Psalms 115:17

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

The dead praise not Jehovah, Neither any that go down into silence;

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

לֹ֣א הַ֭מֵּתִים יְהַֽלְלוּ־יָ֑הּ וְ֝לֹ֗א כָּל־יֹרְדֵ֥י דוּמָֽה׃

Transliteration

Not the-mēṯîm yĕhallĕlû-Yāh, wĕ-not all-yōrĕḏê ḏûmāh.

Grammar Details

לֹא: negative particle, 'not'
הַמֵּתִים: definite article + adjective, masculine plural, 'the dead'
*yĕhallĕlû*: verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural, 'they praise'
*Yāh*: divine name, shortened form of YHWH
*wĕ*: conjunction, 'and'
כָּל: noun, masculine singular construct, 'all/all of'
*yōrĕḏê*: participle, masculine plural construct, 'those going down to'
*ḏûmāh*: noun, feminine singular, 'silence/the place of silence'

Word Meanings

*mēṯîm*: dead/deceased
*yĕhallĕlû*: praise/glorify/commend
*Yāh*: divine name (shortened form)
*yōrĕḏê*: those who go down to/those descending to
*ḏûmāh*: silence/the grave/realm of the dead

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Ps 6:5 : 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks?
Ps 31:17 : 17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; For I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
Ps 88:10-12 : 10 Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? Shall they that are deceased arise and praise thee? Selah 11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in Destruction? 12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
Isa 38:18-19 : 18 For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 19 The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.
Ps 30:9 : 9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
1 Sam 2:9 : 9 He will keep the feet of his holy ones; But the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; For by strength shall no man prevail.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Ps 115:18
80%
18But we will bless Jehovah From this time forth and for evermore. Praise ye Jehovah.
Isa 38:18-19
2 verses
79%
18For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
19The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: The father to the children shall make known thy truth.
Ps 6:5
78%
5For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks?
Eccl 9:5
76%
5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ps 88:10-11
2 verses
75%
10Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? Shall they that are deceased arise and praise thee? Selah
11Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in Destruction?
Eccl 4:2
75%
2Wherefore I praised the dead that have been long dead more than the living that are yet alive;
Isa 26:14
74%
14[They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all remembrance of them to perish.
Ps 135:16-17
2 verses
73%
16They have mouths, but they speak not; Eyes have they, but they see not;
17They have ears, but they hear not; Neither is there any breath in their mouths.
Job 14:12
72%
12So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.
Ps 49:17-19
3 verses
72%
17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.
18Though while he lived he blessed his soul (And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself,)
19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light.
Ps 115:16
71%
16The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah; But the earth hath he given to the children of men.
Job 26:5
71%
5They that are deceased tremble Beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.
Ps 31:17
71%
17Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; For I have called upon thee: Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
Ps 150:6
71%
6Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah.
Ps 146:1-2
2 verses
71%
1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
2While I live will I praise Jehovah: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
Ps 88:5
71%
5Cast off among the dead, Like the slain that lie in the grave, Whom thou rememberest no more, And they are cut off from thy hand.
Job 7:9-10
2 verses
71%
9As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, So he that goeth down to Sheol shall come up no more.
10He shall return no more to his house, Neither shall his place know him any more.
Hab 2:20
70%
20But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Ps 113:1
70%
1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise, O ye servants of Jehovah, Praise the name of Jehovah.
Ps 115:5
70%
5They have mouths, but they speak not; Eyes have they, but they see not;
1 Sam 2:6
69%
6Jehovah killeth, and maketh alive: He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.
Ps 118:17-18
2 verses
69%
17I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of Jehovah.
18Jehovah hath chastened me sore; But he hath not given me over unto death.
Ps 115:7
69%
7They have hands, but they handle not; Feet have they, but they walk not; Neither speak they through their throat.
Ps 116:15
69%
15Precious in the sight of Jehovah Is the death of his saints.
Ps 135:1
69%
1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye the name of Jehovah; Praise [him], O ye servants of Jehovah,
Prov 9:18
69%
18But he knoweth not that the dead are there; That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Ps 30:9
69%
9What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
Ps 30:12
69%
12To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Ps 69:34
69%
34Let heaven and earth praise him, The seas, and everything that moveth therein.
Ps 89:48
69%
48What man is he that shall live and not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? {H5542}
Ps 113:3
69%
3From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same Jehovah's name is to be praised.
Ps 146:4
69%
4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
Ps 109:1
68%
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
Luke 20:38
68%
38Now he is not the God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Ps 148:1
68%
1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens: Praise him in the heights.
Ps 30:3
68%
3O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Isa 38:11
68%
11I said, I shall not see Jehovah, [even] Jehovah in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.
Ps 28:1
68%
1[ A Psalm of David.] Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call: My rock, be not thou deaf unto me; Lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
Ps 138:4
68%
4All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah, For they have heard the words of thy mouth.