“Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.”
The statement that the wicked bless themselves during their lifetime establishes self-deception and the internal falsification of their condition. The reference to being blessed when they do well suggests that the wicked interpret their success as validation of their way of life. Yet the underlying suggestion is that this blessing and self-satisfaction amount to illusion; they deceive themselves about their actual standing. The verse implies that the wicked's approval of themselves does not constitute genuine blessing; real blessing comes only from God. This verse critiques the spiritual blindness of those who congratulate themselves on their achievement while ignoring the ultimate judgment awaiting them.
Church Fathers on Psalms 49:18
The First Part. 1. ...“Hear ye these things, all you nations” Psalm 48:1. Not then you only who are here. For of what power is our voice so to cry out, as that all nations may hear? For Our Lord Jesus Christ has proclaimed it through the Apostles, has proclaimed it in so many tongues that He sent; and we see this Psalm, which before was only repeated in one nation, in the Synagogue of the Jews, now repeated throughout the whole world, throughout all Churches; and that…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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