14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 1
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 2
‘Since you fell asleep, 3
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 4
14:9 Sheol 5 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 6 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 7
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 8
1 tn Heb “concerning you.”
2 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
3 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
4 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
5 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
6 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
7 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
8 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.