The psalmist pleads with Yahweh, arguing that his death will be of no value to Yahweh, since in Sheol the dead do not praise him (see 6.5 for the same idea).

In verse 8 the Hebrew text changes from the second person of address in line a to the third person in line b; Good News Translation maintains the second person in both lines.

I made supplication: the verb in line b means to ask for mercy, favor, help. New International Version has “I made my appeal,” New Jerusalem Bible “I cry for mercy,” and New English Bible “I plead for mercy.”

Verses 9-10 are the psalmist’s prayer for help. It may be helpful to introduce them with the words “I said” or “I prayed.”

The rhetorical questions in verse 9 all call for a negative answer. It should be noted that the Hebrew text in verse 9 says “What gain is there in my death (literally ‘in my blood’), in my going down to the Pit?” which Good News Translation has interpreted as profit to Yahweh (also Kirkpatrick, Weiser, Taylor, Cohen, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Some, however, see it as a question of the psalmist’s own gain; he is saying he would profit nothing by dying, for in Sheol he cannot praise God and proclaim his faithfulness (see Anderson). But this would be a strange argument, and the former view is more probable. Death is Yahweh’s doing, and the psalmist argues that his death would bring no profit to Yahweh.

Good News Translation‘s “from my death” will in some languages be translated “if I die.” The Pit is Sheol (as in 16.10).

In verse 9c dead people are spoken of as the dust. Sheol, the world of the dead, was pictured as a place of darkness and dust (see 22.15, 29; 88.10-12; 115.17 for descriptions of Sheol). The question the psalmist asks God, Will the dust praise thee? is most appropriate as a rhetorical question and in many languages will require a reply, “No!” In some languages it will be necessary to make clear that it is the dead in the dust who are referred to, or simply “dead people” as in Good News Translation.

The Hebrew word translated faithfulness in some contexts means “truth” (see 15.2); so New English Bible has “proclaim thy truth.” Most, however, take it here to mean “faithfulness, steadfastness, loyalty” (Good News Translation “unfailing goodness”). Thy faithfulness is often expressed by a verb phrase; for example, “people can always trust in you.”

The plea in verse 10 uses the same verb be gracious used in 4.1c; here Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates “have compassion on me”; New International Version “be merciful to me,” New Jerusalem Bible “take pity on me.”

As in 10.14d, helper in line b is equivalent to “savior.” It means not simply to assist, to lend a hand, but to rescue, to save, from a desperate situation.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .