John Gill Commentary Psalms 88:5

"Cast off among the dead, Like the slain that lie in the grave, Whom thou rememberest no more, And they are cut off from thy hand." — Psalms 88:5 (ASV)

Free among the dead
If he was a freeman, it was only among the dead, not among the living; if he was free of any city, it was of the city of the dead; he looked upon himself as a dead man, as one belonging to the state of the dead, who are free from all relations, and from all business and labour, and removed from all company and society; he thought himself quite neglected, of whom there was no more care and notice taken than of a dead man:

like the slain that lie in the grave, whom you remember no more ;
in a providential way, as in life, to clothe them, and feed them, and protect and preserve them; in which sense God is said to be mindful of men, (Psalms 8:4) , who when dead have no need to be minded, and remembered in such a manner; otherwise God does remember the dead, and takes care of their dust, and will raise them again; and especially he remembers his own people, those that sleep in Jesus, who will be thought of in the resurrection morn, and will be raised first, and brought with Christ; see (Job 14:13Job 14:14) ,

and they are cut off from your hand ;
that is, the slain that lie in the grave, the dead that are buried there; these are cut off from the hand of Providence, they needing no supplies from thence as in the time of life. The Targum is,

``and they are separated from the face of your majesty.'' or "they are cut off by your hand" ^F9 ; by the immediate hand of God, in a judicial way; so Christ in his death was like one of these, he was cut off in a judicial way, not for his own sins, but for the transgressions of his people, (Isaiah 53:8) (Daniel 9:26) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: (Kdym) "manu tua", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Amama.