What man can live and not see death? Can he save his soul from the power of Sheol? 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.
- KJV What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? 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
- 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 will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
- Ps 49:15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
- Heb 11:5By faith, Enoch was taken away, so that he wouldn’t see death, and he was not found, because God translated him. For he has had testimony given to him that before his translation he had been well pleasing to God.
- Eccl 8:8There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.
- Ps 49:7–9none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.
- Eccl 12:7and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- John 8:51Most certainly, I tell you, if a person keeps my word, he will never see death.”
- Job 30:23For I know that you will bring me to death, To the house appointed for all living.
- Ps 22:29All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship. All those who go down to the dust shall bow before him, even he who can’t keep his soul alive.
- Acts 2:27because you will not leave my soul in Hades, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay.
- Eccl 3:19–20For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals: for all is vanity.
- 2 Cor 4:14knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.
- Heb 9:27Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,
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 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.