Psalms 49:4-14

4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
5 Why should I fear in the days of evil, When the iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6 Those who trust in their wealth And boast in the multitude of their riches,
7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him--
8 For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever--
9 That he should continue to live eternally, And not see the Pit.
10 For he sees wise men die; Likewise the fool and the senseless person perish, And leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thought is that their houses will last forever, Their dwelling places to all generations; They call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.

Psalms 49:4-14 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Aben Ezra says this psalm is a very excellent one, since in it is explained the Light of the world to come, and of the rational and immortal soul; and Kimchi is of opinion that it respects both this world and that which is to come: and indeed it treats of the vanity of trusting in riches: of the insufficiency of them for the redemption of the soul; of the short continuance of worldly honour and substance; of the certainty of death, and of the resurrection of the dead. And the design of it is to expose the folly of trusting in uncertain riches, and to comfort the people of God under the want of them.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read Their graves shall be their houses forever.
  • [b]. Following Masoretic Text and Targum; Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read understand (compare Psalm 49:20).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.