Bible Strands
Psalms 88:2
May my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Heman the Ezrahite, a Levitical singer of the sons of Korah, addresses the LORD during a prolonged period of daily and nightly supplication while his life draws near to Sheol.
The words — The verse hinges on תָּב֣וֹא (ta.Vo', "may it come") and הַטֵּֽה־ (ha.teh-, "incline"), directing that his תְּפִלָּתִ֑י (te.fi.la.T/i, "prayer") reach God's presence and that God's אָ֝זְנְ/ךָ֗ ('a.ze.ne./kha, "ear") be turned toward his רִנָּתִֽי (ri.na.T/i, "cry of entreaty").
The thread — This plea for divine attention appears in Psalms 31:2 and Psalms 141:1, while its fear of rejection is mirrored in Lamentations 3:8.
Why it lands — The text states that prayer must arrive before God and that God must actively direct His attention to the petitioner's cry. It asks the reader to treat supplication as a request for divine orientation rather than a self-executing ritual.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
Cross-references
- Psalms 31:2 Incline Your ear to me; come quickly to my rescue. Be my rock of refuge, the stronghold of my deliverance.
- Psalms 141:1 A Psalm of David. I call upon You, O LORD; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to You.
- Lamentations 3:8 Even when I cry out and plead for help, He shuts out my prayer.
- Psalms 79:11 May the groans of the captives reach You; by the strength of Your arm preserve those condemned to death.
- 1 Kings 8:31 When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,