Bible/Psalms/89

Psalms 89:48

89:47 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?
What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.

KJV

Save image

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

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

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

89:49 Lord, where are thy former lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?

What does Psalms 89:48 mean?

Psalms 89:48 is a verse in the book of Psalms, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include גֶּבֶר (geber), חָיָה (châyâh), רָאָה (râʼâh).

Hebrew interlinear

Full chapter interlinear →
What
manגֶּבֶרgeber/gheh'-ber/H1397properly, a valiant man or warrior; generally, a person simply
is
he
that
liveth,חָיָהchâyâh/khaw-yaw'/H2421to live, whether literally or figuratively; causatively, to revive
and
shall
not
seeרָאָהrâʼâh/raw-aw'/H7200to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
death?מָוֶתmâveth/maw'-veth/H4194death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin
shall
he
deliverמָלַטmâlaṭ/maw-lat'/H4422properly, to be smooth, i.e. (by implication) to escape (as if by slipperiness); causatively, to release or rescue; specifically, to bring forth young, emit sparks
his
soulנֶפֶשׁnephesh/neh'-fesh/H5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)
from
the
handיָדyâd/yawd/H3027a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etc.),
of
the
grave?שְׁאוֹלshᵉʼôwl/sheh-ole'/H7585Hades or the world of the dead (as if a subterranean retreat), including its accessories and inmates
Selah.סֶלָהçelâh/seh'-law/H5542suspension (of music), i.e. pause

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Psalms 89:48.

Genesis 19:19

Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die:

Genesis 19:20

Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it is a little one: Oh, let me escape thither, (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live.

Genesis 1:21

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 12:12

Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

Genesis 12:13

Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

Genesis 19:17

And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Adam: or, the man

Genesis 9:16

And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

Frequently asked questions

What does Psalms 89:48 say?

Psalms 89:48 (King James Version) reads: "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah."

Is Psalms 89:48 in the Old or New Testament?

Psalms 89:48 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Psalms.

Reflect

As you read Psalms 89:48, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

Plan a sermon or study on Psalms 89:48
89:47Read all of Psalms 8989:49