The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Parallel translations
- WEB The dead don’t praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;
- BSB It is not the dead who praise the LORD, nor any who descend into silence.
- NKJV The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.
- NASB The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor do any who go down into silence;
- NLT The dead cannot sing praises to the Lord, for they have gone into the silence of the grave.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The dead and those gone down to silence cannot praise the Lord. It matters because it underscores the value of praising God now, in life.
Overview
Reflecting the limited Old Testament view of the grave, the psalm laments that the dead no longer offer audible praise. This is not a denial of the afterlife but a call to worship while there is opportunity. The fuller hope of resurrection life, in which the redeemed praise God forever, is unveiled in Christ, who conquered death (2 Tim. 1:10).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 6:5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
- Isa 38:18–19For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
- Ps 88:10–12Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
- Ps 31:17Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.
- Ps 30:9What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
- 1 Sam 2:9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 115:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.