Psalm 6 5

Psalm 6:5 kjv

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

Psalm 6:5 nkjv

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

Psalm 6:5 niv

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

Psalm 6:5 esv

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

Psalm 6:5 nlt

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

Psalm 6 verses

Psalm 6 5 Meaning

Psalm 6:5 articulates a desperate plea to God based on the psalmist's belief that only the living can remember, praise, and thank Him. The verse conveys a profound desire for preservation, not primarily for personal comfort, but for the fundamental purpose of human existence: to worship and glorify God. It argues that if the psalmist perishes and descends to Sheol, the realm of the dead, this core purpose—active remembrance and thanksgiving to God—will cease, thus implying a diminishment of God's praise on Earth.

Psalm 6 5 Context

Psalm 6 is a deep lament, the first of the seven Penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). The psalmist, traditionally identified as David, is in profound distress, suffering from both physical affliction ("my bones tremble," "my soul is greatly troubled") and the oppression of enemies. He perceives this suffering as a manifestation of God's wrath or discipline (6:1). The psalm is a desperate cry for God's mercy, for relief from physical and emotional torment, and for deliverance from those who persecute him. Verse 6:5 forms the climax of his argument to God: spare him not for his own sake alone, but so that he might continue to fulfill his divine purpose of praising and remembering God, an act impossible, in his understanding, from the silent depths of Sheol. The psalmist sees his life as valuable to God's active worship on Earth.

Psalm 6 5 Word analysis

• For (כִּי - kī): This conjunction acts as an explanatory connector, providing the rationale for the urgent appeal made in the preceding verse (Psalm 6:4). It clarifies that the psalmist's plea for preservation is logically tied to the current understanding of death and the afterlife, suggesting that saving his life serves God's purpose in maintaining active praise.
• in death (בַּמָּוֶת - bammāvet): "Death" signifies the physical cessation of life, the separation of the spirit from the body, leading to entry into the realm of the dead. In ancient Israelite thought, māveth marked the end of conscious, active participation in the earthly act of worship and praise. The urgency of the plea is underscored by the finality of this state regarding tangible worship.
• there is no remembrance (אֵין זִכְרֶךָ - ʾên zikrekā):
  • אֵין (ʾên): A strong negative, meaning "there is not."
  • זִכְרֶךָ (zikrekā): "Your remembrance," specifically referring to the act of actively remembering God, including recalling His deeds, invoking His name, and giving Him thanks and praise. The root zakar denotes to "recall," "mention," or "call to mind." This implies that from the state of death, one cannot consciously or publicly engage in glorifying God, a core aspect of a living relationship with Him.
• of You (within zikrekā): This clarifies that God Himself is the object of this remembrance, underscoring the psalmist's primary concern for God's glory and the continuation of His worship. The plea is not purely selfish, but driven by a zeal for divine praise.
• In Sheol (בִּשְׁאוֹל - bishʾōl): Sheol is the Hebrew term for the grave or the underworld, typically described as a shadowy, silent pit where all the departed reside. In the Old Testament, it is consistently portrayed as a realm lacking active knowledge, vibrant activity, and crucially, conscious worship of God. It signifies a state of disembodied inactivity rather than annihilation or a place of reward/punishment, serving to emphasize the cessation of active praise.
• who will give You thanks? (מִי יוֹדֶה לָּךְ - mī yōdeh lāk):
  • מִי (mī): "Who?" This rhetorical question anticipates a definitive "no one" answer, emphasizing the impossibility of active thanksgiving from Sheol.
  • יוֹדֶה (yōdeh): "will give thanks, praise, confess." Derived from yādâ, signifying "to praise" or "to confess," specifically relating to acknowledging and glorifying God for His works and attributes. This form of thanksgiving is central to Israelite worship.
  • לָּךְ (lāk): "to You," again directly referencing God, reinforcing that the concern is for the continuity of praise directed towards Him.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "For in death there is no remembrance of You; In Sheol who will give You thanks?": This constitutes a classic example of synonymous parallelism, where "death" and "Sheol" are parallel states, and "no remembrance of You" parallels "who will give You thanks?". The parallelism intensifies the core argument: the state of death (Sheol) is inherently incompatible with the active, public, and conscious worship of God. The psalmist's appeal implies that God's glory is maintained and increased by the living who declare His name, presenting God's "loss" of a worshiper as a persuasive argument for His intervention. This underlines the lamenter's zeal for God's renown and demonstrates a deep understanding of human purpose tied to divine worship.

Psalm 6 5 Bonus section

• The Old Testament's depiction of Sheol in Psalm 6:5 and other texts illustrates an evolving understanding of the afterlife in biblical revelation. While it stresses inactivity concerning conscious worship for the departed, later biblical developments, especially the New Testament with Christ's resurrection, profoundly reshape this concept. They present a victorious reality where the redeemed dead are actively present and praising God in His direct presence (Rev 5, 7), fulfilling the deepest desires for eternal worship.
• This verse highlights the theological premise of ancient Israelite worship, which placed high value on tangible, active, and vocal praise performed by the living. The termination of life was thus viewed as a direct impediment to this primary religious obligation.
• The rhetorical nature of "who will give You thanks?" is a characteristic feature of lament psalms. It serves as a powerful appeal to God's own vested interest in receiving praise, often persuasive as the psalmist asks God to act for the sake of His own glory.
• Scholarly discussion generally agrees that the psalmist feared a non-active state in Sheol rather than absolute non-existence, meaning the inability to praise God in the land of the living rather than complete annihilation of consciousness.
• The psalmist's desire for preservation in this context is deeply covenantal. It is less about personal gain and more about continuing the relationship with God through active obedience and praise, which for ancient Israel was intimately connected to their earthly existence and communal worship.

Psalm 6 5 Commentary

Psalm 6:5 forms the emotional and theological bedrock of the psalmist's urgent petition in this lament. It is not an assertion of absolute cessation of all existence after death, but rather an emphatic declaration regarding the perceived inability to actively worship, remember, and give thanks to God from the silent, inactive realm of Sheol, as understood in the Old Testament. The psalmist's argument is both pragmatic and profoundly spiritual: if God permits him to die, one vital voice will be silenced, removing an active worshiper from the earthly realm—the proper sphere for God's declared praise. This reveals a fundamental aspect of Israelite theology where the vitality of life was intrinsically linked to the capacity to worship and honor Yahweh. Thus, the psalmist's desperation for deliverance is intertwined with his zeal for God's glory, transforming his continued life into a matter not just of personal preservation but of sustaining active worship and contributing to the Lord's praise in the world.