Psalms 71:20

A PROPHECY OF THE RESURRECTION

"Thou, who hast showed us many and sore troubles,

Will quicken us again,

And will bring us up again from the depths of the earth."

Some ancient manuscripts have plural pronouns for "us" as rendered in this verse, and this has been the basis upon which some interpreters have understood this verse as a metaphor of the depressed nation of Israel with a pledge of their future blessing.

However, the RSV has corrected the error, properly rendering the verse as follows:

"Thou who hast made me see many sore troubles wilt revive me again;

From the depths of the earth, thou wilt bring me up again."

This correction eliminates the application of the passage to some kind of a revival of the downcast Israel and reveals the passage for what it is, a glorious promise of the resurrection of the dead.

As Taylor observed, "`Thou ... wilt revive me again'" (Psalms 71:20) means `thou wilt restore me to life.'"[13]

"From the depths of the earth" (Psalms 71:20). Rawlinson called this, "A metaphor for the extreme misery and depression of the nation of Israel,"[14] but we cannot accept this. "The depths of the earth" is a reference to Sheol, or to the grave; and Paul used exactly this same figure in speaking of the grave of Jesus (Ephesians 4:9). McCaw also noted that, "The meaning of the passage is `deliverance from the gates of death.'"[15]