Psalm 89:48
New International Version
Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave?

New Living Translation
No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude

English Standard Version
What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

Berean Standard Bible
What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

King James Bible
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

New King James Version
What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah

New American Standard Bible
What man can live and not see death? Can he save his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

NASB 1995
What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

NASB 1977
What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Legacy Standard Bible
What man can live and not see death? Can he provide his soul escape from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Amplified Bible
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.

Christian Standard Bible
What courageous person can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? Selah

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What man can live and never see death? Who can save himself from the power of Sheol? Selah

American Standard Version
What man is he that shall live and not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? [Selah

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who is the man who will live and will not see death and will save his soul from the hand of Sheol?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
What man is there who shall live, and not see death? shall any one deliver his soul from the hand of Hades? Pause.

Contemporary English Version
No one can escape the power of death and the grave.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who is the man that shall live, and not see death: that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell?

English Revised Version
What man is he that shall live and not see death, that shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Can a mortal go on living and never see death? Who can set himself free from the power of the grave? [Selah]

Good News Translation
Who can live and never die? How can we humans keep ourselves from the grave?

International Standard Version
What valiant man can live and not see death? Who can deliver himself from the power of Sheol. Interlude

JPS Tanakh 1917
What man is he that liveth and shall not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of the grave? Selah

Literal Standard Version
Who [is] the man that lives, and does not see death? He delivers his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah.

Majority Standard Bible
What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

New American Bible
What is man, that he should live and not see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah VI

NET Bible
No man can live on without experiencing death, or deliver his life from the power of Sheol. (Selah)

New Revised Standard Version
Who can live and never see death? Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah

New Heart English Bible
What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Webster's Bible Translation
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

World English Bible
What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

Young's Literal Translation
Who is the man that liveth, and doth not see death? He delivereth his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Sing of His Love Forever
47Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! 48What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah 49Where, O Lord, is Your loving devotion of old, which You faithfully swore to David?…

Cross References
Luke 2:26
The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

Psalm 22:29
All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before Him--even those unable to preserve their lives.

Psalm 49:9
that he should live on forever and not see decay.

Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah


Treasury of Scripture

What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

what

Psalm 49:7-9
None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: …

Job 30:23
For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.

Ecclesiastes 3:19,20
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 is vanity…

see death

John 8:51
Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

Hebrews 11:5
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.

shall

Psalm 49:15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Acts 2:27
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

2 Corinthians 4:14
Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

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Psalm 89
1. The psalmist praises God for his covenant
5. For his wonderful power
15. For the care of his church
19. For his favor to the kingdom of David
38. Then complaining of contrary events
46. He expostulates, prays, and blesses God.














(48) What man.--Rather, What hero, or champion, or great man. The word is used of a king (Jeremiah 22:30; comp. Isaiah 22:17). The verse repeats a common poetic theme:--

"Pallida mors aequo pulsat pede pauperum tabernas,

Regumque turres."--HORACE, I. Od. iv.

The hand of the grave.--Rather, of the underworld, "hand" being used for "power."

Verse 48. - What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? 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.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מִ֤י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

man
גֶ֣בֶר (ḡe·ḇer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1397: A valiant man, warrior, a person simply

can live
יִֽ֭חְיֶה (yiḥ·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

and never
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

see
יִרְאֶה־ (yir·’eh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

death?
מָּ֑וֶת (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

Can he deliver
יְמַלֵּ֨ט (yə·mal·lêṭ)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4422: To be smooth, to escape, to release, rescue, to bring forth young, emit sparks

his soul
נַפְשׁ֖וֹ (nap̄·šōw)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

from the power
מִיַּד־ (mî·yaḏ-)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

of Sheol?
שְׁא֣וֹל (šə·’ō·wl)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7585: Underworld (place to which people descend at death)

Selah
סֶֽלָה׃ (se·lāh)
Interjection
Strong's 5542: Suspension, pause


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OT Poetry: Psalm 89:48 What man is he who shall live (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 89:47
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