Isaiah 38:11

Literal Standard Version

I said, I do not see YAH—YAH! In the land of the living, || I do not behold man anymore, || With the inhabitants of the world.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I said: I will never see the Lord,the Lord in the land of the living;I will not look on humanity any longerwith the inhabitants of what is passing away.

Hebrew Names Version
I said, I shall not see the LORD, the LORD in the land of the living: I shall see man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

King James Version
I said, I shall not see the Lord , even the Lord , in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

English Standard Version
I said, I shall not see the Lord , the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

New American Standard Bible
I said, "I will not see the LORD, The LORD in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind among the inhabitants of the world.

New Century Version
I said, "I will not see the Lord in the land of the living again. I will not again see the people who live on the earth.

Amplified Bible
I said, "I will not see the LORD, The LORD in the land of the living; I will no longer see man among the inhabitants of the world.

World English Bible
I said, I shall not see Yah, Yah in the land of the living: I shall see man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I said, I shall not see the Lord, euen the Lord in the land of the liuing: I shall see man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

Legacy Standard Bible
I said, "I will not see Yah,Yah in the land of the living;I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

Berean Standard Bible
I said that I will never see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living; I will no longer look on mankind with those who dwell in this world.

Contemporary English Version
I thought I would never again see you, my Lord , or any of the people who live on this earth.

Complete Jewish Bible
"I said, ‘I will never again see Yah, Yah in the land of the living; I will look on human beings no more or be with those who live in this world.

Darby Translation
I said, I shall not see Jah, Jah in the land of the living. With those who dwell where all has ceased to be, I shall behold man no more.

Easy-to-Read Version
So I said, "I will not see the Lord Yah in the land of the living again. I will not see the people living on earth.

George Lamsa Translation
I said, I shall not see the LORD in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

Good News Translation
I thought that in this world of the living I would never again see the Lord Or any living person.

Lexham English Bible
I said, "I shall not see Yah! Yah in the land of the living! I shall no more look at humankind among the inhabitants of the world.

Literal Translation
I said, I shall not see Jah Jehovah in the land of the living; I shall no longer look on man with those dwelling in the death-rest.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I spake within my self: I shal neuer viset the LORDE God in this life: I shal neuer se man, amonge the dwellers of the worlde

American Standard Version
I 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.

Bible in Basic English
I said, I will not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living: I will not see man again or those living in the world.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I said: I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD in the land of the living; I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

King James Version (1611)
I said, I shal not see the Lord, euen the Lord in the land of the liuing: I shal behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
I spake within my selfe, I wyll neuer visite the Lorde [the Lorde I say] in this lyfe: I wyll neuer see man among the dwellers of the worlde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I said, I shall no more at all see the salvation of God in the land of the living: I shall no more at all see the salvation of Israel on the earth: I shall no more at all see man.

English Revised Version
I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y souyte the residue of my yeeris; Y seide, Y schal not se the Lord God in the lond of lyueris; Y schal no more biholde a man, and a dwellere of reste.

Update Bible Version
I said, I shall not see Yah, Yah in the land of the living: I shall not see man anymore with the inhabitants of this world.

Webster's Bible Translation
I said, I shall not see the LORD, [even] the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world.

New English Translation
"I thought, ‘I will no longer see the Lord in the land of the living, I will no longer look on humankind with the inhabitants of the world.

New King James Version
I said, "I shall not see Yah,The Lord [fn] in the land of the living;I shall observe man no more among the inhabitants of the world. [fn]

New Living Translation
I said, "Never again will I see the Lord God while still in the land of the living. Never again will I see my friends or be with those who live in this world.

New Life Bible
I said, "I will not see the Lord, the Lord in the land of the living. I will not look upon man any more among the people of the world.

New Revised Standard
I said, I shall not see the Lord in the land of the living; I shall look upon mortals no more among the inhabitants of the world.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I said - I shall not see Yah, Yah, in the land of the living, I shall discern the son of earth no longer, with the dwellers in the quiet land.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I said: I shall not see the Lord God in the land of the living. I shall behold man no more, nor the inhabitant of rest.

Revised Standard Version
I said, I shall not see the LORD in the land of the living; I shall look upon man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

Young's Literal Translation
I said, I do not see Jah -- Jah! In the land of the living, I do not behold man any more, With the inhabitants of the world.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I said, "I will not see the LORD, The LORD in the land of the living; I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.

Contextual Overview

⁹A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah concerning his being sick when he revives from his sickness: ¹⁰"I said in the cutting off of my days, || I go to the gates of Sheol, || I have numbered the remnant of my years. ¹¹I said, I do not see YAH—YAH! In the land of the living, || I do not behold man anymore, || With the inhabitants of the world.¹²My sojourning has departed, || And been removed from me as a shepherd's tent, || I have drawn together, as a weaver, my life, || By weakness it cuts me off, || From day to night You end me. ¹³I have set [Him] as a lion until morning, || So He breaks all my bones, || From day to night You end me. ¹⁴As a crane—a swallow—so I chatter, || I mourn as a dove, || My eyes have been drawn up on high, || O YHWH, oppression [is] on me, be my guarantor. ¹⁵What do I say? Seeing He spoke to me, || And He Himself has worked, || I go softly all my years for the bitterness of my soul. ¹⁶Lord, [men] live by these, || And by all in them [is] the life of my spirit, || And You save me, make me to also live, ¹⁷Behold, He changed bitterness to peace for me, || And You have delighted in my soul without corruption, || For You have cast all my sins behind Your back. ¹⁸For Sheol does not confess You, || Death does not praise You, || Those going down to the pit do not hope for Your truth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Job 35:14, Job 35:15, Psalms 6:4, Psalms 6:5, Psalms 27:13, Psalms 31:22, Psalms 116:8, Psalms 116:9, Ecclesiastes 9:5, Ecclesiastes 9:6

Reciprocal: Job 7:9 - he Job 10:21 - I go whence Job 28:13 - in the land Psalms 31:12 - forgotten Psalms 49:14 - they Psalms 52:5 - the land Psalms 119:82 - eyes Jeremiah 11:19 - that his Ezekiel 32:23 - the land

Cross-References

Genesis 38:11
And Judah says to his daughter-in-law Tamar, "Abide [as] a widow at your father's house, until my son Shelah grows up"; for he said, "Lest he die—even he—like his brothers"; and Tamar goes and dwells at her father's house.

Genesis 38:13
And it is declared to Tamar, saying, "Behold, your husband's father is going up to Timnath to shear his flock";

Leviticus 22:13
but a priest's daughter, when she is a widow, or cast out, and has no seed, and has turned back to the house of her father, as [in] her youth, she eats of her father's bread; but no stranger eats of it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I said, I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living,.... Not any more, in this world, though in the other, and that more clearly, even face to face: his meaning is, that he should no more see him in the glass of the word; no more praise him in his house; worship him in his temple; enjoy him in his ordinances; and see his beauty, power, and glory, in the sanctuary; and confess unto him, and praise his name g. The Targum is,

"I shall no more appear before the face of the Lord in the land of the house of his Shechinah, in which is length of life; and I shall no more serve him in the house of the sanctuary.''

In the Hebrew text it is, "I shall not see Jah, Jah"; a word, the same with Jehovah; and is repeated, to show the vehemency of his affection for the Lord, and his ardent desire of communion with him: unless it should be rendered, "I shall not see the Lord's Lord in the land of the living h"; or the Lord's Christ in the flesh:

I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world; or "time" i; of this fading transitory world, which will quickly cease, as the word for it signifies: next to God, his concern was, that he should no more enjoy the company of men, of his subjects, of his courtiers, of his relations, companions, and acquaintance; particularly of the saints, the excellent in the earth.

g Ben Melech observes, that seeing or appearing before the Creator signifies confession and praise before him, and consideration of his ways; and this sense of the words, he says, R. Sandiah gives. h לא אראה יה יה ουκετι ου μη ιδω το σωτηριον του θεου, Sept. "non videbo Jah Jah", Montanus, Vatablus. i יושבי חדל "cum habitoribus temporis", Montanus. So Ben Melech explains it; and which will quickly cease. חדל, "mundus, tempus cito desinens"----ldx, "prodit mundi cessabilitatem, quatenus est colectio rerum pereuntium", Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 242. "cum habitatoribus terrae cessationis", Vitringa.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I shall not see the Lord - In the original, the Hebrew which is rendered ‘Lord,’ is not Yahweh, but יה יה yâhh yâhh. On the meaning of it, see the note at Isaiah 12:2 (compare the note at Isaiah 7:14). The repetition of the name here denotes emphasis or intensity of feeling - the deep desire which he had to see Yahweh in the land of the living, and the intense sorrow of his heart at the idea of being cut off from that privilege. The idea here is, that Hezekiah felt that he would not be spared to enjoy the tokens of divine favor on earth; to reap the fruits of the surprising and remarkable deliverance from the army of Sennacherib; and to observe its happy results in the augmenting prosperity of the people, and in the complete success of his plans of reformation.

I shall behold man no more - I shall see the living no more; I shall die, and go among the dead. He regarded it as a privilege to live, and to enjoy the society of his friends and fellow-worshippers in the temple - a privilege from which he felt that he was about to be cut off.

With the inhabitants of the world - Or rather, ‘among the inhabitants of the land of stillness;’ that is, of the land of shades - sheol. He would not there see man as he saw him on earth, living and active, but would be a shade in the land of shades; himself still, in a world of stillness. ‘I shall be associated with them there, and of course be cut off from the privileges of the society of living men.’ (See Supplementary Note at Isaiah 14:9.) The Hebrew word rendered ‘world’ (חדל chedel), is from חדל châdal, “to cease, to leave off, to desist; to become languid, flaccid, pendulous.” It then conveys the idea of leaving off, of resting, of being still Judges 5:6; Job 3:17; Job 14:6; Isaiah 2:22. Hence, the idea of frailty Psalms 39:5; and hence, the word here denotes probably the place of rest, the region of the dead, and is synonymous with the land of silence, such as the grave and the region of the dead are in contradistinction from the hurry and bustle of this world. Our translation seems to have been made as if the word was חלד cheled, “life, lifetime”; hence, the world Psalms 17:14; Psalms 49:2. The Vulgate renders it, ‘Habitatorem quietis.’ The Septuagint simply: ‘I shall behold man no more.’

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 38:11. The Lord - "JEHOVAH"] יה Yah, יה Yah, seems to be יהוה Yehovah, in MS. Bodl., and it was so at first written in another. So the Syriac. See Houbigant. I believe יהוה Yehovah was the original reading. Isaiah 12:2.