“What ¹  profit is there in taking my life, ²  in my descending into the Pit? ³  Can the dust of the grave ⁴  praise you? Can it declare your loyalty? ⁵ 

biblegateway Psa 30:9

"What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

"What gain is there in my death, in my descending to the Pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your truth?

"How will you profit if my blood is shed, if I go into the pit? Will the dust of my body give thanks to you? Will it tell about your truth?"

biblegateway Psa 30:9

"What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?

"What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?

bibleoremus Psa 30:9

"What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?

“What profit is there in my death, in my going down to the pit? Can the dust praise you? Can it proclaim your truth?

biblegateway Psa 30:9

"What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth?

What profit [is there] in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

biblegateway Psa 30:9

“What ¹  profit is there in taking my life, ²  in my descending into the Pit? ³  Can the dust of the grave ⁴  praise you? Can it declare your loyalty? ⁵ 

¹ sn The following two verses (vv. 9-10) contain the prayer (or an excerpt of the prayer) that the psalmist offered to the Lord during his crisis.

² tn Heb “What profit [is there] in my blood?” “Blood” here represents his life.

³ tn The Hebrew term שָׁחַת (shakhat, “pit”) is often used as a title for Sheol (see Pss 16:10; 49:9; 55:24; 103:4).

⁴ tn Heb “dust.” The words “of the grave” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁵ tn The rhetorical questions anticipate the answer, “Of course not!”

⁵ sn According to the OT, those who descend into the realm of death/Sheol are cut off from God’s mighty deeds and from the worshiping covenant community that experiences divine intervention (Pss 6:5; 88:10-12; Isa 38:18). In his effort to elicit a positive divine response, the psalmist reminds God that he will receive no praise or glory if he allows the psalmist to die. Dead men do not praise God!