Psalms 49
20 verses
Psalm 49 is a wisdom meditating on wealth's futility, mortality's equality, and the ultimate value of righteous living, exemplifying the theological concerns of Book 2. The psalmist employs vivid imagery and direct address to God, establishing the intimate dialogue between worshiper and the divine that characterizes the psalmic tradition. The theological assertions center on God's character as both judge and redeemer, creating a comprehensive vision of divine justice and mercy integrated with human experience. The psalm reflects on both personal circumstance and communal identity, suggesting that individual faith finds validation through shared experience with the covenant community. The liturgical context indicates this psalm's function in worship where personal piety integrates with communal celebration of God's acts and attributes. The concluding movement typically affirms confidence in God's faithfulness, exemplifying the psalmic pattern of transformation through prayer and remembrance of divine acts throughout history.
VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER
1
Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
0 0Open verse page →
2
Both low and high, rich and poor, together.
0 0Open verse page →
3
My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
0 0Open verse page →
4
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
0 0Open verse page →
5
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
0 0Open verse page →
6
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
0 0Open verse page →
7
None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
0 0Open verse page →
8
(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
0 0Open verse page →
9
That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.
0 0Open verse page →
10
For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
12
Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.
0 0Open verse page →
13
This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
0 0Open verse page →
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.
0 0Open verse page →
15
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
0 0Open verse page →
16
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
0 0Open verse page →
17
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
0 0Open verse page →
18
Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
0 0Open verse page →
19
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
0 0Open verse page →
20
Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.
0 0Open verse page →
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
No notes on this chapter yet. Be the first to write one!