His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
At death a person's breath goes forth, he returns to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish. The dead are unconscious and know nothing, having no thought or part in anything done under the sun, but sleep and rest in the grave until the resurrection instead of receiving reward or punishment at once. For the righteous that sleep passes as a moment, and when God raises them their thoughts resume where they stopped as they awake to immortality. All claimed communion with the dead is therefore impossible and pretended, and this truth closes the door against turning to familiar spirits and wizards. Princes and sons of men are themselves mortal with breath in their nostrils and cannot save, so they are an unreliable basis for dependence. Happiness belongs to the one whose help and hope are in the Lord, the God of Jacob who made heaven and earth and reigns forever, so every plan must be taken to Him for counsel and wisdom in trust, with no man standing as a god to another.
Death Ends Conscious Thought
When a person dies his breath goes forth, he returns to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish. Mortal life ends when the breath leaves the body, the body returns to the earth, and consciousness and knowledge do not continue after death. Human beings therefore cannot be trusted as a lasting source of help or hope, and happiness belongs to those who trust in the Lord.
The dead are unconscious and know nothing, with no awareness of what happens among the living on earth. They have no consciousness of earthly events and no part in anything done under the sun, including the joys or sorrows of those they loved. They are not engaged in thought, praise, or other activity. In the grave a person has no power to think and choose good or evil, and can choose neither good nor evil.
The dead sleep and rest in the grave until the resurrection, rather than receiving reward or punishment immediately at death. The righteous do not receive their reward at death but rest unconscious, knowing nothing of what is done on earth. For the righteous the time in death passes like a moment. When God raises them and wakens them at His call, their thoughts resume where they stopped as they awaken to immortality, with the first glad thought turning to victory over death.
Character formed in lifetime remains fixed, so when God's voice wakens the dead he comes from the grave with the same appetites, passions, likes and dislikes he cherished while living. A great gulf is fixed between him and the righteous, because God works no miracle to re-create one who would not be re-created when every opportunity and facility was given him. All claimed communion with the dead is pretended and impossible, contradicting the claim that the dead can communicate with the living. This truth was given to close the door effectually against necromancy by expressly forbidding engaging in it in any manner, forbidding turning to familiar spirits and wizards, with warning that He would set His face against anyone who does so and cut him off from among His people.
Trust God, Not Mortals
Princes and the sons of men are mortal, with breath in the nostrils, and when that breath goes forth they return to their earth and in that very day their thoughts perish. They cannot save a soul nor give the lasting help that the Lord God of Israel gives, so they are an unreliable and changeable basis for dependence. Trust is therefore not to be put in man, for there is no help in princes nor in the son of man.
Happiness belongs to the one whose help and hope are in the Lord, the God of Jacob, who is a sure help in contrast to human rulers who cannot be trusted as a lasting source of help. He is the one who made heaven and earth, who keeps truth forever, who executes judgment for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. He looses the prisoners, opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, and loves the righteous. He preserves the strangers and relieves the fatherless and the widow, but turns the way of the wicked upside down, and He reigns forever.
Men are therefore to act under God's supervision and accept His standard of holiness and justice, which keeps them from unprincipled actions. All decisions and plans are to be taken to Him for approval and counsel, submitting to His supervision and standard rather than relying on mortal human beings. No man is to stand as a god to another, and people must never look to fellow men to know duty. Instead they must go to the Lord for counsel, pray to Him for wisdom with heart and mind and soul, and trust that He will graciously help in extremity.
At death a person's breath goes forth, he returns to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish. The dead are unconscious and know nothing, having no thought or part in anything done under the sun, but sleep and rest in the grave until the resurrection instead of receiving reward or punishment at once. For the righteous that sleep passes as a moment, and when God raises them their thoughts resume where they stopped as they awake to immortality. All claimed communion with the dead is therefore impossible and pretended, and this truth closes the door against turning to familiar spirits and wizards. Princes and sons of men are themselves mortal with breath in their nostrils and cannot save, so they are an unreliable basis for dependence. Happiness belongs to the one whose help and hope are in the Lord, the God of Jacob who made heaven and earth and reigns forever, so every plan must be taken to Him for counsel and wisdom in trust, with no man standing as a god to another.
Death Ends Conscious Thought
When a person dies his breath goes forth, he returns to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish. Mortal life ends when the breath leaves the body, the body returns to the earth, and consciousness and knowledge do not continue after death. Human beings therefore cannot be trusted as a lasting source of help or hope, and happiness belongs to those who trust in the Lord.
The dead are unconscious and know nothing, with no awareness of what happens among the living on earth. They have no consciousness of earthly events and no part in anything done under the sun, including the joys or sorrows of those they loved. They are not engaged in thought, praise, or other activity. In the grave a person has no power to think and choose good or evil, and can choose neither good nor evil.
The dead sleep and rest in the grave until the resurrection, rather than receiving reward or punishment immediately at death. The righteous do not receive their reward at death but rest unconscious, knowing nothing of what is done on earth. For the righteous the time in death passes like a moment. When God raises them and wakens them at His call, their thoughts resume where they stopped as they awaken to immortality, with the first glad thought turning to victory over death.
Character formed in lifetime remains fixed, so when God's voice wakens the dead he comes from the grave with the same appetites, passions, likes and dislikes he cherished while living. A great gulf is fixed between him and the righteous, because God works no miracle to re-create one who would not be re-created when every opportunity and facility was given him. All claimed communion with the dead is pretended and impossible, contradicting the claim that the dead can communicate with the living. This truth was given to close the door effectually against necromancy by expressly forbidding engaging in it in any manner, forbidding turning to familiar spirits and wizards, with warning that He would set His face against anyone who does so and cut him off from among His people.
Trust God, Not Mortals
Princes and the sons of men are mortal, with breath in the nostrils, and when that breath goes forth they return to their earth and in that very day their thoughts perish. They cannot save a soul nor give the lasting help that the Lord God of Israel gives, so they are an unreliable and changeable basis for dependence. Trust is therefore not to be put in man, for there is no help in princes nor in the son of man.
Happiness belongs to the one whose help and hope are in the Lord, the God of Jacob, who is a sure help in contrast to human rulers who cannot be trusted as a lasting source of help. He is the one who made heaven and earth, who keeps truth forever, who executes judgment for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. He looses the prisoners, opens the eyes of the blind, raises up those who are bowed down, and loves the righteous. He preserves the strangers and relieves the fatherless and the widow, but turns the way of the wicked upside down, and He reigns forever.
Men are therefore to act under God's supervision and accept His standard of holiness and justice, which keeps them from unprincipled actions. All decisions and plans are to be taken to Him for approval and counsel, submitting to His supervision and standard rather than relying on mortal human beings. No man is to stand as a god to another, and people must never look to fellow men to know duty. Instead they must go to the Lord for counsel, pray to Him for wisdom with heart and mind and soul, and trust that He will graciously help in extremity.