Mazmur 49:15

49:15 But ¹  God will rescue ²  my life ³  from the power ⁴  of Sheol;

certainly ⁵  he will pull me to safety. ⁶  (Selah)

Yesaya 26:15

26:15 You have made the nation larger, ⁷  O Lord,

you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor, ⁸ 

you have extended all the borders of the land.

[49:15]  ¹ tn Or “certainly.”

[49:15]  ² tn Or “redeem.”

[49:15]  ³ tn Or “me.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).

[49:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “hand.”

[49:15]  ⁵ tn Or “for.”

[49:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “he will take me.” To improve the poetic balance of the verse, some move the words “from the power of Sheol” to the following line. The verse would then read: “But God will rescue my life; / from the power of Sheol he will certainly deliver me” (cf. NEB).

[49:15]  sn According to some, the psalmist here anticipates the resurrection (or at least an afterlife in God’s presence). But it is more likely that the psalmist here expresses his hope that God will rescue him from premature death at the hands of the rich oppressors denounced in the psalm. The psalmist is well aware that all (the wise and foolish) die (see vv. 7-12), but he is confident God will lead him safely through the present “times of trouble” (v. 5) and sweep the wicked away to their final destiny. The theme is a common one in the so-called wisdom psalms (see Pss 1, 34, 37, 112). For a fuller discussion of the psalmists’ view of the afterlife, see R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “A Theology of the Psalms,” A Biblical Theology of the Old Testament, 284-88.

[26:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “you have added to the nation.” The last line of the verse suggests that geographical expansion is in view. “The nation” is Judah.

[26:15]  ⁸ tn Or “brought honor to yourself.”