What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
Parallel translations
- WEB What man is he who shall live and not see death, who shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.
- BSB What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
- NKJV What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the power of the grave? Selah
- NASB What man can live and not see death? Can he save his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah
- NLT No one can live forever; all will die. No one can escape the power of the grave. Interlude
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
No one can escape death or save himself from the power of the grave.
Overview
The universal reality of death confronts every person; none can deliver his own soul from Sheol. This sober truth underlines humanity's helplessness apart from God. It sets the stage for the one exception, Christ, who alone conquered death and holds its keys (Rev. 1:18; 1 Cor. 15:55-57).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Eccl 9:5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
- Ps 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
- Heb 11:5By 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.
- Eccl 8:8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
- Ps 49:7–9None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
- Eccl 12:7Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
- John 8:51Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
- Job 30:23For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.
- Ps 22:29All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.
- Acts 2:27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
- Eccl 3:19–20For 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.
- 2 Cor 4:14Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.
- Heb 9:27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 89:48 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.