Psalms 49 KJV
The Folly of Trusting Riches
About This Psalm
Money can't buy immortality. The rich and poor both die. A meditation on what truly lasts versus what we foolishly chase.
1ear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
2 Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves 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 soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
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Did You Know?
The psalm inverts the shepherd metaphor by portraying Death itself as the shepherd who gathers both the wealthy and their admirers like sheep into Sheol, subverting the usual divine-pastoral imagery found elsewhere in the Psalter.
Its declaration that no human payment can ransom a soul (v. 7-8) functions as an implicit critique of ancient Near Eastern redemption practices involving silver or substitutionary offerings, underscoring human helplessness before mortality.
The double refrain in verses 12 and 20 equates humanity that dies without understanding to beasts that perish, echoing Genesis creation theology while implying that reflective wisdom alone distinguishes humans from animals in the face of death.
Addressed universally to "all ye people" and "all ye inhabitants of the world," the psalm adopts prophetic rather than cultic language, positioning its wisdom message outside temple ritual and toward a global audience regardless of covenant status.
Composed by the sons of Korah, the psalm's theme of riches failing to secure lasting houses gains ironic depth from the Korahites' own survival through divine mercy amid their forefather's failed rebellion (Numbers 16), illustrating preservation by grace rather than wealth or status.