Psalms 146:4

Thoughts. Heb. ‘eshtonoth, a word occurring only here. It comes from the verb ‘ashath, which occurs only twice, once in Jer. 5:28, translated “shine,” and once in Jonah 1:6, with the meaning, “to give thought to.” An Aramaic verb, ‘ashith, meaning, “to intend,” “to plan,” occurs once in Dan. 6:4. The translation “plans” (RSV) evidently comes from considering ‘eshtoneth to be based on the Aramaic ‘ashith. Such a relationship is doubtful, however, in the light of the Davidic authorship of the psalm. It appears more reasonable to consider ‘eshtoneth as from the Heb. ‘ashath, “to give thought to,” and hence to retain the translation “thoughts.” The LXX and the Vulgate support this translation.

Perish. That is, consciousness ceases. The Bible lends no support to the popular doctrine of a conscious state between death and the resurrection and furthermore emphatically refutes such a teaching (see Ps. 115:17; Eccl. 9:5). A common metaphor for death is “sleep” (Deut. 31:16; 2 Sam. 7:12; 1 Kings 11:43; Job 14:12; Dan. 12:2; John 11:11, 12; 1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:13–17; etc.). That such a “sleep” is not a conscious fellowship with the Lord on the part of the righteous is clearly implied in the statement of Jesus, who comforted His disciples with the thought that at the second advent, not at death, the disciples would be united with their Lord (John 14:1–3). Paul similarly pointed to the second advent as the time when all the righteous, those living at the time of the advent, and the dead who will be raised at that moment, will together be united with Christ, with no precedence on the part of the living (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).