King James Bible
"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."
The psalmist confesses that without faith, he would have collapsed under life's pressures. The Hebrew construction emphasizes how belief alone prevented total despair, highlighting faith as the essential lifeline during overwhelming trials. This belief centers on witnessing God's tangible kindness and favor. Rather than abstract theological hope, David anticipates experiencing God's concrete acts of deliverance and blessing. The phrase contrasts with Sheol (the realm of the dead), affirming expectation of God's intervention in this present life. It expresses confidence that divine goodness will manifest before death, not merely in some distant afterlife.