You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "made me an abomination" isn't just hyperbole for being disliked; it points to a deep social and spiritual separation, perhaps due to a perceived impurity or sin, which rendered the psalmist so repellent that friends literally couldn't bear to be near. This isn't just about feeling lonely; it’s about being ostracized to the point of becoming like an unclean thing, completely confined.
You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist is deep in despair, feeling completely abandoned and isolated by everyone, even his closest friends. He sees this rejection and his confinement not as a random occurrence, but as a direct consequence of God’s actions against him, fueling his sense of horror and hopelessness. This verse continues a profound lament where he feels trapped and unable to escape his suffering, as if isolated due to illness or extreme affliction.
When friends abandon us and we feel utterly alone, it's easy to think we're just the victims of bad luck or cruel people. But this psalm points to something deeper.
The psalmist isn't just passively experiencing abandonment; he explicitly states, 'You have caused my companions to shun me.' This is a bold declaration, attributing even this profound social isolation to God's direct action.
Divine Causation
This doesn't mean God is evil or unloving. Instead, it reflects a worldview where God is sovereign over all things, including the actions and choices of people. When friends pull away, when community shatters, the psalmist sees God's hand at work, even if the reason isn't immediately clear.
This perspective can be challenging, especially when we're hurting. But it invites us to consider that our deepest trials might be part of a larger, divine purpose, even when that purpose is hidden in darkness.
Being shunned by friends isn't just sad; it can feel terrifying. This verse uses a powerful word to describe the psalmist's state – 'a horror.'
The psalmist declares, 'you have made me a horror to them.' This suggests his condition (whether physical, spiritual, or emotional) was so severe that it evoked dread and revulsion in others.
A Spectacle of Suffering
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Commentators often link this to the isolation experienced by lepers in ancient Israel. Leprosy was a deeply feared disease, causing individuals to be ostracized, declared ceremonially unclean, and forced to live apart. They were, in a very real sense, made 'a horror' to their communities.
Even if not literal leprosy, the psalmist's suffering made him a spectacle of distress, something people naturally recoil from. This highlights the profound depth of his isolation – it wasn't just the absence of companionship, but the active repulsion he inspired.
When you're in deep trouble, it can feel like there's no way out. This verse paints a picture of being utterly trapped.
The psalmist concludes this verse with a stark image: 'I am shut in so that I cannot escape.' This isn't just a feeling; it's a description of his perceived reality.
The Walls Close In
This 'shutting in' could be literal, as in confinement due to disease or punishment. However, it's more often understood as a powerful metaphor for overwhelming circumstances that feel inescapable.
Whatever the precise nature of his affliction, the psalmist feels completely bound, unable to find any exit from his dark reality.
Understand the original words
tow'ebah · Hebrew Noun
A state of deep, repulsive alienation; it refers to something or someone so physically or morally repugnant that others draw back in fear or disgust.
This psalm reflects a profound personal crisis, possibly exacerbated by a severe illness like leprosy or a state of social ostracism, placing the writer in a position of utter isolation and despair.
c. 1000 BC - 900 BC
Reign of King David
David, a prominent figure in Israelite history, often faced intense suffering, betrayal, and isolation, which heavily influenced the Psalms.
c. 970 BC - 931 BC
Reign of King Solomon
Solomon's reign, while prosperous, also saw increased societal complexities and potential for personal suffering, influencing wisdom literature and psalms.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the united kingdom split into Israel (north) and Judah (south), leading to prolonged periods of conflict and instability.
c. 740 BC - 700 BC
Prophecies of Isaiah
Isaiah prophesied during a time of Assyrian threat and internal weakness in Judah, describing profound suffering and eventual restoration.
c. 627 BC - 586 BC
Jeremiah's Ministry and Exile
Jeremiah's prophetic ministry coincided with the final, tumultuous years of Judah, culminating in the Babylonian conquest and exile.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the subsequent exile of many Judeans to Babylon, represents a profound national trauma.
Date Unknown (Traditional attribution to Heman)— this verse
The Lament of Heman the Ezrahite
Psalm 88 is traditionally attributed to Heman the Ezrahite, a wise but suffering figure, likely written during a period of intense personal affliction or national despair.
Job vividly describes a similar experience of being abandoned by friends and family, feeling like a horror to them, which directly parallels the psalmist's lament. This passage highlights the deep emotional pain of social isolation during suffering.
Psalm 31:11This verse echoes the psalmist's feeling of being rejected and avoided by everyone he knows, emphasizing the acute loneliness that accompanies severe distress. It reinforces the theme of friends turning away when one is in deep trouble.
Psalm 69:8Here, the psalmist expresses that even his own brothers and close acquaintances do not recognize him, leading him to feel like a stranger. This resonates with the sense of alienation and being shunned mentioned in Psalm 88:8.
Lamentations 1:1-2The imagery of a once-great city now deserted and weeping alone in its distress, with no one to comfort it, mirrors the profound isolation and abandonment the psalmist feels. It captures the sense of a public figure brought low and left without support.
Isaiah 53:3This prophetic passage describes the Suffering Servant as despised and rejected by others, a man of sorrows acquainted with grief. It provides a profound theological parallel to the psalmist's experience of being made an object of horror and shunned.
pulpitPsalms 88:8: "Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth."
Verse 8. - Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me. Compare the similar complaint of Job (Job 19:13, 14); and see also Psalm 31:11; and infra, ver. 18. Thou hast made me an abomination unto them. So Job (Job 9:31; Job 19:19; Job 30:10). It may be suspected that the psalmist's affliction was of a kind which made him "unclean." I am shut up.…
ellicottPsalms 88:8: "Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth."
(8) I am shut up. —Not necessarily an actual imprisonment or incarceration on account of leprosy, but another figurative way of describing great trouble. Job 19:8 seems to have been before the poet.
The phrase "made me an abomination" isn't just hyperbole for being disliked; it points to a deep social and spiritual separation, perhaps due to a perceived impurity or sin, which rendered the psalmist so repellent that friends literally couldn't bear to be near. This isn't just about feeling lonely; it’s about being ostracized to the point of becoming like an unclean thing, completely confined.
The psalmist is deep in despair, feeling completely abandoned and isolated by everyone, even his closest friends. He sees this rejection and his confinement not as a random occurrence, but as a direct consequence of God’s actions against him, fueling his sense of horror and hopelessness. This verse continues a profound lament where he feels trapped and unable to escape his suffering, as if isolated due to illness or extreme affliction.
The psalmist is deep in despair, feeling completely abandoned and isolated by everyone, even his closest friends. He sees this rejection and his confinement not as a random occurrence, but as a direct consequence of God’s actions against him, fueling his sense of horror and hopelessness. This verse continues a profound lament where he feels trapped and unable to escape his suffering, as if isolated due to illness or extreme affliction.
"You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;" — The phrase "made me an abomination" isn't just hyperbole for being disliked; it points to a deep social and spiritual separation, perhaps due to a perceived impurity or sin, which rendered the psalmi…
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Last reviewed October 2026