a burning anger or fierce wrath, particularly associated with God's displeasure. It conveys an intense emotional state, emphasizing the seriousness of God's anger towards sin and disobedience, as seen in various contexts throughout the Bible.
This noun is in the construct state, indicating possession, as it describes 'your anger.' The psalmist acknowledges that this fierce anger is directed towards them, intensifying their feelings of despair.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse features two finite verbs: עָבְר֣וּ (they have passed) and צִמְּתוּתֻֽ (they have destroyed), with the subject being the terrors and the object being the psalmist. The structure emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the psalmist's experience.
The prepositional phrase עָלַי (over me) sets the emotional tone, indicating the psalmist's sense of being affected directly by God's wrath.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates חֲרוֹן as θυμός, which means 'passion' or 'anger.' This choice reflects a broader interpretation of God's emotional state, possibly indicating a more general sense of divine displeasure rather than the specific burning anger conveyed in the Hebrew.
The Greek word ἐταπεινώθην is used to render צִמְּתוּתֻֽ, indicating a sense of being humbled or brought low, which aligns with the psalmist's experience of despair.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 88:16 expresses the psalmist's feelings of being overwhelmed by God's fierce anger and terrors. The psalmist feels completely destroyed by these experiences, reflecting a deep sense of despair and abandonment.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist is expressing a feeling of being overwhelmed by God's anger, as if it has engulfed them completely.
The 'terrors' refer to the deep fears and anxieties that the psalmist feels as a result of God's judgment and presence, contributing to their despair.
Yes, the verse conveys a sense of hopelessness, as the psalmist feels utterly destroyed and abandoned by God.
This verse connects with other lament psalms that express feelings of despair and abandonment, highlighting the emotional struggles faced by the psalmist in their relationship with God.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I felt overwhelmed by circumstances in my life, similar to the psalmist's experience?
- How can I find hope and comfort in times of despair, as expressed in the psalms?
- What does it mean to me to acknowledge God's anger in my life?
- How can I support others who are experiencing feelings of despair and abandonment?
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 88:16 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThy fierce wrath goeth over me,.... Or "wraths" (h), burning wrath; the whole of divine wrath, in all its fierceness, due to the sins of his people: these, like the mighty waves of the sea, passed
Read John Gill on Psalms 88 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off. Thy terrors have cut me off - the same Hebrew ( tsimtuwtuniy (H6789)) as in Leviticus 25:23, where God saith, "the land shall not be sold
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 88 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 88:16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.Ver. 16. Thy fierce wrath, &c.] As rivers of brimstone. Have cut me off] Multis excisionibus ideoque duplicatur Tau.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 88 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(16) Have cut me off.—Or, extinguished me. The form of the verb is very peculiar, and is variously explained. All that is certain is that it is intensive, expressing the hopeless and continued state of prostration of the sufferer. The LXX., “have frightened.”
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 88 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me.] It is a mighty flood by which I am overwhelmed.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 88 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges16. The fiery streams of thy wrath have gone over me. Cp. Psalms 42:7; but for waves he substitutes fiery wraths.Thine alarms, a word found only in Job 6:4, have made an end of me (Lamentations 3:53).
Read Cambridge on Psalms 88 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThy fierce wrath goeth over me - Like waters. See Psalms 88:7. Thy terrors have cut me off - That is, I am as one already dead; I am so near to death that I may be spoken of as dead.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 88 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible16. Cut me off—Thy terrible judgments have severed me from the living.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 88 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off.
Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me.
Your anger overwhelms me; your terrors destroy me.
Tyndale line
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
Thy fierce wrath is gone over me; Thy terrors have cut me off.
Thy fierce wrath is gone over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
Thine indignations goe ouer me, and thy feare hath cut me off.
Strictly literal
Thy fierce anger hath gone over me; thy terrors have brought me to nought:
Over me hath Thy wrath passed, Thy terrors have cut me off,
Your wrath has passed over me, || Your terrors have cut me off,
(88:17) Over me have the fires of thy wrath passed; thy terrors have destroyed me;
Your angry actions have passed over me, and your terrifying deeds have annihilated me.
From the Latin
Blessed is the people that knoweth jubilation. They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance:
Simplified
Your anger has overcome me; the terrible things you do have destroyed me.
The heat of your wrath has gone over me; I am broken by your cruel punishments.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads, "Your wrath has swept over me; Your terrors have destroyed me," which conveys a sense of overwhelming distress. The Septuagint, while not providing a direct translation, has some word correspondence with the Masoretic Text, indicating that it shares a similar thematic concern, though the exact wording differs. The Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q98c) contain fragments that do not directly correspond to the Masoretic Text's phrasing and appear to reflect a different or incomplete text, suggesting variations in the tradition of this verse. Overall, while the Masoretic Text stands as the primary witness, the other texts indicate a range of interpretative traditions surrounding this lament.
עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי׃
3 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
עני [אני] [וגווע] [מנוער] [נשאתי] [אמי׳כה] אפורה
1 word on the leather — 1 partly restored, 5 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 88:16
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word עַל (*al*) is a preposition meaning 'upon' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including 'on account of,' 'beside,' 'above,' and 'against.' It can indicate physical placement, emotional burdens, or duties imposed on a person. The entries also note its use in idiomatic expressions and with verbs of motion. There is a mention of its function as a conjunction in certain contexts.
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
base
עַל, עָ֑ל
subst. height
As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
—
of clothing, etc., which any one wears
With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
H5921a עַל, עָ֑ל . As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against . Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed . — . of clothing, etc., which any one wears
. With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
5921 `al al
properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the
singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a
particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always
in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great
variety of applications (as follow):--above, according
to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, X as, at, because
of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, X both
and, by (reason of), X had the charge of, concerning for, in
(that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-)on, over, than,
through(-out), to, touching, X with.
see HEBREW for 05920
עַל (al) — upon.
prep
1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards
1b) above, beyond, over (of excess)
1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence)
1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition)
1e) over (of suspension or extension)
1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity)
1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion)
1h) to (as a dative)
[כִּי] עַל [כֵּן] ([ki] al [ken]) — as.
conj
HR/Sp1bs — Preposition · suffixHR/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word עָבַר (abar) is a versatile verb meaning to pass over, through, or by, and it encompasses a range of actions including crossing, traversing, and alienating. It can also imply causing something to pass or be transferred, as well as emotional states like anger in its Hithpael form. The entries highlight its use in various contexts, though they do not provide specific verse references.
עָבַר 648 vb. pass over, through, by, pass on
Qal
pass over
Pass beyond
Pass through, traverse
pass along by
pass by
sweep by, of scourge
be past, over, of time
pass along (from hand to hand)
Pass on, go on
Pass away
Niph. Impf. a stream which cannot be forded
Pi.
his bull impregnateth
cause one to cross river
cause something to pass over
make over to
devote children to (לְ) heathen god
pass along (from hand to hand)
cause to pass through
let pass through
cause to pass by
let pass by
cause arrow to pass beyond
cause to pass under rod, for counting
cause to pass away, take away
Hiph.
cause to pass over, bring over
he made to pass across with chains of gold
base
[עָבַר] vb. denom. Hithp. be arrogant, infuriate oneself
base
H5674a עָבַר pass over, through, by, pass on .. pass over
. Pass beyond
. Pass through, traverse
. . pass along by
. pass by
. sweep by, of scourge
. be past, over, of time
. pass along (from hand to hand)
. Pass on, go on
. Pass away
. Impf. a stream which cannot be forded
. . his bull impregnateth . cause one to cross river
. cause something to pass over
. make over to
. devote children to (לְ) heathen god
. pass along (from hand to hand)
. . cause to pass through
. let pass through
. . cause to pass by
. let pass by
. cause arrow to pass beyond
. cause to pass under rod, for counting
. cause to pass away, take away
. . cause to pass over, bring over
. he made to pass across with chains of gold
H5674b עָבַר vb. denom. Hithp. be arrogant, infuriate oneself
5674 `abar aw-bar'
a primitive root; to cross over; used very widely of any
transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive,
intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
copulation):--alienate, alter, X at all, beyond, bring (over,
through), carry over, (over-)come (on, over), conduct (over),
convey over, current, deliver, do away, enter, escape, fail,
gender, get over, (make) go (away, beyond, by, forth, his way,
in, on, over, through), have away (more), lay, meddle,
overrun, make partition, (cause to, give, make to, over)
pass(-age, along, away, beyond, by, -enger, on, out, over,
through), (cause to, make) + proclaim(-amation), perish,
provoke to anger, put away, rage, + raiser of taxes, remove,
send over, set apart, + shave, cause to (make) sound, X
speedily, X sweet smelling, take (away), (make to)
transgress(-or), translate, turn away, (way-)faring man, be
wrath.
עָבַר (a.var) — to pass.
1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over
1a2) to pass beyond
1a3) to pass through, traverse
1a3a) passers-through (participle)
1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant)
1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by
1a4a) passer-by (participle)
1a4b) to be past, be over
1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance
1a6) to pass away
1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory)
1a6b) to vanish
1a6c) to perish, cease to exist
1a6d) to become invalid, become obsolete (of law, decree)
1a6e) to be alienated, pass into other hands
1b) (Niphal) to be crossed
1c) (Piel) to impregnate, cause to cross
1d) (Hiphil)
HVqp3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common pluralHVqp3cp
חָרוֹן (charown) refers to a burning anger or fierce wrath, primarily associated with God's displeasure. It is derived from the root meaning 'to burn' and is consistently used to denote intense emotional states of anger. The term captures the severity of divine fury, emphasizing its potency in contexts of judgment.
חָרוֹן n.m. (burning of) anger
base
H2740 חָרוֹן (burning of) anger
2740 charown khaw-rone'
or (shortened) charon {khaw-rone'}; from 2734; a burning of
anger:--sore displeasure, fierce(-ness), fury, (fierce)
wrath(-ful).
see HEBREW for 02734
חָרוֹן (cha.ron) — burning anger.
1) anger, heat, burning (of anger)
1a) always used of God's anger
HNcmpc/Sp2ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp2ms
בִּעוּתִים (bi`uwthiym) is a masculine plural noun meaning 'terrors' or 'alarms,' specifically those caused by God. The word is derived from a root meaning to alarm, and it appears in contexts related to divine fear or dread.
[בִּעוּתִים] n.m.pl. terrors, alarms, occasioned by God
base
H1161 בִּעוּתִים
1161 bi`uwthiym be-oo-theme'
masculine plural from 1204; alarms:--terrors.
see HEBREW for 01204
בִּעוּתִים (bi.u.tim) — terror.
terrors, alarms (occasioned by God)
HNcmpc/Sp2ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp2ms
צָמַת (tsamath) is a Hebrew verb meaning to put an end to or exterminate. It encompasses various forms, including to destroy, cut off, or vanish, with nuances in different stems indicating actions like being annihilated or causing annihilation. The entries highlight its use in contexts of termination and destruction, but do not present any significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[צָמַת] vb. put an end to, exterminate
Qal they have put an end to my life
Niph. be ended, annihilated
Pi. hath put an end to me
Pi‛lēl thine alarms have annihilated me
Hiph. exterminate, annihilate
base
H6789 צָמַת put an end to, exterminate .they have put an end to my life
. be ended, annihilated
. hath put an end to me
.thine alarms have annihilated me
. exterminate, annihilate
6789 tsamath tsaw-math'
a primitive root; to extirpate (literally or
figuratively):--consume, cut off, destroy, vanish.
צָמַת (tsa.mat) — to destroy.
1) to put an end to, cut off, destroy, exterminate, extirpate
1a) (Qal) to put an end to, terminate
1b) (Niphal) to be ended, be annihilated, be exterminated
1c) (Piel) to put an end to
1d) (Pilel) to be exterminated, be annihilated
1e) (Hiphil) to exterminate, annihilate
HVpp3cp/Sp1bs — Verb piel perfect third person common plural · suffixHVpp3cp/Sp1bs