Psalms 49:18

18 Though they consider themselves blessed during their lives, and even thank you when you deal well with them,

Psalms 49:18 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 49:18

Though while he lived he blessed his soul
Praised and extolled himself on account of his acquisitions and merit; or proclaimed himself a happy man, because of his wealth and riches; or foolishly flattered himself with peace, prosperity, and length of days, and even with honour and glory after death;

and [men] will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself;
or "but

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 men will praise thee" both rich and poor, all wise men; when, as the Jewish interpreters ^F12 generally explain the word, a man regards true wisdom and religion, and is concerned for the welfare of his soul more than that of his body; or "when thou thyself doest well": that is, to others, doing acts of beneficence, communicating to the necessities of the poor; or rather, "when thou doest well to thyself", by enjoying the good things of life, taking his portion, eating the fruit of his labour, which is good and comely; see ( Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 ) ( Ecclesiastes 6:1 Ecclesiastes 6:2 ) ( 11:9 ) .

F11 (Kdwyw) "atque celebraverint te", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F12 Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc.

Psalms 49:18 In-Context

16 Don't be overly impressed when someone becomes rich, their house swelling to fantastic proportions,

17 because when they die, they won't take any of it with them. Their fantastic things won't accompany them down under.

18 Though they consider themselves blessed during their lives, and even thank you when you deal well with them,

19 they too will join the ancestors who've gone ahead; they too will never see the light again.

20 Wealthy people? They just don't understand; they're just like the animals that pass away.

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX, Syr