Psalms 49:17

17 1For when he dies he will 2carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.

Psalms 49:17 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 49:17

For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away
Such men, with all their riches and honour, must die; therefore why should men be afraid of them? or wherein are they to be accounted of, whose breath is in their nostrils? nor can they carry either of them with them; their riches will be of no profit to them after death, when they will be upon a level with the poor, who will have nothing to fear from them; see ( 1 Timothy 6:7 ) ;

his glory shall not descend after him;
either into the grave, the pit of corruption, the lower part of the earth, where kings, princes, counsellors, and peasants, are all alike, ( Job 3:14 Job 3:15 Job 3:19 ) ; or into hell, where are no titles of honour, nor respect of persons; no Pharaoh king of Egypt, or Sennacherib king of Assyria, there; but plain Pharaoh see ( Ezekiel 32:31 Ezekiel 32:32 ) .

Psalms 49:17 In-Context

15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself blessed --and though you get praise when you do well for yourself--
19 his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.

Cross References 2

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.