You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The original Hebrew suggests that the psalmist isn't just saying his friends have left him, but that "darkness is his companion" or "darkness is his acquaintance." This sharpens the pain, revealing that his only company now is the profound, isolating gloom of his suffering.
You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a raw outpouring of despair, detailing the singer's suffering and isolation. He feels abandoned by God and, as a result, has lost all human connection, with even his closest friends and companions now absent or unreachable, leaving him engulfed in utter darkness. This verse concludes the lament, painting a stark picture of a soul utterly alone in its torment, with no earthly comfort in sight.
Ever feel like your friends have vanished, leaving you alone in the shadows? This verse paints a picture of ultimate isolation, where even familiar faces are replaced by gloom.
The Deepening Gloom
This verse isn't just about friends being distant; it's about the nature of that absence. The original wording suggests that the psalmist's 'acquaintance' or 'familiar friends' have become darkness. It’s a profound shift where the absence of human connection is so complete that darkness itself feels like the only remaining companion.
It can be terrifying to feel abandoned by everyone. But what happens when the one who seems to have caused that abandonment is God Himself?
The Divine Allowance
Here, the psalmist points directly to God: 'You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me.' This is a pivotal, yet challenging, statement. It doesn't necessarily mean God friends away, but rather that in His sovereign plan, He has allowed or orchestrated circumstances where those relationships have dissolved.
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Understand the original words
re'a · Hebrew Noun
One held in high esteem and affection; implies a bond of deep trust, covenant loyalty, and mutual support.
meyudda' · Hebrew Noun
Those who accompany or walk with another; often associated with covenantal or social proximity. Their withdrawal signifies total abandonment and isolation.
choshek · Hebrew Noun
The absence of light; symbolically represents evil, judgment, separation from God, death, or the unknown depths of despair and hopelessness.
This passage echoes the psalmist's profound sense of abandonment by loved ones, with Job stating that God has 'put my relatives far from me' and 'my acquaintances foreigners.' It directly parallels the feeling of being utterly alone in suffering.
Job 17:14Here, Job uses similar imagery, declaring 'I say to the worm, 'You are my mother and my sister.'' This highlights the extreme isolation where even the grave becomes a companion, mirroring the psalmist's experience of darkness replacing companionship.
Matthew 26:50During Jesus' arrest, He is betrayed by Judas and abandoned by His disciples, even Peter who denied Him. This fulfills the prophetic cry of abandonment, showing that even the Son of God experienced this deep loneliness in His suffering.
Psalm 38:11This verse speaks to a similar experience of isolation due to affliction: 'My friends and companions shun my plague; and my kinsmen stand aloof.' It reinforces the theme that severe suffering often drives people away, leaving the afflicted feeling profoundly alone.
clarkePsalms 88:18: "Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness."
Lover and friend - I have no comfort, and neither friend nor neiphbour to sympathize with me. Mine acquaintance into darkness - All have forsaken me; or מידעי מחשך meyuddai machsach, "Darkness is my companion." Perhaps he may refer to the death of his acquaintances; all were gone; there was none left to console him! That man has a dismal lot who has outlived all his old friends and acquaintances; w…
ellicottPsalms 88:18: "Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness."
(18) And mine acquaintance into darkness. —This is an erroneous rendering. Rather, My acquaintance is darkness, or, darkness is my friend, having taken the place of those removed. The feeling resembles Job 17:14 ; or we may illustrate by Tennyson’s lines:— “O sorrow, wilt thou live with me, No casual mistress, but a wife, My bosom friend, and half my life? As I confess it needs must be.”
The original Hebrew suggests that the psalmist isn't just saying his friends have left him, but that "darkness is his companion" or "darkness is his acquaintance." This sharpens the pain, revealing that his only company now is the profound, isolating gloom of his suffering.
This psalm is a raw outpouring of despair, detailing the singer's suffering and isolation. He feels abandoned by God and, as a result, has lost all human connection, with even his closest friends and companions now absent or unreachable, leaving him engulfed in utter darkness. This verse concludes the lament, painting a stark picture of a soul utterly alone in its torment, with no earthly comfort in sight.
This psalm is a raw outpouring of despair, detailing the singer's suffering and isolation. He feels abandoned by God and, as a result, has lost all human connection, with even his closest friends and companions now absent or unreachable, leaving him engulfed in utter darkness. This verse concludes the lament, painting a stark picture of a soul utterly alone in its torment, with no earthly comfort in sight.
"You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness." — The original Hebrew suggests that the psalmist isn't just saying his friends have left him, but that "darkness is his companion" or "darkness is his acquaintance." This sharpens the pain, reveali…
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Last reviewed October 2026