But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

PSALMS 89:38KJV
Know the Bible

Psalms 89:38 (KJV)

What does Psalms 89:38 mean?

Psalms 89:38 describes a moment when God is said to have rejected and shown anger toward His chosen one, the "anointed." The verse expresses a deep sense of abandonment and displeasure, suggesting a break or distance in the relationship between God and His appointed leader.

In this psalm, the writer (traditionally Ethan the Ezrahite) is speaking to God, lamenting what feels like a reversal of God’s promises to the king from David’s line. The context is one of distress, where the psalmist is wrestling with the apparent contradiction between God’s earlier covenant promises and the current suffering or disgrace of the anointed king.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 89:38

  • "cast off" (זָנַח, zanach): This word often means to reject or push away, carrying a strong sense of being abandoned or dismissed. Here, it highlights the psalmist’s feeling that God has turned away from His chosen one.
  • "abhorred" (מָאַס, ma'as): This word means to despise or treat with contempt. It adds emotional weight, showing that the psalmist feels not just rejected, but actively disliked or scorned.
  • "wroth" (עָבַר, avar): This word is often understood as "to pass over" or "to overflow," but in this context, it is used to describe God’s anger as something that has come upon or swept over the anointed.
  • "anointed" (מָשִׁיחַ, mashiach): This term means "anointed one" and refers to the king, specifically someone chosen and set apart by God, often associated with David and his descendants.

Why Psalms 89:38 matters

  • Psalms 89:38 clarifies that even those chosen by God, like the "anointed," can experience times when God’s favor seems withdrawn, which can be confusing in light of earlier promises.
  • The verse highlights the emotional honesty of the psalms, showing that feelings of abandonment or disappointment with God are part of the biblical story.
  • This verse marks a turning point in Psalm 89, shifting from praise for God’s faithfulness to a lament over apparent brokenness, which sets up the psalmist’s urgent questions and pleas in the following verses.

Where else these words appear

“off” Hebrew H2186 · used in 20 verses

  • 1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
  • Psalms 60:1 To the chief Musician upon Shushaneduth, Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aramnaharaim and with Aramzobah, when Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the valley of salt twelve thousand. O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again.
  • Isaiah 19:6 And they shall turn the rivers far away; and the brooks of defence shall be emptied and dried up: the reeds and flags shall wither.

“anointed” Hebrew H4899 · used in 38 verses

  • Leviticus 4:3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering.
  • 1 Samuel 26:11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
  • Psalms 18:50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

“abhorred” Hebrew H3988 · used in 69 verses

  • Leviticus 26:15 And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:
  • Job 30:1 But now they that are younger than I have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained to have set with the dogs of my flock.
  • Isaiah 41:9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.