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PSALM 49

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm (cf. Psalm 37). It is addressed to the covenant community, not to YHWH. It has much more in common with the book of Proverbs than it seems to have with the rest of the Psalter. Note the parallelism and terminology of Ps. 49:3-4,10-12,13.
   SPECIAL TOPIC: WISDOM LITERATURE
   
   
2. The subject matter is similar to Psalms 37 and 73, which is basically described as "the two ways"; a way that leads to life and a way that leads to death (cf. Psalm 1 and Deuteronomy 28; 30:1,15,19). The two ways are particularly seen in Ps. 49:3 and 5 compared to Ps. 49:6.
    Remember, the OT is a conditional covenant.
   SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT
   
   
3. The theme is the folly of trusting in human, earthly wealth. This is somewhat surprising because wealth and success were viewed as a sign of YHWH's blessing for covenant obedience (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30; Psalm 1).
   SPECIAL TOPIC: WEALTH

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 49:1-4
 ¹Hear this, all peoples;
 Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
 ²Both low and high,
 Rich and poor together.
 ³My mouth will speak wisdom,
 And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
 ⁴I will incline my ear to a proverb;
 I will express my riddle on the harp.

49:1 Psalm 49:1 has two parallel IMPERATIVES ("hear", BDB 1033, KB 1570; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SHEMA, [Qal IMPERATIVE] and "give ear" [Hiphil IMPERATIVE], BDB 24, KB 27). It is significant that the author of this Psalm saw that it had universal implications far beyond the boundaries of the Promised Land (cf. Ps. 45:16; 46:10; 47:1-2,7-9; 48:2,10; 49:1; 50:1,4,12, i.e., "all peoples," "all inhabitants of the world," see SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN). It must be remembered that Wisdom Literature (see SPECIAL TOPID: WISDOM LITERATURE) was a literary genre well known and popular in the ANE.

The word "world" (BDB 317) is rare and can mean

1. life – Job 11:17; Ps. 39:5; 89:47
2. world – Ps. 17:14

Remember, meaning is determined by contexts not dictionaries/lexicons.

49:2 "Both low and high" This is very common imagery in Hebrew used to express two extremes, and thereby include everything in between (note parallel "rich and poor"). This phrase itself is very unusual because it literally is "the sons of men" and "the sons of men," but may be a play on two different words for "men." The first one is the word adam (BDB 9), which usually means "mankind." The second one is the word ish (BDB 35), the general term for a male person. It is also possible the two phrases are synonymous (NEB, cf. Ps. 62:9; Isa. 2:9; and NET Bible).

49:3 "wisdom. . .understanding" Both of these terms are PLURAL (a PLURAL OF INTENSITY), which is a way of expressing a superlative idea. This is the highest wisdom and the deepest understanding. This inspired wisdom teacher speaks God's truth.

This is the only occurrence of this form of the root, הגה (BDB 212). The basic meaning of the root is "to groan," "to sigh," "to utter."

In this context it refers to the internal thoughts of the psalmist. He may be

1. a sage/philosopher
2. a Levite/singer
3. a priest/theologian

49:4 "I will incline my ear to a proverb" This is striking imagery for listening intently to a proverb so as to understand its meaning. The term "proverb" (BDB 605) is an ancient wisdom term, which seems to have the concept of a riddle, difficult saying, or mysterious truth. However, the second line of Ps. 49:4 may possibly be a way of saying that he is going to state a riddle (BDB 295) and then give its meaning. The two halves of Ps. 49:4 seem to show the basic wisdom form. The author will state this truth in a way that the people of his culture/world can understand it.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 49:5-9
 ⁵Why should I fear in days of adversity,
 When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,
 ⁶Even those who trust in their wealth
 And boast in the abundance of their riches?
 ⁷No man can by any means redeem his brother
 Or give to God a ransom for him—
 ⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly,
 And he should cease trying forever—
 ⁹That he should live on eternally,
 That he should not undergo decay.

49:5-9 "Why should I fear in days of adversity" This is the theme which will be developed in this Psalm.

Godly people have always wondered about the unfairness of life (cf. Job, Psalm 73; Habakkuk). Often the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. This seems to violate Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-30. YHWH wanted to use the abundance and prosperity of His people to attract the nations to Himself. However, because of the Fall of Genesis 3, even covenant mankind could not keep the Law. The only prosperity came to violent, greedy, powerful people.

This is not the world that God created it to be. His people did not model His character (cf. Ezek. 36:22-23). Fallen mankind cannot save/redeem themselves or their families, or their neighbors!

The MT has "the iniquity of my heel surrounds me." This Hebrew root, עקב (BDB 784, KB 872-873) has several possible meanings.

1. the name Jacob (יעקב, BDB 784)
2. Jacob, meaning "trickster" or "supplanter" (cf. Gen. 27:36)
3. "heel" (cf. Gen. 25:26)
4. "follow at the heel" in the sense of "assail insidiously"
5. "overreacher" (cf. Ps. 49:6, BDB 784 II)
6. "deceitful" (cf. Jer. 17:9)
7. "steep," "hilly" (cf. Isa. 40:4)
8. "insidiousness" (cf. 2 Kgs. 10:19)
9. "consequence" (cf. Ps. 19:11; 40:15; 70:3)
10. "to the end" (cf. Ps. 119:33,112)

It seems to be parallel to "in days of adversity" in v. 5a. This makes more sense of the verse than an allusion to Jacob.

This is Hebrew poetry which uses

1. vague allusions
2. rare words

The context, as always, is the key. Here, the strophe and the parallelism.

49:6 "Even those who trust in their wealth" This VERB "trust" (BDB 105, KB 120) occurs mostly in Psalms and Isaiah (cf. Isa. 26:3-4; 30:15). In Psalm 37 we learned that we are to trust in God alone! This verse is the exact opposite, humans trusting in themselves or their material possessions (cf. Job 31:24; Ps. 62:10; Prov. 11:28; 23:4-5; Mark 10:23-31; 1 Tim. 6:17-19).

SPECIAL TOPIC: WEALTH

49:7 "No man can by any means redeem his brother" In Hebrew the term "brother" (BDB 26) appears first for emphasis. NEB, REB, RSV, NRSV change חא (brother) to אך (surely, BDB 36). The UBS Text Project (p. 245) gives "brother" an "A" rating. The Hebrew states that a person cannot redeem (i.e., save, deliver) even himself/herself.

49:7,8 "redeem. . .ransom. . .redemption" There are two Hebrew VERBS:

1. "redeem" – BDB 804, KB 911, Qal INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and IMPERFECT VERB of the same root for emphasis
2. "ransom" (not BDB 145 I) – BDB 678, KB 733, Qal IMPERFECT with BDB 497 I, lit. "a man cannot give to God the price of his life"

Both of them refer to the buying back of someone from slavery or from incarceration as a prisoner of war.

SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM

49:8-9 "For the redemption of his soul is costly,

And he should cease trying forever" This is a parenthetical thought which emphasizes that no matter how wealthy a man is, the price to pay to prolong life or secure an afterlife, is too high. This is where the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news (cf. Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45; 2 Cor. 5:21)!

Notice the parallelism.

1. he should cease trying forever (BDB 761) – BDB 292, KB 292, Qal PERFECT with waw
2. he should live on eternally (BDB 664) – BDB 310, KB 309, Qal JUSSIVE
3. he should not see the pit (BDB 1001) – BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal IMPERFECT

It is difficult for Christians to interpret texts like this one because we read our NT understandings and definitions of words into these OT contexts. This is originally not related to Isaiah 53 or John 3:16. This is dealing with a long, healthy, prosperous life (cf. Psalm 1). Wealth cannot assure this! In a fallen world even covenant obedience could not assure this (i.e., Job, Isaac, Israel).

There are surely some hints of an afterlife in the OT (i.e., Job 14:14-15; 19:25-27; Ps. 16:10; Dan. 12:2), but for the most part the OT deals with this life!

▣ "soul" See SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH

49:8 "costly" In the context of the OT, the cost of ransom/redemption was

1. the death of an innocent animal as a substitute (cf. Leviticus 4) for the sinful soul of a human being or Leviticus 16 for a community of faith (see SPECIAL TOPIC: SIN OFFERING  and SPECIAL TOPIC: FEASTS OF ISRAEL, i. e. #2
2. in Psalm 51 there was no sacrifice for the intentional sin of David (cf. Lev. 4:2,22,27; 5:15-18; 22:14), so David offered "a broken and contrite heart" (Ps. 51:17; see SPECIAL TOPIC: UNINTENTIONAL SINS)
3. the ultimate cost was paid by "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (cf. John 1:29). This was predicted in Isa. 52:13-53:12 (i.e., the Suffering Servant). This concept of substitutionary atonement was documented by
   1. Jesus (cf. Mark 10:45)
   2. Paul (cf. Gal. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:3; 2 Cor. 5:21)
   3. Peter (cf. 1 Pet. 2:21-24)
   4. the author of Hebrews (cf. Heb. 7:26-27; 9:28)

49:9 "That he should live on eternally,

 That he should not undergo decay" Here is the problem of wealth (cf. Eccl. 2:5-11). It does not provide ultimate answers. It cannot make a person right with God and it cannot prolong life. Therefore, it is false hope; it is a glimmer that lasts for only a moment and then is gone. The only true light, the only true hope, and the only true life is found in God.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 49:10-12
 ¹⁰For he sees that even wise men die;
 The stupid and the senseless alike perish
 And leave their wealth to others.
 ¹¹Their inner thought is that their houses are forever
 And their dwelling places to all generations;
 They have called their lands after their own names.
 ¹²But man in his pomp will not endure;
 He is like the beasts that perish.

49:10 "For he sees that even wise men die;

The stupid and the senseless alike perish" Although this imagery is similar to the one found in Eccl. 2:15,16, it is used in a different sense here. Here, the death of all things, including people and animals, is related to their inability to purchase longer life through wealth. There seem to be three different people or groups involved in Ps. 49:10

1. the wise (BDB 314) person
2. the stupid (BDB 493) person
3. the senseless (BDB 129) person

Because animals are mentioned in Ps. 49:12 and 20, some would see them being referred to here in the "senseless" (BDB 129, animal-like, cf. Ps. 73:22).

SPECIAL TOPIC: TERMS FOR FOOLISH PEOPLE

▣ "And leave their wealth to others" Again, Eccl. 2:18-23 is very helpful. No matter how wealthy a person is, when he/she dies, he/she leaves it all to others.

49:11 "Their inner thought is that their houses are forever" The MT Hebrew text has the idea that the rich person believes he and his wealth will last forever. However, the LXX changes the thought to "their graves are their houses forever." Whichever is correct, it still shows the ultimate folly of trusting in riches.

The UBS Text Project (p. 246) has

1. קרבם – their midst (NASB, "inner thought," BDB 899)
2. קברם – their graves (BDB 868, LXX). It gives a "B" rating (some doubt) to option #2 (cf. NJB, REB, JPSOA, LXX, Syrian, Vulgate)

The term "houses" probably refers to elaborately decorated and expensive tombs. These, like the Pharaohs, thought physical monuments to themselves would assure their memory and, in a popular sense, their immortality.

▣ "They have called their lands after their own names" One way humans try to assure that they will be remembered is by naming geographical locations after themselves (or legal deeds in their names). This, too, is folly, for the names change from age to age.

49:12 "But man in his pomp will not endure" In an attempt to provide a synonymous parallelism in Ps. 49:12 and 20, the NEB and REB change –

1. "in honor" (NASB, "pomp"), ביקר, PREPOSITION ב and BDB 430, to
2. "cattle" (NEB, REB, "oxen"), בקר, BDB 133, trying to form a parallelism with the next line, "the beasts" (BDB 96)

The UBS Text Project (p. 247) gives "in honor" a "B" rating (some doubt) in Ps. 49:12 and an "A" rating (high probability) in Ps. 49:20. It is obvious that the pride and arrogance of the rich are being emphasized here.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 49:13-15
 ¹³This is the way of those who are foolish,
 And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.
 ¹⁴As sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
 Death shall be their shepherd;
 And the upright shall rule over them in the morning,
 And their form shall be for Sheol to consume
 So that they have no habitation.
 ¹⁵But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,
 For He will receive me.  Selah.

49:13 "This is the way of those who are foolish" The foolish (i.e., stupid, BDB 492) refers to either

1. the man who claims to know God but lives as if there is no God
2. the overtly evil person
3. there is really no such thing as an atheist in the OT (cf. Ps. 53:1)

"Way" is an OT idiom for lifestyle. See notes at Ps. 1:1.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PATH, THE WAY

▣ "And of those after them who approve their words" This refers to those whom the arrogant wealthy influence with their philosophy of life. It may refer to their children, their students, other people who are seeking to be wealthy, or their friends. This is the end result of a false worldview (cf. Matt. 15:14; Luke 6:23).

▣ "Selah" This is a word about which there is much discussion but little unanimity. Some say it refers to

1. a pause
2. a rising crescendo
3. a musical interlude
4. forever, according to the rabbis

The very fact that there are so many interpretations means that no one really knows. See notes at Ps. 3:2 and Introduction to Psalms, VII. B. #1

49:14 "As sheep they are appointed for Sheol" The term Sheol refers to "the realm of the dead" in the OT. It was seen as a place of consciousness but there was no joy, no fellowship, and a gloomy prospect of many dark, quiet days.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?, I. B.

▣ "Death shall be their shepherd" Literally this is "death feeds them." What a terrible parallel to the beauty of Ps. 23:1. There is only one true Shepherd (cf. John 10). Death lures those with the pleasures of this world but in the end, it is poison (cf. Proverbs 1-8).

▣ "And the upright shall rule over them" This truth is taught throughout the Bible (cf. Dan. 7:18; Mal. 4:3; Matt. 5:5; 1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 2:26).

▣ "in the morning" This could refer to

1. the light of God's truth
2. the light of life
3. the concept of the eschatological morning or the break of a new day

The NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 327, has a good list of things represented by "light."

1. salvation – Ps. 27:1; Isa. 49:6
2. prosperity and peace – Isa. 45:7
3. YHWH's covenant – Isa. 42:6
4. justice and righteousness – Isa. 51:4; 59:9
5. blessing – Ps. 89:15
6. God, Himself – Ps. 27:1; Isa. 60:1-3,19-20
7. the Suffering Servant – Isa. 42:6; 49:6
8. Messiah – Isa. 9:2

It is possible to divide the Hebrew consonants differently to "they shall go straight to the grave" (NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 713). This fits the central truth of the strophe better (NRSV, REB).

▣ The VERB "consume" (BDB 115, KB 132, Piel INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is literally "wear out." So the thought of the line is

1. Sheol will eat them (imagery for Sheol as an animal with a voracious appetite or an allusion to the Canaanite god of death, Mot; see NASB Study Bible, p. 785, footnote and AB, p. 300).
2. The body will disintegrate to dust, as all bodies do after death (cf. Gen. 3:19; Eccl. 3:20, NRSV, TEV, JPSOA).

49:15 "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol,

For He will receive me" What a tremendous truth! Notice the personal element — "me"! Here we have the beginning of the affirmation of an afterlife (or an intimate fellowship with God here and now throughout life and the confidence it will continue!), based, not on the works of man, but on the love of God. Here, personal faith, as well as a life of obedience and trust, are rewarded with eternality with our God (see notes at Ps. 23:6).

The term "receive" (BDB 542, KB 534) was used in Gen. 5:24 of Enoch. He was translated into YHWH's presence!

For Sheol see notes at Ps. 6:5 and 9:13.

▣ "Selah" See note at v. 13.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 49:16-20
 ¹⁶Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
 When the glory of his house is increased;
 ¹⁷For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
 His glory will not descend after him.
 ¹⁸Though while he lives he congratulates himself—
 And though men praise you when you do well for yourself—
 ¹⁹He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
 They will never see the light.
 ²⁰Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
 Is like the beasts that perish.

49:17 "For when he dies he will carry nothing away" This is the truth that those who trust in wealth will leave it all at death (cf. 1 Tim. 6:7). Revelation 14:13 tells us that good deeds will follow after those who have lived for God. There is a book of life and a book of deeds (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD). God will reward those who have loved and served Him. Judgment day is coming—for those who know our God it will be a day of rewards, but for those who have trusted in themselves, it will be a day of eternal separation (cf. Matt. 25:31-46; Rev. 20:11-15).

▣ "His glory" This Hebrew word "glory" (BDB 458 II, see SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY [OT])) is difficult to define. It can mean

1. abundance
2. honor
3. glory

▣ "descend" This VERB (BDB 432, KB 434, Qal IMPERFECT) denotes the belief that the dead are in the ground or in the earth. See SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD? This would be a way of expressing a descent into the realm of the dead. OT Semites buried their dead loved ones.

49:18 "Though while he lives he congratulates himself" This verse obviously is related to the bragging arrogance of those who trust in their own resources. But flattery is illusionary. God's world is moral and each will give an account unto God (cf. Dan. 12:2; Matt. 25:31-46; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 20:11-15).

For "himself" (lit. nephesh) see notes at Ps. 3:2.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NEPHESH

49:19 "He shall go to the generation of his fathers" This refers to the fact that in the OT burial was often done in family tombs, caves. This is an OT allusion for being buried with the family.

▣ "They will never see the light" This probably refers to the same concept as Ps. 49:14. It could mean the light of life, the light of truth, but possibly it could mean the darkness of Sheol—the dwelling place of those who do not know our God (cf. Job 3:16; 33:28,30; Ps. 36:9).

49:20 This is almost the same as Ps. 49:12 and is a fitting summary to the Psalm. It is pitiful but a true picture of a lost man as he stands wrapped in his own resources (cf. Matt. 7:13-14).

It should be noted that there is a slight change in the MT from v. 12 to v. 20.

1. v. 12a ‒ "will not endure," ילין, the negative (BDB 115) plus the VERB (BDB 533, KB 529, Qal IMPERFECT)
2. v. 20a ‒ "Yet without understanding," לא יראו, the negative (BDB 39) plus the VERB (BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal IMPERFECT)

The UBS Text Project, p. 250, gives the slight difference an "A" rating. The JPSOA makes the two verses completely alike, as do the LXX, NJB, NRSV.

▣ "like the beasts that perish" If it is true (see note above) that there is a VERB difference between v. 12a and v. 20a, there may also be a difference in the concluding line.

1. v. 12b, "like the beasts that perish" ‒ BDB 198 II, KB 225 III, Niphal PERFECT, ד1505;ה
2. v. 20b, "like the beasts that are silent" ‒ KB III, Niphal PERFECT, same root but two possible meanings

Option #2 fits the parallelism of v. 20 better, while option #1 fits the parallelism of v. 12 better.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did a Jewish sage desire to speak to the entire world?
2. What reasons does the psalmist give for not fearing in the days of adversity?
3. Explain the term "redeem."
4. How is this Psalm related to Ecclesiastes?
5. What is Sheol?
6. What is the theological implication of Ps. 49:15?

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