In this verse Hezekiah reminds God that no dead person can praise him or hope for his faithfulness.

The Hebrew particle ki rendered For probably introduces this verse as a reason for why God helped him by restoring his life (verse 17). Many versions ignore it (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant).

Sheol cannot thank thee, death cannot praise thee: In these two synonymous parallel lines Hezekiah says the dead cannot praise God. Both Sheol (see verse 10) and death are personified here, referring to dead people. If these personifications are meaningless in the receptor language, they may be rendered “those in the place of the dead” and “those who have died” respectively. The Hebrew verbs rendered thank and praise are close in meaning, referring to “praise.” For thank see the comments on 12.1, where this verb is translated “give thanks.” Since these two lines are synonymous in meaning, Good News Translation combines them into one.

Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for thy faithfulness: Those who go down to the pit refers to those who have died. The Hebrew word for pit is different from the one in the previous verse, but it also refers to the place of the dead in this context (see the comments on this word in 14.15). Dead people cannot hope for thy faithfulness, which means they cannot experience or hope for God’s faithfulness in the place of the dead. The form of the Hebrew verb rendered hope has a habitual force, so here it describes a situation in which continuing to hope is not possible. Thy faithfulness refers to God’s keeping of promises, his commitment to his people. New Jerusalem Bible says “your constancy.”

Several translation examples for this verse are:

• For Sheol cannot offer you thanks,
death cannot sing your praises,
the dead have lost all hope for your faithfulness.

• The dead in Sheol cannot offer you thanks,
those who have died cannot praise you,
those in the Pit can no longer experience your faithfulness.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .