(3) Grave.—Sheôl. Here, as in Psalms 6:4-5; Psalms 33:19; Isaiah 38:10-11, there comes into prominence the thought that death severs the covenant relation with God, and so presents an irresistible reason why prayer should be heard now before it is too late.

(4) As a man . . .—Rather, like a hero whose strength is gone.

(5) Free among the dead . . .—So the old versions without exception, taking chaphshî as an adjective, as in Job 3:19 (where used of an emancipated slave); 1 Samuel 17:25 (free from public burdens). So of the separate house for lepers, who were cut off from society (2 Kings 15:5). Hence some refer the psalm to Uzziah. The Targum explains, “freed from legal duties.” But plainly the meaning is here exactly that of defunctus. The verse offers an instance of introverted parallelism, and this clause answers to “they are cut off from thy hand.” Gesenius, however, makes the Hebrew word a noun (comp. Ezekiel 27:20), and renders, among the dead is my couch.
Whom thou.—The dead are “clean forgotten, out of mind” even to God.
From thy hand—i.e., from the guiding, helping hand which, though stretched out for living men, does not reach to the grave.

(6) Lowest pit.—See Note, Psalms 86:13.

(7) And thou hast afflicted.—Literally, And thou hast pressed (me) down with all thy breakers, supplying the object, and taking the accusative in the text as the instrument, as in Psalms 102:23, where the same verb is used (Authorised Version, “weakened”).

(8) I am shut up.—Not necessarily an actual imprisonment or incarceration on account of leprosy, but another figurative way of describing great trouble. Job 19:8 seems to have been before the poet.

(9) Mourneth.—Rather, fadeth, or pineth. So a Latin poet of the effects of weeping:—
“Mæsta neque assiduo tabescere lumina fletu.
Cessarent, tristique imbre madere genæ.”
CATULLUS: xxviii. 55.

(10) Shall the dead arise? . . .—These words are not to be taken in the sense of a final resurrection as we understand it. The hope of this had hardly yet dawned on Israel. The underworld is imagined as a vast sepulchre in which the dead lie, each in his place, silent and motionless, and the poet asks how they can rise there to utter the praise of God who has forgotten them (Psalms 88:5). That this is meant, and not a coming forth again into a land of living interests, is shown in the next two verses. (See Notes.)
Dead.—Heb., rephaîm, a word applied also to the gigantic races of Palestine (Deuteronomy 2:11; Deuteronomy 2:20, &c.), but here evidently (as also in Proverbs 2:18; Proverbs 9:18; Proverbs 21:16; Isaiah 14:9; Isaiah 26:19) meaning the dead.
All the passages cited confirm the impression got from this psalm of the Hebrew conception of the state of the dead. They were languid, sickly shapes, lying supine, cut off from all the hopes and interests of the upper air, and even oblivious of them all, but retaining so much of sensation as to render them conscious of the gloomy monotony of death. (Comp. Isaiah 38:18; Sir. 17:27-28; Bar. 2:17.)

(11) Lovingkindness.—Better here, covenant grace. The grave knew nothing of this. Death severed the covenant relationship. So “faithfulness,” “wonders,” “righteousness” are all used in their limited sense as determined by the covenant.

(13) But unto Thee . . .—Better, But as for me, I, &c. The pronoun is emphatic. The speaker has not gone down to the land where all is silent and forgotten, and can therefore still cry to God, and send his prayer to meet (prevent, i.e. go to meet; see Psalms 17:13) the Divine Being who still has an interest in him. And this makes the expostulation of the next verses still stronger. Why, since the sufferer is still alive, is he forsaken, or seemingly forsaken, by the God of that covenant in which he still abides?

(14) Castest thou off.—The idea is that of throwing away something with loathing. (Comp. Psalms 43:2.)

(15) Terrors.—Another of the many expressions which connect this psalm with the book of Job. (See Job 6:4; Job 9:34, &c.)
Distracted.—The Hebrew word is peculiar to the place. The ancient versions all agree in taking it as a verb, and rendering it by some general term denoting “trouble.” But the context evidently requires a stronger word, and possibly connecting with a cognate word meaning “wheel,” we may get, “I turn giddy.” A change of a stroke in one letter would give “I grow frigid.” (Comp. Psalms 38:8.)

(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.”

(17) They—i.e., the terrors or horrors, now likened to a flood, a figure of frequent occurrence. (See Psalms 18:16, &c.)

(18) And mine acquaintance into darkness.—This is an erroneous rendering. Rather, My acquaintance is darkness, or, darkness is my friend, having taken the place of those removed. The feeling resembles Job 17:14; or we may illustrate by Tennyson’s lines:—
“O sorrow, wilt thou live with me,
No casual mistress, but a wife,
My bosom friend, and half my life?
As I confess it needs must be.”