Psalm 6:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?

NIV: Among the dead no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?

NASB: For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol, who will praise You?

CSB: For there is no remembrance of you in death; who can thank you in Sheol?

NLT: For the dead do not remember you. Who can praise you from the grave?

KJV: For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

NKJV: For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?

A theme of David's life was a sincere desire to praise and worship God (Psalm 9:1–2; 34:1; 145:1–2). As his situation becomes dire, David may have thought death was near. He notes that those who are dead cannot honor God or worship Him. "Sheol" refers to the grave or the realm of the dead. Old Testament believers did not have as clear a picture of life beyond the grave as do New Testament believers. David was thinking that dead bodies cannot remember the Lord and praise Him.

He wants the Lord to deliver him and keep him alive so he can reflect on God's character and goodness and praise Him for both. However, Old Testament believers did have a faint idea of what lay beyond death. For instance, in Psalm 49:15 the psalmist declares, "But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me."

Psalm 6:4–5 gives further hints that David is facing some kind of illness or disease. His requests here are specifically about his life, after earlier references to troubled bones (Psalm 6:2). In this brief section, David pleads with God for deliverance. He bases his plea on the Lord's steadfast love, and David's desire to praise God. He points out that a dead body cannot remember or worship the Lord.

David begins Psalm 6 by asking the Lord to withhold discipline from him. He describes the anguish he is experiencing. His bones are in pain and his soul is troubled. It's not clear whether David is literally experiencing some illness, sorrow for his sin, danger from enemies, or some combination of all these concerns. Whatever the situation, David's health is failing and so is his confidence. And yet, he is ultimately assured that God will intervene. The psalm begins in repentance and ends in confidence.

This psalm is ascribed to David. No exact incident in David's life is identified in this passage. There seems to be a connection to a disease or other health issue. He may have written it during his old age, when his son Absalom rebelled against him (2 Samuel 15:12–14). Another possible inspiration is David's sorrow over his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51; 2 Samuel 12:9). Psalm 6 is one of seven penitential psalms: songs expressing confession and repentance. The other six are Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.

Accessed 5/5/2024 3:36:45 PM