Psalms 88:17 Commentary: 'They Engulfed Me Like Water'

Psalm 88 is the darkest Psalm in the Psalter. It ends without a turn toward hope or praise. The superscription names Heman the Ezrahite as author, a wise man compared with Solomon (1 Kings 4:31). Some commentators suggest the occasion was leprosy (Kennicott, Delitzsch) or imprisonment (Patrick, Kimchi thought it wrote for the Jewish people in exile). The musical direction 'upon Machalath' likely indicates a mournful tune, perhaps for flute or a plaintive recitation.

In the ancient world, water was a symbol of chaos and death. The Mediterranean and the Jordan River were known as deadly forces; floods from seasonal rains could sweep away homes and crops. To be engulfed by water was to be powerless, a vivid metaphor for total ruin. The same image appears in Psalms 42:7 ('Deep calls to deep... all your waves and your billows have swept over me') and Psalms 69:1-2 ('the waters have come up to my neck'). In the Psalms generally, enemies are often described as a flood (Psalms 124:4-5). The surprise here is that God's own terrors are equally the flood, the psalmist sees no line between what God sends and what enemies do.

This verse sits at the climax of the psalm (verses 16-18). The sufferer has already asked in verse 14 why God hides His face. Now he describes the effect: he is cut off, surrounded, swallowed. The metaphor of water proves that there is no escape, water fills every space, both above and below. The only response left is the one the psalmist has already made: crying out to God, even when no answer comes.

The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 88:17. The Hebrew text is stable across the manuscript traditions. Translations differ slightly in word choice ('came around,' 'compassed,' 'engulf') but all reflect the same image of being surrounded and overwhelmed by water.

Psalm 88 has been called 'the saddest psalm.' In early Christian tradition, it was read as a prophecy of Christ's sufferings, especially His cry of abandonment and the flood of divine wrath He bore. Medieval liturgy used it in services for the dead and during Holy Week. The Reformers, especially Calvin, stressed the paradox of a sufferer who cries out without despair; Luther saw it as a model for faith struggling with the hiddenness of God. In modern pastoral care, this verse is used to validate the experience of depression, chronic pain, and prolonged trial, giving biblical language for suffering that does not end with a quick turn to hope.

Three-point outline

1. The experience of being overwhelmed. The psalmist describes troubles as water that surrounds and engulfs. This is not a minor difficulty but total immersion. The image captures depression, grief, persecution or chronic pain.
2. The ambiguity of the source. Commentators differ on who 'they' are, enemies, God's terrors, or a prefiguration of Christ's passion. The text allows all three, but the psalmist does not resolve it. Suffering often brings confusion about its origin.
3. The persistence of prayer. Despite the flood, verse 13 shows that the psalmist still cries to God in the morning. He prays without knowing whether deliverance will come. This is faith reduced to its rawest form.

Five-point outline

1. Water imagery as chaos and judgment (cross-reference Psalm 42:7; Job 30:14-15).
2. The 'they' that surround: human enemies (Adam Clarke, Barnes) and divine wrath (verse 16, Cambridge Bible).
3. The absence of resolution: Psalm 88 ends in darkness, unlike other laments.
4. The messianic reading (Gill): Christ on the cross, surrounded by the flood of God’s wrath.
5. The pastoral value: this verse gives language to those who cannot find hope, showing that such lament is valid prayer.

Illustration hooks

• Someone in the grip of clinical depression describes feeling like they are drowning while everyone else breathes air. This verse gives that feeling words.
• A family facing a terminal diagnosis finds all plans and comforts swept away, one wave after another.
• A person persecuted for faith feels isolated, with no one to stand with them, surrounded by hostility.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Is it okay to pray like this, with no thankfulness, no happy ending?
• Why would God allow someone to feel completely cut off from Him?
• If Jesus experienced this, does that make my suffering more bearable?

Psalm 88 is unique in the Psalter: it never turns toward praise. This verse uses flood imagery to describe a state of being overwhelmed from every side. As you discuss, resist the urge to offer easy answers. Let the text speak for those who suffer without resolution.

Discussion questions

1. What stands out most to you about the way the psalmist describes his situation in verse 17?
2. Who or what do you think 'they' refers to in this verse? What in the surrounding verses (13-16, 18) supports your view?
3. How do the cross-references (Psalm 42:7; Psalm 69:1-2; Job 30:14-15) deepen the meaning of the water image?
4. Why do you think this psalm does not end with a statement of hope or trust? What does that tell you about the biblical view of suffering?
5. How does the messianic reading (applying this to Christ) change or not change how you read the psalm?
6. Can you think of a time when you felt 'engulfed like water'? Did you feel you could pray honestly like this?
7. What does this verse teach us about talking with others who are in deep distress?