I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.

PSALMS 88:15KJV
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Psalms 88:15 (KJV)

What does Psalms 88:15 mean?

Psalms 88:15 expresses the speaker’s deep, ongoing suffering, saying he has been afflicted and close to death since his youth, and that enduring God’s terrors has left him overwhelmed and confused. The verse describes a life marked by constant hardship and a sense of being overwhelmed by fear or distress.

The psalm is spoken by someone in deep distress, traditionally understood to be Heman the Ezrahite, crying out to God. The speaker feels as if he has faced trouble for as long as he can remember, and the intensity of his suffering is described as God’s “terrors,” which have left him mentally and emotionally shaken. This verse is part of a larger psalm that is unusually dark and does not resolve with hope, highlighting the depth of the psalmist’s despair.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 88:15

  • "Afflicted" (עָנִי, ʿani): This word often means someone who is poor, humble, or deeply troubled. Here, it emphasizes the speaker’s long-term suffering and vulnerability.
  • "Die" (גָּוַע, gavaʿ): This word can mean to expire or perish, showing that the psalmist feels close to death, not just physically but in spirit.
  • "Distracted" (אָפֵס, afes): This word can mean to be bewildered, overcome, or unable to think clearly. It highlights how the psalmist’s suffering has left him mentally exhausted and disoriented.

Why Psalms 88:15 matters

  • Psalms 88:15 clarifies that the psalmist’s suffering is not a recent event but has been a lifelong experience, which adds weight to his cry for help.
  • The verse shows that the psalmist attributes his terrors to God, reflecting a raw honesty in prayer that is rare in the Psalms.
  • This verse helps readers see that the Bible does not shy away from depicting deep, unresolved anguish, making space for those who feel overwhelmed and unheard.

Where else these words appear

“youth” Hebrew H5290 · used in 4 verses

  • Job 33:25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth:
  • Job 36:14 They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean.
  • Proverbs 29:21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.

“terrors” Hebrew H367 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
  • Ezra 3:3 And they set the altar upon his bases; for fear was upon them because of the people of those countries: and they offered burnt offerings thereon unto the LORD, even burnt offerings morning and evening.
  • Job 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.

“die” Hebrew H1478 · used in 23 verses

  • Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
  • Numbers 17:13 Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the LORD shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
  • Job 14:10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

“afflicted” Hebrew H6041 · used in 78 verses

  • Exodus 22:25 If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.
  • Psalms 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
  • Ecclesiastes 6:8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?