The dead don’t praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;
Parallel Translations
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The dead don’t praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;
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The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
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The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence;
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Psalms 115:17 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no memory of you. In Sheol, who shall give you thanks?
- Isaiah 38:18-19 For Sheol can’t praise you. Death can’t celebrate you. Those who go down into the pit can’t hope for your truth. The living, the living, he shall praise you, as I do today. The father shall make known your truth to the children.
- Psalms 88:10-12 Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the departed spirits rise up and praise you? Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
- Psalms 30:9 “What profit is there in my destruction, if I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise you? Shall it declare your truth?
- Psalms 31:17 Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness; for no man will prevail by strength.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (17 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 17 O God! the dead shall not praise thee…
17 O God! the dead shall not praise thee In these words the prophet goes on to beseech God to show himself propitious towards his Church, were there no other object to be gained than the preventing mankind from being utterly cut off, and the preserving a people, not only to enjoy his kindness, but also to invoke and praise his name. After celebrating God’s peculiar favor towards the Israelites, and the beneficence which he displayed towards mankind at large, he has recourse to the mercy of God for the pardoning of the sins of his people. And he proceeds on this footing, that though the heathen nations revel amidst the profuseness of God’s bounty, yet the seed of Abraham alone are set apart to celebrate his praises. “Lord, if thou shouldst allow us to perish, what would be the result, but that thy name would become extinct, and would be entombed with us?” From his appearing to deprive the dead of all sensibility, a question occurs: If souls, after they have departed from their corporeal prison, still survive? It is certain that they are then more vigorous and active, and; therefore, it must inevitably follow that God is also praised by the dead. Moreover, in appointing mankind their abode upon earth, he so disconnects them with God, that he leaves them a life such as they enjoy in common with the brutal tribes. For the earth was not given exclusively to men, but also to oxen, swine, dogs, lions, and bears, and what is more, to every sort of reptile and insect. For there is not a fly, nor a creeping thing, however mean, which the earth does not supply with an abode. The solution of the first question is easy. Men were so situated on the earth that they might, as it were, with one voice celebrate the praises of God. And it was to this concord that the prophet in this place referred, as does also the Scripture in many other passages.
“I shall not die, but live, and declare the words of the Lord,” (Psalm 118: 17).
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The good king Hezekiah also, said,
“The living, the living, he shall praise thee,” (Isaiah 38:19).
Jonah, too, when cast out of the belly of the fish, said,
“I will offer sacrifices, and I will pay my vows unto the Lord,” (Jonah 2:10.)
In short, the prophet very justly excludes the dead from taking any part in the celebration of God’s praises; for among them there is no communion and fellowship qualifying them for mutually sounding forth his praises: the proclaiming of his glory on the earth being the very end of our existence. The reply to the second inquiry is this: The prophet says that the earth was given to mankind, that they might employ themselves in God’s service, until they be put in possession of everlasting felicity. True, indeed, the abundance of the earth belongs also to the brutal tribes; but the Holy Spirit declares that all things were created principally for the use of men, that they might thereby recognize God as their father. In fine, the prophet concludes that the whole course of nature would be subverted, unless God saved his Church. The creation of the world would serve no good purpose, if there were no people to call upon God. Hence he infers that there will always be some left alive upon the earth. And he not only promises that the Church shall be preserved, but also calls upon all who are thus preserved to offer a tribute of gratitude to their deliverer; and, moreover, he engages in their name to set forth the praises of God. He does not speak merely of the persons who belong to one age, but of the whole body of the Church which God upholds from one generation after another, that he may never leave himself without some to testify and declare his justice, goodness, and mercy.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Though the dead set forth God’s glory, yet he…
Though the dead set forth God’s glory, yet he meaneth here, that they praise him not in his Church and Congregation.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither…
Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Ver. 17. The dead praise not] Therefore be active for God while we are upon earth; where for this he giveth us life and livelihood. See Psa 6:6.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The dead; such as we shall suddenly be, if…
The dead; such as we shall suddenly be, if thou dost not succour us.
Into silence; into the place of silence, the grave.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The dead praise not the Lord,.... Not the dead…
The dead praise not the Lord,.... Not the dead in sin; such as the makers of idols, and those that trust in them, who are like unto them; men must be made spiritually alive, ere they can show forth the praises of God: nor the dead corporeally. The souls of departed saints can and do praise the Lord: these die not with their bodies, nor sleep in the grave; they go immediately to God and Christ, and are employed in the service of God continually; particularly in praising him, as do the angels with whom they join; they sing the song of Moses and of the Lamb, of providence and grace; especially the song of redeeming love, with which they always praise the Lord: but they cannot praise him with their bodily organs until the resurrection, which by death are rendered useless; they can praise him no more among men on earth, as they have before done; there is no work of this kind in the grave.
Neither any that go down in silence; the grave, so called, because everything is mute and silent there (c); the instruments of speech are no more used on any account; no noise and clamour there from wicked men; there the wicked cease from troubling; and no songs of praise from good men, all still and quiet there. So the Targum,
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"not any that go down to the house of the grave of the earth;''
or the earthly grave. And therefore save us, O Lord, suffer not the enemy to destroy us; for, should he, we shall no more be capable of praising thee, as we have done and desire to do; for no such service is to be done in the grave, see Psa 6:4.
(c) "Silet rex ipsa silentum", Virgil. "Migrantesque domos animarum intrasse silentum". Propert. l. 3. Eleg. 12. v. 33.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Silence - Into the place of silence, the grave.
Silence - Into the place of silence, the grave.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 17. The dead praise not the Lord] המתים…
Verse 17. The dead praise not the Lord] המתים hammethim, those dead men who worshipped as gods dumb idols, dying in their sins, worship not Jehovah; nor can any of those who go down into silence praise thee: earth is the place in which to praise the Lord for his mercies, and get a preparation for his glory.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 115:17-18. The dead praise not the Lord —…
Psa 115:17-18. The dead praise not the Lord — See note on Psa 6:5. Neither any that go into silence — Into the place of silence, the grave. But we will bless the Lord — But we hope for better things; that, notwithstanding our present and urgent danger, yet God will deliver us, and so give us occasion to bless his name; from this time forth and for evermore — To the end of time, and afterward to all eternity. “As the dead cannot praise him, we may be certain he will not suffer his people to be destroyed and extirpated; but will always preserve a church to bless him in all ages, to the end of the world; when the dead shall be raised, and the choirs of heaven and earth shall be united, to praise and glorify him together before his throne for evermore.” — Horne.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The dead praise not the Lord - The meaning…
The dead praise not the Lord - The meaning of this is, that as those who are dead cannot praise God, or cannot worship him, this should be done while we are in the land of the living. This opportunity, like all other opportunities, will be cut off in the grave, and hence, we should be faithful in this duty, and should avail ourselves of this privilege, while life lasts. In regard to the sentiment here expressed, and the grounds on which that sentiment was entertained, see the notes at Isa 38:18-19; notes at Psa 6:5.
Neither any that go down into silence - Into the grave - the land of silence. Psa 94:17. Nothing is more impressive in regard to the grave than its utter silence. Not a voice, not a sound, is heard there - of birds or human beings - of song or conversation - of the roaring of the sea, the sighing of the breeze, the fury of the storm, the tumult of battle. Perfect stillness reigns there; and the first sound that shall be heard there will be the archangel’s trump.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 17. The dead praise not the Lord—That is, they…
17. The dead praise not the Lord—That is, they do not show forth God’s praise upon earth, and among the living. If they have any office, to living men it is invisible, and cannot be recognized as a public medium before human beings for showing forth the praise of God. These forms of speech are simply phenomenal, and are no proof that the doctrine of a future state is not taught in the Old Testament. See notes on Psa_6:5; Psa_49:14-20; Psa_88:10-12
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 17. From heaven the poet passes to earth, and…
17. From heaven the poet passes to earth, and from earth to Sheol, which here, as in Psa_94:17, is termed ‘silence.’ The dead raise no Hallelujahs; they are cut off from communion with God and from the power of rendering Him service of lip and life. For this gloomy view of the state of the dead cp. Psa_6:5; Psa_30:9; Psa_88:4-5; Psa_88:10-12; Isa_38:11; Isa_38:18; and many passages in Job, e.g. Job_7:9; Job_10:21 ff.; Job_10:14 : and see Introd. pp. xciii ff.
The verse is partly a stimulus to employ life rightly; partly (in effect) a plea, for if Jehovah suffers his people to perish, He will lose their praises.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (17) Silence.—The land of silence is, of course, Sheôl,…
(17) Silence.—The land of silence is, of course, Sheôl, the under-world. (So the LXX., “Hades.”)
(17, 18) The connection of these verses with the rest of the psalm is far from plain. Why the psalmist should suddenly be struck with the dreadful thought that death broke the covenant relationship, and silenced prayer and praise, is not easy to see. Was the psalm first chanted after some victory? and was this suggested by the sight of the slain, who, though they had helped to win the triumph, could yet have no share in the praises that were ascending to Jehovah?
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 17, 18. Once more the choir and congregation…
Vers. 17, 18. Once more the choir and congregation speak. The mention of "heaven and earth" (ver. 15) reminds them of the third placeSheol. In Sheol is no praise of God, but only "silence." They, at any rate, while they remain on earth, and have the power to praise God, will praise him without ceasing.
The dead praise not the Lord. (comp. Psa_6:5 Psa_30:9 Psa_88:11 Isa_38:18) Neither any that go down into silence. The notion of Sheol as a place of silence occurs in Psa_94:17, and strongly in Isa_38:18 (see the "Pulpit Commentary on Isaiah," vol. 2. p. 39).
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The responsibility of being alive.
"The dead praise not the Lord." Joy in life is the characteristic of every healthy, right-minded person. Pining for death is, altogether and always, a sign of a morbid condition of body or of mind. It is a delusion to imagine that religion requires of us an indifference to life, and a yearning for heaven. The psalmists and kings of the old Israelite times loved life and dreaded death. One says, "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore, but he hath not given me over unto death". (Psa_118:17) Hezekiah expresses but the universal sentiment of the good men of his day when he says, "The grave cannot praise thee; death cannot celebrate thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known thy truth". (Isa_38:18, Isa_38:19) But if we have life, we must take it with all its responsibilities, and the first of these is that we acknowledge the God who made us, on whom we are wholly dependent, and who lays his righteous claims upon us. One of those claims is indicated by the psalmist. God calls for praise. All his works praise him in their order and fitness, in the precise fulfillment of the end for which they were designed. But God seeks that higher praise which can be offered by intelligent and free-willed beings. And the time in which they can offer the praise is the time of their lives amid terrestrial things. It is the praise of the living that God wants. It is praise while living that man can alone render.
I PRAISE-TIME IS THE PRESENT TIME. It is never a mere duty that has been done; a demand that has been met. The praise that is God"s due can never be paid, so that we can get a receipt in full for all our obligations. It is never a duty that can be put off to some by-and-by, something that we can promise to do some day. It is the duty of the hour. It is immediate response to God"s present blessings.
II PRAISE-TIME IS A LIMITED TIME. It is limited to life, and life is always short and always uncertain, so that a man"s call to praise is a call of the moment. For praise "now is the accepted time." No man has any tomorrow until God gives it to him, and then he must call it today. Only by doing just the duty of the hour can any man meet his human obligations.
III THE OCCASIONS OF PRAISE BELONG TO THE PRESENT TIME. It is true that there is call to praise for God"s past dealings with us; and call to praise in view of the promises on which we are permitted to hope; but we can always find, if we will, calls to praise in the things actually around us; God"s good hand is ever on us for good. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 17. The dead praise not the LORD So…
Ver. 17. The dead praise not the LORD So far as this world is concerned. They cannot unite in the Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with which the church delights to adore her Lord. The preacher cannot magnify the Lord from his coffin, nor the Christian worker further manifest the power of divine grace by daily activity while he lies in the grave.
Neither any that go down into silence. The tomb sends forth no voice; from mouldering bones and flesh consuming worms there arises no sound of gospel ministry nor of gracious song. One by one the singers in the consecrated choir of saints steal away from us, and we miss their music. Thank God, they have gone above to swell the harmonies of the skies, but as far as we are concerned, we have need to sing all the more earnestly because so many songsters have left our choirs.
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Ver. 17. The dead praise not the LORD, etc. David considers not here what men do, or do not, in the next world; but he considers only that in this world he was bound to propagate God's truth, and that he could not do so if God took him away by death. Now there is a double reason given of David's and other holy men's deprecation of death in the Old Testament; one in relation to themselves, qui promissiones obsurae, because Moses had conveyed to those men all God's future blessings, all the joy and glory of heaven, only in the types of earthly things, and said little of the state of the soul after this life. And therefore the promises belonging to the godly after this life, were not so clear that in the contemplation of them they could deliver themselves confidently into the jaws of death: he that is not fully satisfied of the next world, makes shift to be content with this. The other reason was quia operarii pauci, because God had a great harvest in hand, and few labourers in it, they were loath to be taken from the work; and this reason was not in relation to themselves, but to God's church, since they would not be able to do God's cause any more good here. This was the other reason that made those good men so loath to die. Quid facies nomini tuo? says Joshua in his prayer to God. If the Canaanites come in to destroy us, and blaspheme thee, what wilt thou do unto thy mighty name? What wilt thou do unto thy glorious church, said the saints of God under the Old Testament, if thou take those men out of the world, whom thou hast chosen, enabled, and qualified, for the edification, sustanation, and propagation of that church? Upon this account David desired to live, not for his own sake, but for God's glory and his church's good; neither of which could be advanced by him when he was dead. Abraham Wright.
Ver. 17. The dead praise not the LORD, etc. Who are here meant by "the dead"? I cannot rest in the view taken by those who consider this verse simply as a plea by those who use it, that they may be saved from death. They are words provided for the church at large, as the subsequent verse proves By "the dead, "then, I understand those who descend to the silence of eternal death, who have not praised God, and never can. For them the earth might seem never to have been given. W. Wilson.
Ver. 17. Into silence. Into the gravethe land of silence. Ps 94:17. Nothing is more impressive in regard to the grave than its utter silence. Not a voice, not a sound, is heard there, of birds or menof song or conversationof the roaring of the sea, the sighing of the breeze, the fury of the storm, the tumult of battle. Perfect stillness reigns there; and the first sound that shall be heard there will be the archangel's trump. Albert Barnes.
Ver. 17-18. The people of God cannot die, because the praise of God would die with them, which would be impossible. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Ver. 17-18. It is not to be overlooked that there do occur, in certain Psalms, words which have the appearance of excluding the hope of eternal life (Ps 6:5 30:9 88:10, 12 89:47 115:17)... Yet it is a very significant fact, that in all the Psalms in question, there is an earnest solicitude expressed for the glory of God. If death is deprecated, it is in order that the Lord may not lose the glory, nor his church the services which a life prolonged might furnish. This is well exemplified in the hundred and fifteenth, which I the rather cite because, being the sole exception to the rule, that the dark views of death are found in Psalms of contrition and deep sorrow; it is the only Psalm to which the preceding observations are inapplicable. It is a tranquil hymn of praise.
17. It is not the dead who praise Jah: Neither any that go down into silence.
18. But WE will bless Jah, From this time forth and for evermore. Hallelujah!
The Psalm thus closed, was one of the Songs of the Second Temple.
What we hear in it is the voice of the church, rather than of an individual soul. And this may assist us in perceiving its entire harmony with faith in the heavenly glory. It much concerns the honour of God that there be continued, on the earth, a visible church, in which his name may be recorded from generation to generation. That is a work which cannot be performed by the dead. Since, therefore, the uppermost desire of the church ought ever to be that God's name may be hallowed, his kingdom advanced, and his will done in the earth; it is her duty to pray for continued subsistence here, on the earth, to witness for God. And it is to be carefully observed, that not only in this passage, but in all the parallel texts in which the Psalmists seem to speak doubtfully or disparagingly of the state of the departed, it is in connection with the interest of God's cause on the earth. The thought that is uppermost in their hearts is, that "in death there is no commemoration" of Godno recording of his name for the salvation of men. This single circumstance might, I think, suffice to put the reader on his guard against a precipitate fastening on them of a meaning which would exclude the hope of eternal life. It goes far to show that what the Psalmist deprecates, is not death simply considered, but premature death. Their prayer is, "O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days." Ps 102:24. And I do not hesitate to say that there are men so placed in stations of eminent usefulness, that it is their duty to make the prayer their own. William Binnie.
Ver. 17-18.
1. Missing voices"The dead praise not."
2. Their stimulus upon ourselves"But we."
3. Their cry to others"Praise ye the Lord." Let us make up for the silent voices.
Ver. 17-18.
1. They who do not praise God here will not praise him hereafter. No reprieve therefore from punishment.
2. They who praise God in this life will praise him for evermore. Hallelujah for this. "Praise the Lord." G.R.
Ver. 17-18. A new year's sermon.
1. A mournful memory"the dead."
2. A happy resolve"but we will bless the Lord."
3. An appropriate commencement"from this time forth."
4. An everlasting continuance"and for evermore."
Psalms 115:18*
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that…
Psa_115:17-18
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
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But we will bless the Lord.
Living praise
The living God should be adored by a living people. A blessing God should be blessed by a blessing people. When we bless Him we should not rest till others do the same: we should cry to them, Praise the Lord. Our example and our persuasion should rouse them to praise.
I. A mournful memory. The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence. This reminds us--
1. Of silenced voices in the choirs of Zion. Good men and true who neither sing nor speak among us any longer.
2. Of our own speedy silence: so far as this world is concerned we shall soon be among the dead and silent ones.
3. Of the ungodly around us, who are already spiritually dead, and can no more praise the Lord than if they were dumb.
4. Of lost souls in hell. Never will these bless the Lord.
II. A happy resolution. But we will bless the Lord. In heart, song, testimony, action, we are resolved to give the Lord our loving praise; because--
1. We live. Shall we not bless Him who keeps us in being?
2. We live spiritually, and this demands perpetual thanksgiving.
3. We are blessed of the Lord: shall we not bless Him?
4. He will bless us. More and more will He reveal His love to us: let us praise Him more and more. Be this our steadfast vow, that we will bless the Lord, come what may.
III. An appropriate commencement. We will bless the Lord from this time forth.
1. When the heathen ask, Where is now their God? (verse 2), let us reply courageously to all atheistic questions, and meet infidelity with joyous adoration.
2. When under a sense of mercy, we are led to sing--The Lord hath been mindful of us (verse 12), let us then bless Him.
3. When spiritually renewed and comforted. When the four times repeated words, He will bless, have come true in our experience, and the Lord has increased us with every personal and family blessing (Psa_115:12-14), then let all that is within us bless the holy name of the Lord.
4. When led to confess Christ. Then should we begin the never-ending life-psalm. Service and song should go together.
5. When years end and begin--new-years days, birthdays, etc., let us bless God for--
(1) Sin of the year forgiven.
(2) Need of the year supplied.
(3) Mercy of the year enjoyed.
(4) Fears of the year removed.
(5) Hopes of the year fulfilled.
IV. An everlasting continuance: from this time forth and for evermore.
1. Weariness shall not suspend it. We will renew our strength as we bless the Lord.
2. Final falling shall not end it: the Lord will keep our soul in His way, and make us praise Him all our days.
3. Nor shall death so much as interrupt our songs, but raise them to a purer and fuller strain.
4. Nor shall any supposable calamity deprive the Lord of our gratitude (Job_1:21). (C. H. Spurgeon.)
United and continuous praise
On Thursday evening, March 29, 1883, for above an hour all who had occasion to use the telephone in Chicago found it vibrating to musical tones. Private and public telephones, and even the police and fire-alarm instruments, were alike affected. The source of the music was a mystery until the following day, when it was learned that a telegraph wire, which passes near most of the telephone wires, was connected with the harmonic system, that tunes were being played over it, and that the telephone wires took up the sounds by induction. If one wire carrying sweet sounds from place to place could so affect another wire by simply being near to it, how ought Christians, in communication with their Father in heaven, to affect all with whom they come in contact in the world! The Divine music of love and praise in their lives should be a blessing to society. (Pulpit Treasury.)
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Psa_116:1-19
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Ecc 9:10").
dead
(See Scofield "Ecc 9:10").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 The dead
The dead
The adjective "dead" may be translated with a noun phrase. AT: "People who are dead" (See: Nominal Adjectives)
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nor do any who go down into silence
This parallel phrase has a similar meaning to phrase before it. The verb may be supplied from that previous phrase to make the meaning clear. AT: "nor do any who go down into silence praise Yahweh" (See: Ellipsis and Parallelism)
nor do any who go down into silence
The writer speaks of the grave or the place of the dead as a place of silence where no one can speak. This is a euphemism for death. AT: "nor do any who go to the place of the dead" (See: Metaphor and Euphemism)
But we
The word "we" refers to the people of Israel who are still alive.
translationWords
die
praise
bless
eternity
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.