Psalms 88:11

11 Does your love make any difference in a graveyard? Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell?

Psalms 88:11 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 88:11

Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
&c.] Where he saw himself now going, and where should he be detained, and not raised out of it, the lovingkindness of God to him, as his Son, and as man and Mediator, and to his people in the gift and mission of him to be their Saviour and Redeemer, how would that be declared and made known? now it is, Christ being raised, and his ministers having a commission from him to preach the Gospel, in which the lovingkindness of God is abundantly manifested:

or thy faithfulness in destruction?
the grave, so called from dead bodies being cast into it, and wasted, consumed, and destroyed in it: the meaning may be, that should he be laid in the grave, and there putrefy and rot, and not be raised again, where would be the faithfulness of God to his purposes, to his covenant and promises, to him his Son, and to his people?

Psalms 88:11 In-Context

9 blinded by tears of pain and frustration. I call to you, God; all day I call. I wring my hands, I plead for help.
10 Are the dead a live audience for your miracles? Do ghosts ever join the choirs that praise you?
11 Does your love make any difference in a graveyard? Is your faithful presence noticed in the corridors of hell?
12 Are your marvelous wonders ever seen in the dark, your righteous ways noticed in the Land of No Memory?
13 I'm standing my ground, God, shouting for help, at my prayers every morning, on my knees each daybreak.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.