I said introduces other thoughts of Hezekiah. It should normally be rendered as in the previous verse. New International Version does not close his thoughts here until the end of verse 14, but we recommend closing them at the end of this verse, as in New American Bible.

I shall not see the LORD in the land of the living: Here the king expresses his fear that he would not be able to worship Yahweh in the Temple again. To see the LORD is a figurative expression for Temple worship. Normally this expression should be translated literally, but we recommend adding a footnote that gives its deeper meaning; for example, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh explains in a footnote that it means “visit His Temple.” The land of the living refers to the present world, inhabited by living beings. It may be rendered “the land/world where people are alive.”

An interesting feature of this line is the repetition of the divine name, which occurs in its unusual shortened form “Yah” (see the comments on 12.2). This is not evident in most translations. However, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh preserves the form of the name as well as its repetition by rendering this line as “I shall never see Yah, Yah in the land of the living.” New International Version repeats “the LORD.”

I shall look upon man no more among the inhabitants of the world: These two lines are parallel to the previous two. The king will also no longer see any human beings who live on this earth. Contemporary English Version translates “I would never again see … any of the people who live on this earth” (similarly Bible en français courant). The Hebrew word for man is a generic term referring to any human.

There is a textual problem concerning the last word in this verse. The Hebrew text of Masoretic Text has the word chadel, whose meaning is unclear since it only occurs here in the Old Testament. It may mean “cessation” or “non-life,” referring to the brief nature of life in this world. New International Version expresses this reading in its footnote with “in the place of cessation.” Most translations emend the text to read chaled, which is the Hebrew word meaning “world” or “earth.” However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends Masoretic Text fairly strongly. Translators may follow either reading here, but they should give the alternative in a footnote.

Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch understands the last word in this verse as a reference to the world of the dead, so for the whole verse it has “Here, in the world of the living, I can no longer see the LORD; there, where everything comes to an end, I perceive human beings no more.” This is a possible translation model. Other examples for this verse are:

• I [also] thought that I would never again see the LORD,
the LORD here in the land of the living.
I thought I would never again see other people
from among those living in this world.

• I [also] thought, ‘I will never see the LORD again
here in the world of those who are alive.
I will never see other people again
among those who live in this world.’

• I thought, ‘Never again will I see the LORD,
while I am here in this world among those who are alive.
Nor will I ever see others again,
when I enter the land where all has come to an end.’

• I thought I would never visit Yahweh’s sanctuary again
here in the land of the living.
I thought I would never see another human being again
here with those who live in the world.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .