The sharp contrast here is remarkable. On the one side the grave and Sheol, on the other side God’s love and faithfulness: it definitely doesn’t match, does it? The author wrestles with this. He cannot connect the one with the other. In his prayer he places this great riddle before the Lord.
The Hebrew word “Abaddon” (untranslated in the ESV) appears in places such as Job 26:6 and Proverbs 15:11, as well as Revelation 9:11, where it points to the name of the angel of the bottomless pit. This character is out for destruction; destruction personified. Specifically, the word Abaddon
points to the hopelessness of this barren place.
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?