Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.

PSALMS 88:8KJV
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Psalms 88:8 (KJV)

What does Psalms 88:8 mean?

Psalms 88:8 describes the psalmist feeling completely isolated and rejected, saying that God has taken away his friends and made him so repulsive to them that he is shut in and unable to escape his situation. The verse expresses a deep sense of abandonment and being trapped, both socially and emotionally.

The speaker in this psalm is traditionally understood to be Heman the Ezrahite, crying out to God in a time of overwhelming trouble. He is not only suffering personally but also feels cut off from all human support—his acquaintances have turned away, and he feels like an outcast. This verse is part of a larger lament where the psalmist pours out his grief and sense of hopelessness to God, highlighting the depth of his despair.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 88:8

  • "Acquaintance" (יָדַע, yada‘): This word often means someone known personally, not just a casual contact. The psalmist is saying even those who once knew him well have been removed from his life.
  • "Abomination" (תּוֹעֵבָה, to‘evah): This word means something detestable or loathsome. The psalmist feels that others now see him as disgusting or cursed, not just ignored.
  • "Shut up" (כָּלָא, kala’): This word carries the sense of being confined or imprisoned. The psalmist is not just lonely; he feels trapped, unable to get out of his misery.

Why Psalms 88:8 matters

  • This verse clarifies that the psalmist’s suffering is not only physical or spiritual but also deeply social—he feels abandoned by everyone he once trusted.
  • The strong language of being made an "abomination" shows the intensity of his rejection, not just distance but active disgust from others.
  • Psalms 88 is one of the darkest psalms, and this verse helps set the tone for the whole chapter, which is unique in its unrelieved lament and honesty about despair.

Where else these words appear

“up” Hebrew H3607 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
  • 1 Samuel 25:33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
  • Isaiah 43:6 I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;

“away” Hebrew H7368 · used in 56 verses

  • Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
  • Psalms 22:11 Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help.
  • Isaiah 6:12 And the LORD have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

“made” Hebrew H7896 · used in 80 verses

  • Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
  • Job 10:20 Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little,
  • Psalms 88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.

“abomination” Hebrew H8441 · used in 112 verses

  • Genesis 43:32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
  • Ezra 9:14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?
  • Ezekiel 7:4 And mine eye shall not spare thee, neither will I have pity: but I will recompense thy ways upon thee, and thine abominations shall be in the midst of thee: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.