Psalms 88:18

"You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness."

Key Reflection

This verse portrays a profound sense of isolation and abandonment, where even those who should offer support—lovers and true friends—are distant or absent. The phrase "my friends into darkness" suggests not just physical separation but also emotional and spiritual alienation, leaving the speaker in a state of profound despair.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

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 atPsalms 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.

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