Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth.
Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth (wood) upon the earth.
The trunk of the tree remains fast in the earth, and the chips are scattered far and wide by the hewer; so are our bones scattered (Ecclesiastes 10:9). In this translation the scattered and lifeless state of the godly now (Psalms 141:7) stands in contrast to the coming overthrow of the ungodly (Psalms 141:6), and consequent exaltation of the godly; and it forms the ground of the prayer in Psalms 141:8, "But mine eyes are unto thee," etc. However, as there is no "wood" in the Hebrew, the translation perhaps ought to be as the Chaldaic, Arabic, and Syriac (and the Septuagint in the main) support, 'as when one cutteth and cleaveth (making furrows by plowing) in the earth, (so) our bones are scattered at the mouth of Hades ( Shª'owl (H7585): the unseen world).' Compare on the last phrase, implying, we are on the point of extinction, Isaiah 5:14. The image of the scattering of the bones of Israel and David's seed, as the earth is cast on one side and the other by the plow, suggests the germ of hope of Israel's resurrection; even as plowing is for the sake of the new and flourishing crop. This prophetic germ is taken up by Isaiah 26:19, and most fully expanded in the remarkable prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-28. This hopeful view of this verse accords with the anticipation of the enemy's overthrow (Psalms 141:6: cf. 2 Corinthians 1:9). As Israel's bones are now "scattered," so in the age to come God shall have 'scattered the bones of him (the enemy) that encamped against her' (Psalms 53:5).