Psalms 88:11

11 (87-12) Shall any one in the sepulchre declare thy mercy: and thy truth in destruction?

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 (87-10) My eyes languished through poverty. All the day I cried to thee, O Lord: I stretched out my hands to thee.
10 (87-11) Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? or shall physicians raise to life, and give praise to thee?
11 (87-12) Shall any one in the sepulchre declare thy mercy: and thy truth in destruction?
12 (87-13) Shall thy wonders be known in the dark; and thy justice in the land of forgetfulness?
13 (87-14) But I, O Lord, have cried to thee: and in the morning my prayer shall prevent thee.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.