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Cited by 0Biblical Studies and InterpretationKarl Barth and Christian TheologyReligion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity

Arguing Against Death in Biblical Prayer

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Yogev, Jonathan·2026·Religions
DOI 10.3390/rel17050553
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Abstract

This article examines a recurring rhetorical strategy in biblical prayer in which the supplicant argues against death by presenting it as a loss not only for the self, but also for God. In several texts, the plea for deliverance is grounded in the claim that the dead in Sheol can no longer praise, thank, remember, or call upon God. Death thus becomes rhetorically unacceptable not merely because it ends life, but because it silences worship. The study distinguishes between two biblical conceptions of the dead: one in which the dead retain awareness and communicative capacity, and another in which they are silent, cognitively diminished, and cut off from divine worship. It argues that the latter conception underlies a specific persuasive logic in prayers uttered under mortal threat. Through close readings of Isaiah 38, Psalms 6, 30, 88, and 115, the article shows that this argument functions as a recurring theological and rhetorical strategy within biblical prayer.

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Research works printed but not linked: 12

  1. Barstad, Hans M. 1999. Sheol. In Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, 2nd extensively rev. ed. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking and Pieter W. van der Horst. Leiden: Brill; Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, pp. 768-70.
  2. Brueggemann, Walter, and William. H. Bellinger, Jr. 2014. Psalms. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  3. Clifford, Richard J. 2003. Psalms 73-150. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
  4. Doak, Brian R. 2013. Ezekiel's Topography of the (Un-)Heroic Dead in Ezekiel 32:17-32. Journal of Biblical Literature 132: 607-24.
  5. Johnston, Philip S. 2002. Shades of Sheol: Death and Afterlife in the Old Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
  6. Levenson, Jon Douglas. 2006. Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.
  7. CrossRef · DOI
  8. Patrick, Dale, and Kenneth Diable. 2008. Persuading the One and Only God to Intervene. In My Words Are Lovely: Studies in the Rhetoric of the Psalms. Edited by Robert L. Foster and David M. Howard. London: Bloomsbury Academic & Professional, pp. 19-32.
  9. Smelik, Klaus A. D. 1979. The Witch of Endor: I Samuel 28 in Rabbinic and Christian Exegesis Till 800 A.D. Vigiliae Christianae 33: 160-79. [CrossRef · DOI
  10. Tsumura, David Toshio. 1993. The Interpretation of the Ugaritic Funerary Text KTU 1.161. In Official Cult and Popular Religion in the Ancient Near East. Edited by Eiko Tsushima. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag C. Winter, pp. 40-55.
  11. Weiser, Artur. 1998. The Psalms: A Commentary. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
  12. Westermann, Claus. 1965. The Praise of God in the Psalms. Translated by Keith R. Crim. Richmond: John Knox Press.

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Authors
Yogev, J.
Affiliations
Kaye Academic College of Education (IL)
Corresponding author
Yogev, Jonathan
Venue
Religions
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2026-05-03
Volume
17
Issue
5
Pages
553
ISSN
2077-1444 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/rel17050553
OpenAlex
W7160064726
Cited by
0
References
22
FWCI
0.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Religions (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Biblical Studies and Interpretation
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Karl Barth and Christian Theology
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity
Keywords
biblical prayer, death, Sheol, rhetorical strategies, persuasion, worship of God, Psalm 6, Psalm 30, Psalm 88, Psalm 115

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