Psalms — Chapter 49

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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,

2both low and high, rich and poor alike.

3My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

4I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:

5Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?

6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

7No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.

8For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

9that he should live on forever and not see decay.

10For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.

11Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.

12But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the fate of the foolish and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah

14Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

15But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah

16Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.

17For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.

18Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.

20A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

1Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

2Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

6They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

8(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

9That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

12Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

13This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

14Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

15But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.

19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

20Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

1Hear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,

2Both low and high, Rich and poor together.

3My mouth shall speak wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

5Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?

6They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7None [of them] can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him;

8(For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever;)

9That he should still live alway, That he should not see corruption.

10For he shall see it. Wise men die; The fool and the brutish alike perish, And leave their wealth to others.

11Their inward thought is, [that] their houses [shall continue] for ever, [And] their dwelling-places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.

12But man [being] in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.

13This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah

14They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it.

15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. Selah

16Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.

17For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.

18Though while he lived he blessed his soul (And men praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself,)

19He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light.

20Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish. Psalm 50 A Psalm of Asaph.

1For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites. Listen to this, all you nations. Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.

2Pay attention, all you people, both rich and poor.

3I will declare a wise saying; I will share my profound thoughts.

4I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.

5Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?

6They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

7Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother; he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price

8(the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final destiny),

9so that he might continue to live forever and not experience death.

10Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others.

11Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves,

12but, despite their wealth, people do not last. They are like animals that perish.

13This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah)

14They will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns. Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.

15But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol; certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah)

16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies.

17For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.

18He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive: “May men praise you, for you have done well.”

19But he will join his ancestors; they will never again see the light of day.

20Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish.

1Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,

2both low and high, rich and poor together.

3My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart shall utter understanding.

4I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.

5Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?

6Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches—

7none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

8For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,

9that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.

10For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.

12But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.

13This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.

14They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.

15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.

16Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

17for when he dies he will carry nothing away. His glory won’t descend after him.

18Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

19he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.

20A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A wisdom psalm on the folly of trusting in wealth in light of death. The psalmist calls all people, rich and poor alike, to hear this teaching on the emptiness of riches (vv. 1-4), and asks why he should fear those who trust in their wealth, since no one can ransom another or pay God a price to live forever (vv. 5-9). The wise and the foolish alike die and leave their wealth to others, so that human beings without understanding are compared to the beasts that perish (vv. 10-12, 20). The psalmist contrasts this with his own hope that God will redeem his soul from the power of death (v. 15). He closes urging the reader not to be overawed when someone grows rich, since they will carry nothing with them when they die, and again warns that a person without understanding is like the animals that perish (vv. 16-20).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Wisdom Psalm
Attributed Author: Sons of Korah (To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah)
Key Themes: The futility of wealth against death, death as the great equalizer, redemption that only God can provide, the distinction between the wise and the foolish
Historical Context: Psalm 49 is a Wisdom Psalm in the tradition of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes — addressing the universal human question of why the wicked prosper and what ultimately becomes of their wealth. Unlike the lament psalms that cry out about injustice, this psalm stands back and teaches with philosophical calm. The psalmist addresses "all ye people" and "all ye inhabitants of the world" — both "low and high, rich and poor together" (vv. 1-2). This is wisdom for all humanity, not just Israel. The psalm's most remarkable verse is 15: "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me." This stands in stark contrast to the fate of the wealthy wicked. While their money cannot buy immortality, God Himself ransoms the righteous from Sheol. The word "receive" (laqach) is the same word used for Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:9) — taken by God. This is one of the Old Testament's clearest statements of hope beyond death.
Hear This, All Ye People (vv.1-4): Hear this, all ye people, give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world. The address is universal and the psalm identifies itself as wisdom rather than prayer, my mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. Then a clause that treats the poem as a puzzle to be worked at, I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my dark saying upon the harp. Nothing is addressed to God anywhere in this psalm; it is addressed to everybody else.
They That Trust in Their Wealth (vv.5-9): Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil. The question is answered by an observation about what money cannot buy, and it is put as a transaction that fails, none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him. Then the reason the price cannot be met, for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever. The wealthy are not being condemned here for cruelty but measured against one specific purchase they cannot make.
Their Inward Thought (vv.10-14): For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish. The psalm's argument is from a fact anyone can check. Then what the rich actually believe is quoted as an inner assumption, their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and it is met with the practice of the age, they call their lands after their own names. Naming an estate after yourself is offered as evidence of the thought. And the last image is agricultural and bleak, like sheep they are laid in the grave, death shall feed on them.
God Will Redeem My Soul (v.15): One verse, and it is the psalm's answer to itself. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me. What the rich man could not purchase at any price in verse 7 is here described as given. The verb receive is the one used of Enoch being taken in Genesis 5:24, and the psalm does not develop the thought further.
Be Not Thou Afraid When One Is Made Rich (vv.16-20): Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased. The instruction is the practical conclusion, and the reason is given in a sentence that has become proverbial, for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away, his glory shall not descend after him. Then the self-congratulation quoted once more, though while he lived he blessed his soul. And the psalm closes on its refrain in sharper form than at verse 12, man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. The fault named at the end is not wealth but not understanding.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 49 | The Riddle of Death | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 49 - What Money Can’t Buy
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org Verse 7 says no one can redeem another, which raises the question the New Testament answers.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • No Ransom for a Soul (vv.5-9) — The psalmist states plainly that no amount of money can buy back even one life from death. Where are you quietly relying on financial security to protect you from things it was never able to protect you from?
  • Wealth and Status Don't Prevent Death (v.12) — The wise, the wealthy, and the foolish all end up the same way in the end, regardless of what they accumulated. Does that reality change how much of your energy goes toward building what you can't ultimately keep?
  • God Alone Redeems From the Grave (v.15) — In contrast to money's failure, the psalmist declares that God Himself will redeem his soul and take him. Is your hope for what happens after death resting in anything other than God Himself?
  • Don't Fear or Envy the Wealthy (vv.16-17) — The psalmist directly tells his readers not to be intimidated when they see someone else's house and wealth growing. What would it look like practically for you to stop measuring your own worth against someone else's bank account?
  • Understanding Makes the Difference (v.20) — The psalm's closing refrain adds one key word — a person without understanding ends up no different than the animals that perish. What would it look like to pursue real understanding of God rather than just accumulating things?