Mazmur 6:5

6:5 For no one remembers you in the realm of death, ¹ 

In Sheol who gives you thanks? ² 

Mazmur 15:3

15:3 He ³  does not slander, ⁴ 

or do harm to others, ⁵ 

or insult his neighbor. ⁶ 

Mazmur 28:3

28:3 Do not drag me away with evil men,

with those who behave wickedly, ⁷ 

who talk so friendly to their neighbors, ⁸ 

while they plan to harm them! ⁹ 

Mazmur 35:14

35:14 I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. ¹⁰ 

I bowed down ¹¹  in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. ¹² 

Mazmur 88:8

88:8 You cause those who know me to keep their distance;

you make me an appalling sight to them.

I am trapped and cannot get free. ¹³ 

Mazmur 101:5

101:5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.

I will not tolerate anyone who has a cocky demeanor and an arrogant attitude. ¹⁴ 

[6:5]  ¹ tn Heb “for there is not in death your remembrance.” The Hebrew noun זֵכֶר (zekher, “remembrance”) here refers to the name of the Lord as invoked in liturgy and praise. Cf. Pss 30:4; 97:12. “Death” here refers to the realm of death where the dead reside. See the reference to Sheol in the next line.

[6:5]  ² tn The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[6:5]  sn In Sheol who gives you thanks? 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 30:9; 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!

[15:3]  ³ sn Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age.

[15:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “he does not slander upon his tongue.” For another example of רָגַל (ragal, “slander”) see 2 Sam 19:28.

[15:3]  ⁵ tn Or “his fellow.”

[15:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “and he does not lift up an insult against one who is near to him.”

[28:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “workers of wickedness.”

[28:3]  ⁸ tn Heb “speakers of peace with their neighbors.”

[28:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and evil [is] in their heart[s].”

[35:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “like a friend, like a brother to me I walked about.”

[35:14]  ¹¹ sn I bowed down. Bowing down was a posture for mourning. See Ps 38:6.

[35:14]  ¹² tn Heb “like mourning for a mother [in] sorrow I bowed down.”

[88:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “[I am] confined and I cannot go out.”

[101:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[one who has] pride of eyes and wideness [i.e., arrogance] of heart, him I will not endure.”