Psalm 49:9

9 That he should ¹live on eternally, That he should not ²undergo decay.

Psalm 49:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 49:9

That he should still live for ever
Or "though he should live" ^F23. Though the rich man should live ever so long, a thousand years twice told, as in ( Ecclesiastes 6:6 ) ; yet he could not in all this time, with all his riches, redeem his brother; and at last must die himself, and so must his brother too, as his own experience and observation may assure him, ( Psalms 49:10 ) . Or the meaning is, he cannot so redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him, that he should live a corporeal life for ever, and never die; since all men die, wise men and fools, rich and poor; and much less that he should live and enjoy an "eternal life", as the Targum; a life of happiness and bliss hereafter, which is not to be obtained by gold and silver, but is the pure gift of God;

[and] not see corruption;
the grave, the pit of corruption, the house appointed for all living: or "the judgment of hell", according to the Chaldee paraphrase.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (yhyw) "etiamsi vivat", Gejerus.

Psalm 49:9 In-Context

7 No man can by any means redeem his brother Or give to God a ransom for him-

8 For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever -

9 That he should live on eternally, That he should not undergo decay.

10 For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others.

11 Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 22:29
• 2. Psalms 16:10; Psalms 89:48

Footnotes

• [a] Or "see corruption" or "the pit"