Psalm 88:12
New International Version
Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

New Living Translation
Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?

English Standard Version
Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Berean Standard Bible
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

King James Bible
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

New King James Version
Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

New American Standard Bible
Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

NASB 1995
Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

NASB 1977
Will Thy wonders be made known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Legacy Standard Bible
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Amplified Bible
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness [where the dead forget and are forgotten]?

Christian Standard Bible
Will your wonders be known in the darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

American Standard Version
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Contemporary English Version
Do they know of your miracles or your saving power in the dark world below where all is forgotten?

English Revised Version
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Will anyone know about your miracles in that dark place or about your righteousness in the place where forgotten people live?

Good News Translation
Are your miracles seen in that place of darkness or your goodness in the land of the forgotten?

International Standard Version
Can your awesome deeds be known in darkness or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

Majority Standard Bible
Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion?

NET Bible
Are your amazing deeds experienced in the dark region, or your deliverance in the land of oblivion?

New Heart English Bible
Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

World English Bible
Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Are Your wonders known in the darkness? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Young's Literal Translation
Are Thy wonders known in the darkness? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Smith's Literal Translation
Shall thy wonder be known in darkness, and thy justice in a land of oblivion?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall thy wonders be known in the dark; and thy justice in the land of forgetfulness?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Will your wonders be known in the darkness, or your justice in the land of oblivion?

New American Bible
Are your marvels declared in the darkness, your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

New Revised Standard Version
Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Thy wonders shall be known in the dark, and thy righteousness in the land that has been forsaken.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Your wonders will be known in darkness and your righteousness in the land that was forgotten!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark? And Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Shall thy wonders be known in darkness? and thy righteousness in a forgotten land?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Day and Night I Cry Out Before You
11Can Your loving devotion be proclaimed in the grave, Your faithfulness in Abaddon? 12Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, or Your righteousness in the land of oblivion? 13But to You, O LORD, I cry for help; in the morning my prayer comes before You.…

Cross References
Job 10:21-22
before I go—never to return—to a land of darkness and gloom, / to a land of utter darkness, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is like darkness.”

Isaiah 38:18
For Sheol cannot thank You; Death cannot praise You. Those who descend to the Pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten. / Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.

Job 14:13
If only You would hide me in Sheol and conceal me until Your anger has passed! If only You would appoint a time for me and then remember me!

Psalm 6:5
For there is no mention of You in death; who can praise You from Sheol?

Psalm 30:9
“What gain is there in my bloodshed, in my descent to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness?

Psalm 115:17
It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.

Isaiah 14:9-11
Sheol beneath is eager to meet you upon your arrival. It stirs the spirits of the dead to greet you—all the rulers of the earth. It makes all the kings of the nations rise from their thrones. / They will all respond to you, saying, “You too have become weak, as we are; you have become like us!” / Your pomp has been brought down to Sheol, along with the music of your harps. Maggots are your bed and worms your blanket.

Ezekiel 26:20
then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living.

Lamentations 3:6
He has made me dwell in darkness like those dead for ages.

Matthew 8:12
But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Luke 16:23-26
In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. / So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ / But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. ...

John 5:28-29
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice / and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

Acts 2:27
because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Treasury of Scripture

Shall your wonders be known in the dark? and your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

dark

Psalm 143:3
For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

Job 10:21,22
Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; …

Isaiah 8:22
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.

in the land

Psalm 88:5
Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.

Psalm 31:12
I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.

Ecclesiastes 2:16
For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

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Psalm 88
1. A prayer containing a grievous complaint.














Will Your wonders
The phrase "Your wonders" refers to the miraculous acts and divine interventions that God performs. In Hebrew, the word for "wonders" is "פלאות" (pele'ot), which signifies extraordinary events that inspire awe and reveal God's power and majesty. Throughout the Bible, God's wonders are often associated with His deliverance and protection of His people, such as the parting of the Red Sea or the provision of manna in the wilderness. These wonders serve as a testament to God's sovereignty and His ability to transcend natural laws. In the context of this psalm, the psalmist is questioning whether these divine acts can be recognized or appreciated in a state of darkness, suggesting a deep yearning for God's presence and intervention in times of despair.

be known in the darkness
"Darkness" in this context symbolizes a state of spiritual desolation, ignorance, or adversity. The Hebrew word "חשך" (choshech) is often used to describe both physical and metaphorical darkness. Biblically, darkness can represent the absence of God's light and truth, as seen in Genesis 1:2, where darkness covered the face of the deep before God said, "Let there be light." The psalmist's inquiry about God's wonders being known in darkness reflects a profound struggle with feeling abandoned or distant from God's illuminating presence. It underscores the human condition of seeking divine revelation and hope amidst trials and uncertainties.

or Your righteousness
"Righteousness" is a central attribute of God's character, denoting His justice, moral perfection, and faithfulness to His covenant. The Hebrew term "צדקה" (tsedaqah) encompasses both legal justice and ethical conduct, reflecting God's unwavering commitment to what is right and just. In the psalms, God's righteousness is often linked to His saving acts and His role as a just judge. The psalmist's question about God's righteousness being known suggests a longing for divine justice and vindication, especially when faced with the apparent triumph of evil or suffering.

in the land of oblivion
The "land of oblivion" is a poetic expression for Sheol, the realm of the dead in ancient Hebrew thought. The Hebrew word "נשיה" (neshiyah) implies forgetfulness or being forgotten. In the cultural and historical context of the psalm, Sheol was perceived as a shadowy place where the dead reside, cut off from the living and from the active worship of God. The psalmist's lament questions whether God's attributes can be acknowledged or celebrated in such a place, highlighting the existential fear of being forgotten by God and the community. This phrase captures the depth of the psalmist's despair and the urgent plea for God's intervention before reaching a state of spiritual and physical oblivion.

Verse 12. - Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? (compare above, ver. 10). And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? "The land of forgetfulness," or "of oblivion," is another name for Hades, or Sheol - not that there are supposed to be no memories of the past in it (Isaiah 14:16, 17), but that all is faint and shadowy there, consciousness but a half-consciousness, remembrance but a half-remembrance.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will Your wonders
פִּלְאֶ֑ךָ (pil·’e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6382: A miracle

be known
הֲיִוָּדַ֣ע (hă·yiw·wā·ḏa‘)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

in the darkness,
בַּחֹ֣שֶׁךְ (ba·ḥō·šeḵ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2822: The dark, darkness, misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness

or Your righteousness
וְ֝צִדְקָתְךָ֗ (wə·ṣiḏ·qā·ṯə·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 6666: Rightness, subjectively, objectively

in the land
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ (bə·’e·reṣ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 776: Earth, land

of oblivion?
נְשִׁיָּֽה׃ (nə·šî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5388: Forgetfulness, oblivion


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OT Poetry: Psalm 88:12 Are your wonders made known (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 88:11
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