Psalm 49
A wisdom psalm about the futility of trusting in wealth. The rich cannot redeem their own lives or buy their way out of death. But God will redeem the righteous from the grave. Trust in riches is foolishness.
PsalmsPsalm 49 of 15020 versesBerean Standard Bible
If God speaks to you through Psalm 49, record what He said in Doxa and come back to it.
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,
both low and high, rich and poor alike.
My mouth will impart wisdom, and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:
Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.
For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,
that he should live on forever and not see decay.
For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.
Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes.
But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
This is the fate of the foolish and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah
Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.
But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 5: Why does the text say God 'took' Enoch?
Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.
Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—
he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.
A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
Read next
How to Hear God’s Voice: A Practical Guide for BelieversScripture is the record of a God who speaks. This guide covers how to hear Him today and keep what He says.Cross-references for Psalm 49
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
“The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.”
“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.””
“You guide me with Your counsel, and later receive me in glory.”
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, licensed CC BY.
Psalm 49 on Doxa
- Walking With God: How Enoch's Verb Ends in a Son Named Comfort (Genesis 5) · Quoted in the Deeper Dive, day 5
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If God speaks to you through Psalm 49
Doxa is where you record what God has said to you, in the words it came in, weigh it against Scripture with people you trust, and come back to it in the years that follow.
