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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Psalm 89:48 What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/psalms/89-48.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/3/19_Psa_089_048.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Psalm 89:48 - I Will Sing of His Love Forever" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? 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No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/psalms/89.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/psalms/89.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/psalms/89.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />What man <i>is he that</i> liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/psalms/89.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah</i><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/psalms/89.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he save his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/psalms/89.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/psalms/89.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/psalms/89.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he provide his soul escape from the power of Sheol? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/psalms/89.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />What man can live and not see death? Can he rescue his soul from the [powerful] hand of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead)? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/psalms/89.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />What courageous person can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/psalms/89.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />What man can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? Selah <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/psalms/89.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />What man is he that shall live and not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? [Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/psalms/89.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />No one can escape the power of death and the grave. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/psalms/89.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />What man is he that shall live and not see death, that shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/psalms/89.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Can a mortal go on living and never see death? Who can set himself free from the power of the grave? [Selah]<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/psalms/89.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Who can live and never die? How can we humans keep ourselves from the grave? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/psalms/89.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />What valiant man can live and not see death? Who can deliver himself from the power of Sheol. Interlude<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/psalms/89.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/psalms/89.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah) <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/psalms/89.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/psalms/89.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/psalms/89.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/psalms/89.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Who [is] the man that lives, and does not see death? He delivers his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/psalms/89.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Who is the man that liveth, and doth not see death? He delivereth his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/psalms/89.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />What man shall live and not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of hades? Silence.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/psalms/89.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Who is the man that shall live, and not see death: that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/psalms/89.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br /><V 88:49>Who is the man that will live, and yet not see death? Who will rescue his own soul from the hand of the underworld?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/psalms/89.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />What is man, that he should live and not see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? <i>Selah</i> VI <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/psalms/89.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/psalms/89.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Who is the man who lives and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of Sheol?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/psalms/89.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Who is the man who will live and will not see death and will save his soul from the hand of Sheol?<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/psalms/89.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />What man is he that liveth and shall not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of the grave? Selah <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/psalms/89.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />What man is there who shall live, and not see death? shall <i>any one</i> deliver his soul from the hand of Hades? Pause.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/psalms/89-48.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nFaD2oDhKPc?start=11363" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/psalms/89.htm">I Will Sing of His Love Forever</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">47</span>Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! <span class="reftext">48</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4310.htm" title="4310: mî (Interrog) -- An interrogative pronoun of persons, as mah is of things, who?; also whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix.">What</a> <a href="/hebrew/1397.htm" title="1397: ḡe·ḇer (N-ms) -- Man. From gabar; properly, a valiant man or warrior; generally, a person simply.">man</a> <a href="/hebrew/2421.htm" title="2421: yiḥ·yeh (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms) -- To live, to revive. A primitive root; to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive.">can live</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: wə·lō (Conj-w:: Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">and never</a> <a href="/hebrew/7200.htm" title="7200: yir·’eh- (V-Qal-Imperf-3ms) -- To see. A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively.">see</a> <a href="/hebrew/4194.htm" title="4194: mā·weṯ (N-ms) -- Death. From muwth; death; concretely, the dead, their place or state; figuratively, pestilence, ruin.">death?</a> <a href="/hebrew/4422.htm" title="4422: yə·mal·lêṭ (V-Piel-Imperf-3ms) -- A primitive root; properly, to be smooth, i.e. to escape; causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth young, emit sparks.">Can he deliver</a> <a href="/hebrew/5315.htm" title="5315: nap̄·šōw (N-fsc:: 3ms) -- From naphash; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. Animal of vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense.">his soul</a> <a href="/hebrew/3027.htm" title="3027: mî·yaḏ- (Prep-m:: N-fsc) -- Hand (indicating power, means, direction, etc.)">from the power</a> <a href="/hebrew/7585.htm" title="7585: šə·’ō·wl (N-cs) -- Or shol; from sha'al; Hades or the world of the dead, including its accessories and inmates.">of Sheol?</a> <a href="/hebrew/5542.htm" title="5542: se·lāh (Interjection) -- To lift up, exalt. From calah; suspension, i.e. Pause.">Selah</a> </span><span class="reftext">49</span>Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David?…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/9-27.htm">Hebrews 9:27</a></span><br />Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-20.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:20</a></span><br />All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/14-14.htm">Job 14:14</a></span><br />When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/15-22.htm">1 Corinthians 15:22</a></span><br />For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/5-12.htm">Romans 5:12</a></span><br />Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ecclesiastes/12-7.htm">Ecclesiastes 12:7</a></span><br />before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a></span><br />By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_corinthians/15-26.htm">1 Corinthians 15:26</a></span><br />The last enemy to be destroyed is death.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/7-1.htm">Job 7:1</a></span><br />“Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/6-23.htm">Romans 6:23</a></span><br />For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_samuel/14-14.htm">2 Samuel 14:14</a></span><br />For we will surely die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life, but He devises ways that the banished one may not be cast out from Him.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/4-14.htm">James 4:14</a></span><br />You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/14-1.htm">Job 14:1-2</a></span><br />“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. / Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_peter/1-24.htm">1 Peter 1:24</a></span><br />For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/40-6.htm">Isaiah 40:6-8</a></span><br />A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.</p><p class="hdg">what</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/49-7.htm">Psalm 49:7-9</a></b></br> None <i>of them</i> can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/30-23.htm">Job 30:23</a></b></br> For I know <i>that</i> thou wilt bring me <i>to</i> death, and <i>to</i> the house appointed for all living.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-19.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:19,20</a></b></br> For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all <i>is</i> vanity… </p><p class="hdg">see death</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/john/8-51.htm">John 8:51</a></b></br> Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/hebrews/11-5.htm">Hebrews 11:5</a></b></br> By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.</p><p class="hdg">shall</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/49-15.htm">Psalm 49:15</a></b></br> But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/acts/2-27.htm">Acts 2:27</a></b></br> Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_corinthians/4-14.htm">2 Corinthians 4:14</a></b></br> Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present <i>us</i> with you.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/psalms/88-8.htm">Able</a> <a href="/psalms/89-10.htm">Death</a> <a href="/psalms/82-4.htm">Deliver</a> <a href="/psalms/78-62.htm">Delivereth</a> <a href="/psalms/88-11.htm">Grave</a> <a href="/psalms/89-44.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/psalms/72-15.htm">Live</a> <a href="/psalms/89-42.htm">Power</a> <a href="/psalms/86-16.htm">Save</a> <a href="/psalms/89-45.htm">Selah</a> <a href="/psalms/88-3.htm">Sheol</a> <a href="/psalms/88-14.htm">Soul</a> <a href="/psalms/88-5.htm">Underworld</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/106-2.htm">Able</a> <a href="/psalms/90-5.htm">Death</a> <a href="/psalms/91-3.htm">Deliver</a> <a href="/psalms/91-3.htm">Delivereth</a> <a href="/psalms/107-20.htm">Grave</a> <a href="/psalms/91-7.htm">Hand</a> <a href="/psalms/98-7.htm">Live</a> <a href="/psalms/90-11.htm">Power</a> <a href="/psalms/91-3.htm">Save</a> <a href="/psalms/140-3.htm">Selah</a> <a href="/psalms/116-3.htm">Sheol</a> <a href="/psalms/94-17.htm">Soul</a> <a href="/psalms/107-20.htm">Underworld</a><div class="vheading2">Psalm 89</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-1.htm">The psalmist praises God for his covenant</a></span><br><span class="reftext">5. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-5.htm">For his wonderful power</a></span><br><span class="reftext">15. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-15.htm">For the care of his church</a></span><br><span class="reftext">19. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-19.htm">For his favor to the kingdom of David</a></span><br><span class="reftext">38. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-38.htm">Then complaining of contrary events</a></span><br><span class="reftext">46. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/psalms/89-46.htm">He expostulates, prays, and blesses God.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/89.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/psalms/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/psalms/89.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>What man can live and never see death?</b><br>This rhetorical question emphasizes the inevitability of death for all humanity, a theme consistent throughout Scripture. In <a href="/genesis/3-19.htm">Genesis 3:19</a>, the curse of death is pronounced upon Adam and his descendants due to sin. <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-2.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:2</a> and <a href="/hebrews/9-27.htm">Hebrews 9:27</a> affirm that there is a time to be born and a time to die, underscoring the universality of death. The question also highlights human mortality in contrast to God's eternal nature, as seen in <a href="/psalms/90-2.htm">Psalm 90:2</a>. This phrase invites reflection on the transient nature of life and the need for divine intervention for eternal life, pointing towards the hope of resurrection found in <a href="/1_corinthians/15-22.htm">1 Corinthians 15:22</a>.<p><b>Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?</b><br>Sheol, in the Hebrew context, refers to the realm of the dead, a place of darkness and separation from the living. The question implies human inability to escape death's grip through personal effort or merit. This aligns with <a href="/job/14-14.htm">Job 14:14</a>, where Job questions the possibility of life after death. The power of Sheol is a reminder of the consequences of sin, as described in <a href="/romans/6-23.htm">Romans 6:23</a>. However, the New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ has conquered death and Sheol, offering deliverance through His resurrection (<a href="/revelation/1-18.htm">Revelation 1:18</a>). This deliverance is a central tenet of Christian faith, providing hope for eternal life through Christ.<p><b>Selah</b><br>The term "Selah" is often interpreted as a pause for contemplation or reflection, inviting the reader to meditate on the profound truths just expressed. It serves as a moment to consider the weight of human mortality and the hope of divine salvation. In the context of the Psalms, "Selah" encourages deeper engagement with the text, prompting believers to trust in God's promises and the assurance of life beyond death through faith in Jesus Christ.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/e/ethan_the_ezrahite.htm">Ethan the Ezrahite</a></b><br>Traditionally attributed as the author of <a href="/bsb/psalms/89.htm">Psalm 89</a>, Ethan was a wise man during the time of King Solomon. His psalm reflects on God's covenant with David and the apparent contradiction of current suffering.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/s/sheol.htm">Sheol</a></b><br>In Hebrew thought, Sheol is the realm of the dead, a place where souls go after death. It is often depicted as a shadowy existence, separate from the living.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/d/davidic_covenant.htm">Davidic Covenant</a></b><br>The promise God made to David, ensuring that his lineage would endure forever. <a href="/bsb/psalms/89.htm">Psalm 89</a> reflects on this covenant and the seeming contradiction of Israel's current struggles.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_inevitability_of_death.htm">The Inevitability of Death</a></b><br>Every human being faces the certainty of death. This reality should lead us to reflect on our lives and our relationship with God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_power_of_sheol.htm">The Power of Sheol</a></b><br>Sheol represents the power of death, a force that no human can escape on their own. This highlights our need for a Savior who can deliver us from death.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/hope_in_christ.htm">Hope in Christ</a></b><br>While death is inevitable, Christians have hope in Jesus Christ, who conquered death and offers eternal life to those who believe in Him.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/reflecting_on_mortality.htm">Reflecting on Mortality</a></b><br>Understanding our mortality should inspire us to live purposefully and align our lives with God's will, seeking His guidance and strength.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_assurance_of_salvation.htm">The Assurance of Salvation</a></b><br>Believers can find comfort in the assurance of salvation through Christ, who has delivered us from the power of Sheol and given us the promise of eternal life.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_psalm_89.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Psalm 89</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_sheol_in_psalm_49_inconsistent.htm">Does the emphasis on Sheol in Psalm 49 conflict with other biblical descriptions of the afterlife, creating internal inconsistencies?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/rich_and_poor__what_after_death.htm">What happens to the rich and poor after death?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_did_enoch_avoid_death.htm">Hebrews 11:5 – If Enoch never saw death, how can this be reconciled with the universal human mortality observed throughout history? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_job_24_19-20's_view_of_the_grave_unique.htm">In Job 24:19-20, is the depiction of the grave consuming sinners consistent with or contradictory to other Old Testament views on divine judgment?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/psalms/89.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(48) <span class= "bld">What man.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">What hero, </span>or <span class= "ital">champion, </span>or <span class= "ital">great man. </span>The word is used of a king (<a href="/jeremiah/22-30.htm" title="Thus said the LORD, Write you this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.">Jeremiah 22:30</a>; comp. <a href="/isaiah/22-17.htm" title="Behold, the LORD will carry you away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover you.">Isaiah 22:17</a>). The verse repeats a common poetic theme:--<p>"Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas,<p>Regumque turres."--HORACE, I. <span class= "ital">Od. iv.</span><p><span class= "bld">The hand of the grave.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">of the underworld, "</span>hand" being used for "power."<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/89.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 48.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?</span> An expansion of the first clause of ver. 47. Man's littleness, feebleness, and fleetingness should draw forth the pity and loving kindness of God. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/psalms/89-48.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">What</span><br /><span class="heb">מִ֤י</span> <span class="translit">(mî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4310.htm">Strong's 4310: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix</span><br /><br /><span class="word">man</span><br /><span class="heb">גֶ֣בֶר</span> <span class="translit">(ḡe·ḇer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1397.htm">Strong's 1397: </a> </span><span class="str2">A valiant man, warrior, a person simply</span><br /><br /><span class="word">can live</span><br /><span class="heb">יִֽ֭חְיֶה</span> <span class="translit">(yiḥ·yeh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2421.htm">Strong's 2421: </a> </span><span class="str2">To live, to revive</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and never</span><br /><span class="heb">וְלֹ֣א</span> <span class="translit">(wə·lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">see</span><br /><span class="heb">יִרְאֶה־</span> <span class="translit">(yir·’eh-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7200.htm">Strong's 7200: </a> </span><span class="str2">To see</span><br /><br /><span class="word">death?</span><br /><span class="heb">מָּ֑וֶת</span> <span class="translit">(mā·weṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4194.htm">Strong's 4194: </a> </span><span class="str2">Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Can he deliver</span><br /><span class="heb">יְמַלֵּ֨ט</span> <span class="translit">(yə·mal·lêṭ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4422.htm">Strong's 4422: </a> </span><span class="str2">To be smooth, to escape, to release, rescue, to bring forth young, emit sparks</span><br /><br /><span class="word">his soul</span><br /><span class="heb">נַפְשׁ֖וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(nap̄·šōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5315.htm">Strong's 5315: </a> </span><span class="str2">A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion </span><br /><br /><span class="word">from the power</span><br /><span class="heb">מִיַּד־</span> <span class="translit">(mî·yaḏ-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3027.htm">Strong's 3027: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hand</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of Sheol?</span><br /><span class="heb">שְׁא֣וֹל</span> <span class="translit">(šə·’ō·wl)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7585.htm">Strong's 7585: </a> </span><span class="str2">Underworld (place to which people descend at death)</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Selah</span><br /><span class="heb">סֶֽלָה׃</span> <span class="translit">(se·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interjection<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5542.htm">Strong's 5542: </a> </span><span class="str2">Suspension, pause</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/psalms/89-48.htm">Psalm 89:48 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/psalms/89-48.htm">OT Poetry: Psalm 89:48 What man is he who shall live (Psalm Ps Psa.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/psalms/89-47.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Psalm 89:47"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Psalm 89:47" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/psalms/89-49.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Psalm 89:49"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Psalm 89:49" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>