View source for The Text and Meaning of Ps. 88:19b

Back to [[Psalm 88]].

Exegetical issues for Psalm 88: 
* [[The Meaning of חָפְשִׁי in Ps 88:6]]
* [[The Text and Meaning of Ps. 88:16b]]
* [[The Text and Meaning of Ps. 88:19b]]

=Introduction=
The traditional Hebrew text of Ps 88:19 reads as follows:<ref>Text copied from [https://hb.openscriptures.org/read/ Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible].</ref>
: הִרְחַ֣קְתָּ מִ֭מֶּנִּי אֹהֵ֣ב וָרֵ֑עַ
: מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י מַחְשָֽׁךְ
The second line מְֽיֻדָּעַ֥י מַחְשָֽׁךְ poses a well-known problem, which is shown by the existence of no fewer than six different translations that we find in the various [https://psalms.scriptura.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=The_Text_and_Meaning_of_Ps._88:19b#Translations translations] and commentaries. As the Hebrew manuscripts show textual uniformity, it is less likely that we have alternative textual traditions, but it rather suggests attempts to make sense of the same elliptical text.<ref>Cf. Goldingay 2007, Ps 88, footnote 7.</ref> 

The following six translations represent each the six types of translations that we find in literature. Each of these will be thoroughly discussed and explained in the next section:

#You have put lover and friend far from me, and '''my friends into darkness''' (WEB).
#You have removed lover and friend far from me; '''My acquaintances are in darkness''' (NASB 1995).
#You have taken from me friend and neighbor-- '''darkness is my closest friend''' (NIV).
#“You distanced from me friend and companion; '''you took away my acquaintances'''” (Jerome iuxta Hebraicum).<ref>The Latin text reads: ''longe fecisti a me amicum et sodalem; notos meos abstulisti''.</ref>
#You distanced from me friend and fellow and [you distanced from me] '''my acquaintances due to misery''' ([https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/24-ps-nets.pdf NETS], translation of the LXX).
#You have caused lover and companion to stay away from me; (caused to stay away from me) '''my close friends — darkness'''! (Tate 1998, 394).

=Argument Maps=
=='Dark place' as a directional==
Some translations understand מַחְשָׁךְ in our verse as an adverbial indicating directionality. The ASV, for example, says, "and [you pushed] mine acquaintance '''into darkness'''." (ASV). All these translations consider "darkness" as darkness from the psalmist's point of view: the psalmist's friends have been moved into a dark place, and so he cannot see them.    
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[Directionality]: מַחְשָׁךְ is an adverbial accusative indicating directionality ("into darkness"). #dispreferred
 + <Parallelism>: This reading maintains a neat parallel construction with an elegant tail-head linkage. The verb in this case is elided and implied from the first line of the verse. #dispreferred
 - <Verbs of detachment>: Verbs of detachment, such as הִרְחִיק, put their emphasis on the element '''from which''' the object has been detached (BHRG §39.14.1a :G:). 
  + <Attestation>: The vast majority of the occurrences of the verb הִרְחִיק in the Bible involve a prepositional phrase with מִן, while a directional prepositional phrase (with אֶל/לְ) or accusative of motion is not normally attested accompanying it (HALOT 1994-2000 :L:). 
   <_ <Ezek 11:16>: One instance of the verb הִרְחִיק in Ezekiel lacks the argument of detachment and does have an argument indicating the destination of the action. #dispreferred
    + [Ezek 11:16]: "Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: Though I removed them far off among the nations (הִרְחַקְתִּים֙ בַּגּוֹיִ֔ם), and though I scattered them among the countries (הֲפִֽיצוֹתִ֖ים בָּאֲרָצ֑וֹת), yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone.’" (ESV) #dispreferred
     <_ <Verb of distribution>: The verb הִרְחִיק in Ezekiel, standing parallel to הֵֵפִיץ "scatter", becomes a verb of distribution with a valency different from that of a verb of detachment. 
      + <Not a verb of detachment>: The clause in Ezekiel can be understood as having undergone a semantic shift "I removed them far off, so that they will dwell among the nations >> I scattered them far among the nations." 
       + <Different valency>: The verb הִרְחִיק in Ezekiel has the locative preposition בְּ ("among") as marker of the argument.
 - <Accusative of direction>: An accusative of direction is definite, either as a proper noun or as a definite noun of place (see examples in GKC §118f :G:), while מַחְשָׁךְ in our verse is indefinite, both formally and semantically ("into darkness / into a dark place").
  <_ <Job and Psalms>: There are at least two instances of a formally indefinite accusative of direction. #dispreferred
   + [Job 29:7]: בְּצֵ֣אתִי שַׁ֣עַר עֲלֵי־קָ֑רֶת בָּ֝רְח֗וֹב אָכִ֥ין מוֹשָׁבִֽי "When I went to the gate of the city and took my seat in the public square" (NIV) #dispreferred
   + [Ps 134:2]: שְׂאֽוּ־יְדֵכֶ֥ם קֹ֑דֶשׁ וּ֝בָרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהוָֽה "Lift your hands toward the sanctuary, and praise the LORD" (NLT) #dispreferred
   <_  <Semantically definite>: In each of these examples, the accusative of direction is semantically definite ("the city" and "the sanctuary") even if it is not formally definite.
 - <Psalmist in darkness>: The psalmist is the one in darkness, not his friends.
  + <General context of the psalm>: The psalm is written all from the psalmist's perspective, who mentions once in v. 7 that he has been put by God in dark places. Additionally, as someone who considers himself as good as dead, in the realm of the dead, characterized as a dark place (cf. v. 13), he is the one surrounded by darkness. 
   + [Ps 88:7]: שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת
   + [Ps 88:13]: הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה
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=='Dark place' as a location==
Some translations understand מַחְשָׁךְ in our verse as an adverbial indicating location, e.g. "My acquaintances are '''in darkness'''" (NASB 1995). The semantics of this reading are similar to the previous one, namely the psalmist cannot see his friends, who are in darkness. Cf. the NASB: "My acquaintances are in a hiding place". ISV reads this locative figuratively, understanding it as "and my acquaintances are confused." The major difference between this reading and the previous one is that מַחְשָׁךְ is locative here, not directional. This means that the clause מְְיֻדָּעַי מַחְשָׁךְ is a nominal one and the verb הִרְחַקְתָּ from the preceding line is not implied here.
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[Locative]: מַחְשָׁךְ is an adverbial accusative of local determination, indicating the location of the psalmist's acquaintances. #dispreferred
 - <Syntax>: The syntax of this clause does not allow a reading of מַחְשָׁךְ as an adverbial of local determination.
  + <Nominal clause>: The accusative of place may only serve as an adjunct in verbal clauses or יֵשׁ-clauses (IBHS §10.2.2b :G:), not in verbless clauses.
  + <No genitive>: The use of the accusative to express local determination is restricted to cases in which a noun in the genitive follows (Driver 1913, 37 :M:). 
   + [2 Kgs 4:15 vs. Gen 18:1]: "Then Elisha said, "Call her." So he called her, and she stood in the doorway (בַּפָּֽתַח)" (NIV) vs. "The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance (פֶּֽתַח) to his tent in the heat of the day" (NIV).
  <_ <Emendation>: The מ of מחשך can be emended to ב, so as to get a grammatically acceptable clause: מְיֻדָּעַי בַּחֹשֶׁךְ. #dispreferred
   <_ <Emendation not likely>: This emendation is not attested in any Hebrew manuscript, nor is it reflected by any ancient translation. Additionally, rather than representing alternative textual variants, differences in MSS and ancient versions likely suggest attempts to make sense of the (same) elliptical text (Goldingay 2007, Ps 88, footnote 7 :C:).
 - <Psalmist in darkness>: The psalmist is the one who is in darkness, not his friends.
  + <General context of the psalm>: The whole psalm is written from the perspective of the psalmist, who mentions once in v. 7 that he has been put by God in dark places. Additionally, as someone who considers himself as good as dead, in the realm of the dead, characterized as a dark place (cf. v. 13), he is the one surrounded by darkness. 
   + [Ps 88:7]: שַׁ֭תַּנִי בְּב֣וֹר תַּחְתִּיּ֑וֹת בְּ֝מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים בִּמְצֹלֽוֹת 
   + [Ps 88:13]: הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ נְשִׁיָּֽה 
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=='Darkness is my friend'==
Many translations understand the second line of v. 19 as a nominal clause with the predicate being the noun מַחְשָׁךְ, e.g. "darkness is my closest friend" (NIV). 
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["Darkness is my friend"]: מַחְשָׁךְ is the nominal predicate of the clause. #dispreferred
 - <Disagreement in number>: The MT reads מְיֻדָּּעַי ("my acquaintances"), a plural noun which does not agree with the singular predicate מַחְשָׁךְ. 
  <_ <Revocalization>: The MT text can be easily revocalized into the singular form מְיֻדָּעִי. #dispreferred
   - <Ancient Versions>: No Hebrew manuscripts attest to a revocalization. Additionally, LXX, Jerome, Targum and Peshitta all have a plural form attested.
  - <מְיֻדָּּעַי a majestic plural>: Plural מְיֻדָּעַי here seems to be a plural of majesty, stressing that the psalmist's one and only colleague is the Darkness (Dahood 1968, 307 :C:). #dispreferred
   - <Friendship based on equality>: There is no reason to believe that the word for a "friend" would entail a relationship based on superiority of one part over the other. 
   - <Majestic plural in the Bible>: Majestic plural in the Bible is mostly used in relation to God (and his attributes). As for humans, they may be referred to with honorific plurals, chiefly בְּעָלִים and אֲדֹנִים (IBHS §7.4.3b-e :G:).
 - <מַחְשָׁךְ is a noun of place>: מַחְשָׁךְ is a noun of place meaning "dark place", not "darkness". (HALOT :L:; BDB :L:).
  + <מַקְטָל>: Nouns of the מַקְטָל pattern often denote nouns of places (JM §88L-e :G:).
  <_ <Metonynmy>: A metonymical shift "dark place" >> "darkness" may have taken place here. #dispreferred
   + <מַחְשָׁךְ in Isaiah>: Two examples of מַחְשָׁךְ in Isaiah could be understood as either "darkness" or "dark place". #dispreferred
    + [Isa 29:15 & 42:16]: "Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness (בְמַחְשָׁךְ֙) and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?" (NIV); "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness (מַחְשָׁ֨ךְ) into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them" (NIV). #dispreferred
 - <Word order>: The opposite word order (Predicate-Subject) would have been expected in this particular nominal clause.
  + <מַחְשָׁךְ in focus>: The immediate context and information flow would naturally mark מַחְשָׁךְ as focal (cf. CEV: "darkness is my only companion").
  + <Unmarked vs. marked word order>: In a nominal clause of identification, the two parts of the clause usually occur in the order subject-predicate (IBHS §8.4.1a :G:). In a nominal clause the marked order is predicate-subject (BHRG §46.2.3 :G:). The semantic-pragmatic function of the marked word order in nominal clauses is to mark an entity as the focus of the utterance (BHRG §47.3.2 :G:)
  <_ <Poetic motivation>: The unexpected word order might be poetically motivated. #dispreferred
   - <No mirroring>: Since there is no parallelism in v. 19 under this reading, a mirroring (chiastic) structure is not a possibility here. Any deviation from the unmarked word order should therefore be accounted for in terms of information flow.  
    <_ <Other poetic factors>: There may still be some other poetic factors behind the given word order, e.g. the poet might have wanted to end the poem with the word מחשך, since darkness is a recurring and pivotal motif throughout the psalm. #dispreferred
 + <Context>: This reading fits in perfectly with its direct context in line 19a: having been deprived of all his friends, it is only natural that the psalmist's only companion left is the darkness that surrounds him.  #dispreferred
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=="My acqaintances are withheld from me"==
An alternative tradition is reflected in a number of manuscripts which have a different vocalization of the second noun as מַחְשֹֹךְ, an unattested noun with a שֹ instead of a שׁ derived from the root חשֹך "to withhold something from someone." Under this reading the translation should be "My acquaintances are withheld (from me)." This tradition is also backed by Vulgate iuxta Hebraicum's ''abstulisti'' "you have snatched away." <ref> Vulgate iuxta Hebraicum reads ''longe fecisti a me amicum et; sodalem notos meos abstulisti'' “You distanced from me friend and companion; you took away my acquaintances”. This reading probably corresponds to the verbal form חָשַֹכְתָּ as a verbal from the same root חשֹכ and requires an emendation of the text and a different word division to get מְיֻדָּעִים חָשַֹכְתָּ, as suggested by BHS. Since an emendation of the text is not likely in this case (Goldingay 2007, Ps 88, footnote 7), some commentaries suggest a different word division with no emendation to get מְיֻדָּעִים חָשַֹךְ. This reading assumes though an anacoluthon with a switch of the subject from second (in v. 19a) to third person (in v. 19b).</ref>
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[מַחְשֹֹךְ from the root חָשַֹךְ]: The noun מַחְשֹֹךְ should be read with a שֹ, not a ׁש. #dispreferred
 + <Nominal clause>: The noun מַחְשֹֹךְ, being an abstract noun can take the predicate position instead of an adjectival or verbal predicate, in order to receive a certain emphasis of identity with the subject, namely the subject being "wholly" or "altogether" as the predicate (GKC §141c :G:)). The nominal clause in that case can be best understood as "My acquaintances are withheld from me altogether." #dispreferred
  + <מַקְטֹל>: The nominal pattern מַקְטֹל usually indicates abstract nouns (JM §Lj-l :G:). #dispreferred
  - <No attestation>: The noun מַחְשֹֹךְ is not attested in the Hebrew Bible. 
<!-- + <Jerome's version>: Jerome iuxta Hebraicum suggests a different Vorlage which has a verb. #dispreferred
   + <Emendation>: Jerome's reading requires an emendation of the text and a different word division to get מְיֻדָּעִים חָשַֹכְתָּ, as suggested by BHS. #dispreferred
    <_ <Emendation not likely>: This emendation is not attested in any Hebrew manuscript. The differences in manuscripts and ancient versions are probably just attempts to make sense of the (same) elliptical text (Goldingay 2007, Ps 88, footnote 7 :C:).
   + <Different word division>: Instead of an emendation, a different word division preserving the same text is possible: מְְיֻדָּעִים חָשַֹךְ "he withheld friends (from me)". #dispreferred
    - <Anacoluthon>: The reading חָשַֹךְ in third person creates an anacoluthon within the same verse which starts in second person. 
     <_ <2-3 person switch attested>: A switch between second and third person in poetry and prophecy is not uncommon (Baethgen 1904, 273 :C:). #dispreferred
       + [Ezek 11:17-19]: 'I will gather you... and assemble you... and I will give you... They shall come there, and they shall take away... I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;' (WEB). #dispreferred
-->
 + <Rashi>: Rashi reads the noun with a שֹ. (Rashi :C:). #dispreferred
  + [Rashi on v. 19b]: נחשכתי ונחדלתי מהם "I have been withdrawn and withheld from them." #dispreferred
 - <Poetic cohesion weakened>: A reading of מַחְשָֹךְ with a שֹ would weaken the cohesion between two poetically parallel sub-units (vv. 7-10a / vv. 16-19).
  + <מַחְשָׁךְ in v. 7b>: The word מַחְשָׁךְ itself already appears in v. 7b, in a sub-unit poetically parallel to the one of v. 19b; cf. Poetic Structure.
 - <Appropriateness of theme>: Ending in "darkness" would be more appropriate than ending in "deprivation."
  + <Darkness as a theme>: The root חשׁך (with a שׁ) plays a key poetic role in the psalm (cf. v. 7b & v. 13a), with "darkness" having a strong connotation of death (Goldingay 2007 :C:). Cf. also Poetic Feature 2. 
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=='You have made my friends shun [my] distress'==
The LXX reads ἐμάκρυνας ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ φίλον καὶ πλησίον καὶ τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίας, which the NETS translates as ”You distanced from me friend and fellow and [you distanced from me] my acquaintances due to misery.”<ref>NETS understand ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίας as a causal phrase ("due to misery"), but we prefer to keep the basic physical notion of detachment - "from [my] distress" - the same way it is understood in the previous line - ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ "from me". This, as will be shown in the argument map, will have a poetic impact, with the psalmist being identified with his misery/distress. In any case, the causal sense in this case can be easily derived semantically from the physical one: you made them move away from my misery >> you made them move away (from me) because of my misery. </ref> Under this reading a parallelism is maintained, with "darkness" figuratively representing the psalmist's misery. Instead of being an integral performative of the noun מחשך, LXX understands the מ as a preposition attached to the noun חֹשֶׂךְ "darkness."
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[מֵ + חֹשֶׁךְ]: The word מחשך consists of the preposition מֵ + the noun חֹשֶׁךְ ("from darkness", figurative for "from distress"). 
 + <Parallelism>: This reading maintains a neat parallel construction with an elegant tail-head linkage. The verb in this case is elided and implied from the first line of the verse. 
 + <Poetics>: The parallelism creates an interesting equation between the psalmist (ממני) in line 1 and darkness (מחשך) in line 2, which works well in the larger context of the poem.
  + <General context of the psalm>: As someone who considers himself as good as dead, in the realm of the dead, which is characterized as a dark place (cf. v. 13), the psalmist is surrounded by darkness, which in this verse becomes de-facto one of his defining characteristics in the eyes of society. 
 + <Staircase parallelism>: Verse 19ab functions along with v. 9ab in a similar way to a staircase parallelism, but on the higher level of the psalm as a whole, rather than within the level of a verse. 
  + [Ps 93:3]: Example of a staircase parallelism at the verse level: נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃ 'The seas have lifted up, LORD, the seas have lifted up their voice; the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.
' (NIV). 
  + <Affinity with v. 9>: Verse 19 is reminiscent of verse 9. The first lines of each of these verses are almost identical, stating God as the reason behind the psalmist's friends shunning him. The second lines in these verses are different though: in verse 9b we hear that the psalmist has become repulsive to his friends, but we do not know why. It is only in verse 19b that the reason is provided: the psalmist is in "darkness," namely surrounded by death, which is what intimidates his friends. 
   + <Ps 114>: We find a similar phenomenon in Ps 114: in vv. 5-6 the natural elements are asked why they are behaving so abnormally, and it is in v. 7 that the answer is provided: because of God's coming to the earth. 
    + [Ps 114:5-7]: "Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back?
Why, mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs? Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob" (NIV).  
 + <Darkness as distress>: A figurative use of חֹשֶׁךְ as "distress" is a common phenomenon in poetry (BDB :L:). 
  + [Mic 7:8]: "Do not rejoice over me (amid my tragedies), O my enemy! Though I fall, I will rise; Though I sit in the darkness (of distress) (בַּחֹ֔שֶׁךְ), the LORD is a light for me" (Amplified Bible).
 - <MT version>: No Hebrew manuscript supports this reading (BHS). #dispreferred
  <_ <No emendation>: This reading does not involve emendation, but revocalization only. We have a common case here where the same consonantal text is vocalized differently in two traditions.  
 + <LXX>: The LXX appears to have read מחשך as the noun חֹשֶׂךְ "darkness" with a prefixed מן preposition.
  + [LXX (87:19)]: ἐμάκρυνας ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ φίλον καὶ πλησίον καὶ τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίας
  - <ταλαιπωρία in LXX Pss>: The translators of the Greek Psalter use ταλαιπωρία to translate שֹׁד (Ps 12:5); שָׁאוֹן (Ps 40:2),  and מַהֲמֹרוֹת (Ps 140:10), but never חֹשֶׂךְ. #dispreferred
   <_ <Inconsistent use of ταλαιπωρία>: The translators of the Greek Psalter use ταλαιπωρία to translate a variety of terms, not any one term consistently. It is conceivable, then, that they would have used ταλαιπωρία to translate חֹשֶׂךְ (darkness > distress).
  - <חֹשֶׂךְ as σκότος>: The translators of the Greek Psalter always render חֹשֶׂךְ as σκότος. #dispreferred
   + [חֹשֶׂךְ as σκότος]: Pss 18:12, 19; 35:6; 87:13; 104:20; 105:28; 107:10, 14; 112:4; 139:11, 12. #dispreferred
</argdown>

=="Darkness!"==
Many commentaries read the last line with an anacoluthon: it starts with a continuation of the parallelism initiated in the previous line, which is then immediately interrupted, switching into an exclamatory fragment "מַחְשָׁךְ." An example of this reading is: "You have caused lover and companion to stay away from me; (caused to stay away from me) my close friends — darkness!" (Tate 1998, 394).
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[מַחְשָׁךְ a separate fragment]: The line starts by continuing the parallelism from the previous line, and then switches into a separate exclamatory fragment, "darkness!" #dispreferred
 - <Ancient Versions>: This reading, which seems to be an innovation among more modern commentaries and not to be found in older ones, is not attested by any ancient translation.
 + <Nominal exclamation>: Nominal exclamations, consisting of a single noun or noun phrase, are common and not restricted to particular nouns, but are rather ad-hoc creations, that is, nouns or noun phrases used according to need (IBHS §40.2.3a :G:). #dispreferred
  + [2 Kgs 4:19]: 'Suddenly he cried out, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” (רֹאשִׁ֣י ׀ רֹאשִׁ֑י) His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother" (NLT). #dispreferred
 - <Anacoluthon>: This reading assumes an anacoluthon, often a sign of stylistically careless writing.
  <_ <Effect>: The anacoluthon in our verse could have been devised on purpose, to poetically enhance the dramatic ending of the psalm and symbolize the psychological state of the psalmist. #dispreferred 
   + <Muddled syntax>: The muddled syntax may be a subtle indication of the correspondingly jumbled psychological state of the psalmist (Wendland 2016, 2 :A:). #dispreferred
    + <Earlier signs>: The verb צִמְּתוּתֻנִי in v. 17b is a symbol for the disturbed psychological state of the psalmist. #dispreferred
     + [v. 17]: עָ֭לַי עָבְר֣וּ חֲרוֹנֶ֑יךָ בִּ֝עוּתֶ֗יךָ צִמְּתוּתֻֽנִי׃.  #dispreferred
     + <צִמְּתוּתֻנִי>: The unusual verbal form צִמְּתוּתֻנִי (cf. GKC §55d :G:) is one of several unusual words in vv. 16-17 (בִּעוּתֶיךָ, אֵמֶיךָ, אָפוּנָה) which may mirror the alien and unintelligible nature of the experiences they speak of (cf. Goldingay 2007 :C:).
   + <Rhetorical climax>: מַחְשָׁךְ is a brief nominal clause that functions as a rhetorical climax of the psalm (Hossfeld & Zenger 2005, 391 :C:). It contrasts sharply with the psalm’s opening colon, which also starts with an exclamation (יְשׁוּעָתִי), the antithesis of an inclusion (Goldingay 2007 :C:). #dispreferred
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=Conclusion (B)=
Our preferred reading is the fifth one, namely the one based on LXX and which involves revocalization of מחשך to מֵחֹשֶׁךְ. As we have shown in the argument map, this reading, unlike some of the other readings, poses no syntactic problems and does not require emendation (an emendation not likely to be reasonable in the case of v. 19b; cf. Goldingay 2007, Ps 88, footnote 7). Additionally, this reading offers significant poetic merits: it maintains the parallelism with v. 19a, it defines "darkness" (which can be figuratively seen as both distress and as an imagery for death) as a central pivot of the psalmist's existence, which goes in line with the whole message of the psalm, and it creates an interesting quasi-parallelism with v. 9ab, providing the reason for the latter. Additionally, this reading has a long tradition going back to LXX. In short, this interpretation enhances the cohesion with other parts of the psalm and concludes it in a neat and elegant manner.

=Research=

==Translations==

===Ancient===

* LXX: ἐμάκρυνας ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ φίλον καὶ πλησίον καὶ τοὺς γνωστούς μου ἀπὸ ταλαιπωρίας. <ref>[https://archive.org/details/PsalmiCumOdis/page/n233/mode/2up?view=theater Rahlfs 1931]</ref>
** ”You distanced from me friend and fellow and [you distanced from me] my acquaintances due to misery.” <ref>[https://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/nets/edition/24-ps-nets.pdf NETS].</ref>
* Jerome iuxta LXX: elongasti a me amicum et proximum et notos meos a miseria  <ref>[https://archive.org/details/vulgata_weber_gryson/page/880/mode/2up?view=theater Weber-Gryson 4th edition., 1994]</ref>
** “You distanced from me friend and fellow and [you distanced from me] my acquaintances due to misery.”
* Jerome iuxta Hebraicum: longe fecisti a me amicum et sodalem notos meos abstulisti  <ref>[https://archive.org/details/vulgata_weber_gryson/page/880/mode/2up?view=theater Weber-Gryson 4th edition., 1994]</ref>
** “You distanced from me friend and companion; you took away my acquaintances.”
* Targum: ארחיקתא מיני רחימא וחברא וליידעי חשיך אנא בפומהון/באפיהון#1# <ref>[https://cal.huc.edu/index.html CAL]</ref>
** “You have caused lover and friend to keep their distance from me; and as for my acquaintances, I am darkness in their presence” <ref>Stec 2004, 167.</ref>
* Peshitta:  ܐܪܚܩܬ ܡܢܝ ܪ̈ܚܡܝ ܘܚܒܪ̈ܝ܂ ܘܝܕܥ̈ܝ ܐܦܪܩܬ ܡܢܝ܂  <ref>[https://cal.huc.edu/index.html CAL]</ref>
** "You have removed from me my friends and my companions; you have turned my acquaintances away from me." <ref>Taylor 2020:359.</ref>

===Classic (Early Modern)===
and [you pushed] mine acquaintance into darkness (KJV)
===Modern===
* and [you pushed] mine acquaintance into darkness. (ASV, ERV, JPS Tanakh 1917, NHEB, WBT, YLT)
* My acquaintances are in a hiding place. (NASB)
*My acquaintances are in darkness. (NASB 1995, LSB, NRSV)
*and my acquaintances are confused (lit. are in darkness). (ISV) 
* darkness is my closest/only friend/companion. (NIV, NLT, BSB, CSB, HCSB, GWT, GNT, MSB, NAB)
*and now darkness is my only companion. (CEV)
*My acquaintance [is] the place of darkness! (LSV)
*und mein Vertrauter ist die Finsternis. (Luther 2017, ZÜR)
*mein Vertrauter ist nur noch die Finsternis. (EÜ)
*Ma seule compagnie ╵est celle des ténèbres. (BDS)
* and [you have put far from me] mine acquaintances because of my wretchedness. (BST)
*and [you have put far from me] my acquaintance, because of misery (Douay-Rheims Bible)

==Secondary Literature==
:Baethgen, Friedrich. ''Die Psalmen''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1904.
:Dahood, Mitchell J. ''Psalms II, 51-100: Introduction, Translation, and Notes''. 3rd ed. AB 17. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974.
:Driver, Samuel R. ''Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel''. Oxford: Clarendon, 1913.
:Goldingay, John. ''Psalms: Psalms 42–89''. Vol. 2. BCOT. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. 
:Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. ''Psalms 2: A Commentary on Psalms 51-100''. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2005.
:Rashi (Yitzchaki, Shlomo) [https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Psalms.88.19?lang=bi on Psalms].
:Tate, Marvin E. ''Psalms 51-100''. WBC 20. Dallas, Tex: Word Books, 1990.
:Wendland, Ernst R. ‘“Darkness is my closest friend” (Ps 88:18b): Reflections on the saddest psalm in the Psalter’, ''Verbum et Ecclesia'' 37(1), Online Journal, 2016.

=References= 

[[Category:Argument maps]] [[Chapter::88]]:[[Verse::19]] [[Status::Approved]]