Psalms 49–20
Psalm 49:1-20
Psa.49.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבני: PREP
- קרח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 44:1 (verbal): Shares the identical superscription attributing the psalm to the 'sons of Korah' and addressed 'למנצח' (for the chief musician).
- Psalm 84:1 (verbal): Another psalm carrying the 'לבני־קרח' (sons of Korah) authorship note and the 'למנצח' heading—shows same liturgical/authorial designation.
- Psalm 42:1 (verbal): Also attributed to the sons of Korah in its superscription (often with the term 'משכיל'); parallels Ps 49:1 in naming the Korahite authorship and musical direction.
- Numbers 26:11 (allusion): Mentions the clan of Korah in the tribal/census material—background reference for the historical identity of the 'sons of Korah' named in the psalm headings.
- 1 Chronicles 6:22 (thematic): Lists Levites descended from Korah who served in the sanctuary; provides historical/contextual support for understanding the Korahite attribution as temple musicians.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the leader; of the sons of Korah. A song.
- For the leader; of the sons of Korah. A song.
Psa.49.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- זאת: DEM,f,sg
- כל: DET
- העמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- האזינו: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,pl
- כל: DET
- ישבי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- חלד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 50:1 (thematic): A divine summons addressed to the whole earth—both verses call upon all peoples/lands to hear a proclamation.
- Psalm 100:1 (verbal): An imperative addressed to 'all the earth' (or 'all lands') to respond—similar universal vocative to the inhabitants of the world.
- Isaiah 1:2 (verbal): Uses the same call‑and‑response formula ('Hear… give ear') addressing heaven and earth to attend to the Lord's word—close verbal parallel.
- Psalm 66:1 (thematic): A public summons of the nations/lands to make a response to God—shares the motif of addressing all peoples/inhabitants of the world.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world:
- Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all who dwell on the earth.
Psa.49.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גם: ADV
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחד: ADV
- עשיר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואביון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 22:2 (verbal): Explicitly pairs 'rich and poor' in a single statement (’rich and poor have this in common’), echoing Psalm 49:3’s inclusio of all social ranks.
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 (thematic): Declares the common fate and shared condition of all people (righteous and wicked alike), resonating with the psalm’s address to both rich and poor together.
- Deuteronomy 10:17 (thematic): Speaks of God's impartiality and lack of partiality toward persons, paralleling the psalm’s universal address across social distinctions.
- Romans 2:11 (thematic): New Testament affirmation that 'there is no respect of persons with God,' reflecting the same principle of inclusiveness and universality found in Psalm 49:3.
Alternative generated candidates
- both low and high together—rich and poor alike.
- Both low and high—rich and poor together.
Psa.49.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פי: NOUN,m,sg,construct
- ידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חכמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- והגות: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- תבונות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 19:14 (19:15 Heb.) (verbal): Same paired formula — 'let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart' — closely mirrors Ps 49:4's coupling of mouth-speaking and the heart's meditations (verbal and structural parallel).
- Proverbs 16:23 (thematic): Both link inner wisdom with spoken words ('The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth'), emphasizing that wisdom in the heart issues in wise speech, a central theme of Ps 49:4.
- Matthew 12:34 (verbal): Jesus' saying 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh' parallels Ps 49:4's connection between the heart's meditations and what the mouth utters (common teaching about heart→speech).
- Psalm 37:30 (thematic): 'The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom' echoes Ps 49:4's declaration that the speaker's mouth will speak wisdom, highlighting the righteous/sage who verbalizes understanding.
Alternative generated candidates
- My mouth will speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart will utter understanding.
- My mouth will speak wisdom; and the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
Psa.49.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אטה: PRON,2,m,sg
- למשל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אזני: NOUN,f,pl,suff
- אפתח: VERB,qal,imf,1,sg
- בכנור: PREP
- חידתי: NOUN,f,pl,poss1s
Parallels
- Psalm 78:1-2 (verbal): Both open with a summons to listen (‘Give ear…’) and announce speaking in a parable/riddle (‘I will open my mouth in a parable’), echoing the call to attend to a didactic song.
- Deuteronomy 32:1 (structural): A solemn summons to hear (‘Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth’)—similar prophetic/poetic framing that introduces a public address.
- Psalm 50:7 (thematic): God’s courtroom-style summon (‘Hear, O my people, and I will speak…’) parallels the psalmist’s appeal for attentive hearing and the ensuing testimony/teaching.
- Proverbs 8:6 (verbal): Wisdom’s self-introduction (‘Hear; for I will speak of excellent things…’) closely parallels the genre of a speaker calling listeners to receive instructive speech.
- Proverbs 1:20 (thematic): The image of a voice crying out to the public (Wisdom calling the people to listen) parallels the psalmist’s public summons to attend to a teaching-song.
Alternative generated candidates
- I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will set forth my riddle upon the harp.
- I will incline to a proverb; on the harp I will set forth my riddle.
Psa.49.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למה: ADV
- אירא: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- בימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עקבי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יסובני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,suff:1s
Parallels
- Psalm 23:4 (thematic): Both verses confront fear in times of danger—'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil' parallels the question in Ps.49:6 about fearing in days of trouble.
- Psalm 27:1 (verbal): Uses similar language of fear ('The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?'), addressing why the speaker should not be afraid in the face of adversity like Ps.49:6.
- Psalm 56:3-4 (verbal): Directly connects fear and trust—'When I am afraid, I will trust in you'—offering the confident response to being beset or 'surrounded' as in Ps.49:6.
- Psalm 22:11 (thematic): Expresses the nearness of trouble and the plea for God's presence ('Be not far from me; for trouble is near'), paralleling the sense of being hemmed in by evil referenced in Ps.49:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- Why should I fear in days of trouble, when the wickedness that surrounds me presses upon me?
- Why should I fear in days of trouble, when the iniquity of my pursuers surrounds me?
Psa.49.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הבטחים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- על: PREP
- חילם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsfx=3mp
- וברב: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עשרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp
- יתהללו: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Proverbs 11:28 (thematic): Warns that those who trust in riches will stumble—parallels the Psalm’s critique of trusting and boasting in wealth.
- Luke 12:16-21 (thematic): Parable of the rich fool who stores up wealth and boasts, but cannot secure his life—echoes the Psalm’s condemnation of boasting in riches.
- Mark 10:23-25 (thematic): Jesus’ saying on how hard it is for the rich to enter God’s kingdom highlights the spiritual futility of relying on wealth, resonating with the Psalm’s theme.
- Job 31:24-28 (thematic): Job’s refusal to trust in gold or boast because of wealth parallels the Psalmist’s rejection of confidence in riches as ultimate security.
- Psalm 62:10 (thematic): Direct wisdom admonition not to set the heart on increasing riches—closely related in theme to the Psalm’s warning against trusting in wealth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Those who put their trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches,
- Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches—
Psa.49.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- פדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יפדה: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כפרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 49:7 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the psalm repeating the claim that no one can redeem another—same theme and language.
- Psalm 49:9 (verbal): Continues the thought that no ransom can suffice for a life; emphasizes the futility of wealth to redeem a person.
- Psalm 49:15 (thematic): Contrasts human inability to ransom with the affirmation that God will redeem the psalmist from Sheol—God as the true redeemer.
- Isaiah 43:11 (thematic): God declares, 'besides me there is no savior,' echoing the idea that humans cannot effect ultimate redemption—only God can save.
- Job 33:24 (thematic): Depicts God as the one who 'finds a ransom' to deliver someone from the Pit, underscoring that ransom comes from God, not human effort.
Alternative generated candidates
- none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him,
- none can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.
Psa.49.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פדיון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- וחדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 49:7 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: explicitly states that no one can redeem another or give a ransom—continuing the theme that wealth cannot purchase life.
- Psalm 49:15 (structural): Contrasts v.9: after asserting that costly ransom fails, the psalm shifts to trust in God’s redemption—God, not wealth, redeems the soul.
- Proverbs 11:4 (thematic): ’Riches profit not in the day of wrath; but righteousness delivereth from death’—echoes the idea that wealth cannot save or redeem the soul.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (thematic): ’As he came forth of his mother's womb naked shall he return...and shall take nothing of his labour’—a wisdom reflection that material gain cannot be carried off to save one’s life.
- Mark 8:36 (thematic): ’For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?’—New Testament parallel stressing that worldly gain cannot secure or redeem the soul.
Alternative generated candidates
- for the ransom of a life is costly and it can never suffice for ever;
- For costly is the ransom of their lives; it will never suffice for ever.
Psa.49.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחי: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- השחת: VERB,qal,infabs
Parallels
- Psalm 16:10 (verbal): Uses essentially the same language/promise about not seeing corruption (Heb. 'לא תתן... לראות שחת'); the verse is the immediate and closest verbal parallel.
- Acts 2:27 (quotation): Peter directly quotes Psalm 16:10 at Pentecost, applying 'you will not let your Holy One see corruption' to Jesus' resurrection.
- Acts 13:35 (quotation): Paul cites the same Psalm passage (Ps 16:10) in arguing that the Messiah did not undergo decay, linking the line to Christ's resurrection.
- 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (thematic): Discusses the contrast between perishable and imperishable bodies in the resurrection—theological parallel to the claim that the righteous/'Holy One' will not 'see corruption.'
- Isaiah 53:10-11 (thematic): The Suffering Servant dies yet is vindicated and 'prolonged in days' / sees the fruit of suffering; thematically parallels death overcome and vindication rather than final decay.
Alternative generated candidates
- that one should live on for ever and not see decay.
- That he should still live for ever and not see corruption.
Psa.49.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ימותו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- יחד: ADV
- כסיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובער: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יאבדו: VERB,qal,impf,3,mp
- ועזבו: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,mp
- לאחרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חילם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsfx=3mp
Parallels
- Psalm 49:10 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: both verses stress that the wise die and that human glory and security are fleeting.
- Psalm 49:12 (verbal): Continues the psalm’s argument about human transience—affirms that honored men do not endure, like beasts that perish (echoes the idea that both wise and foolish die).
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 (thematic): Asserts the common fate of all people—righteous and wicked, wise and foolish—so the living should accept mortality, paralleling Psalm 49’s point that wisdom does not prevent death.
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 (thematic): States that the wise and the fool share the same end and that remembrance does not ultimately distinguish them—resonates with the psalm’s verdict that both die and leave their wealth to others.
- Psalm 39:6 (thematic): Reflects the theme of life’s transience and the futility of amassing wealth—like Ps.49:11, it notes that people accumulate riches but do not know who will inherit them when they die.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he sees that even the wise must die; the fool and the senseless perish alike, and leave their wealth to others.
- For he sees that the wise die together; the fool and the senseless perish and leave their wealth to others.
Psa.49.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קרבם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,mp
- בתימו: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לעולם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משכנתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לדר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בשמותם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עלי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- אדמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Ps.49:11 (structural): Immediate parallel within the same psalm—same idea/phrasing about people thinking their houses and lands will endure and bearing their names on the earth.
- Ecclesiastes 3:20 (thematic): Affirms the universality of death—'all go to one place'—which undercuts the claim that earthly dwellings or names endure for generations.
- Psalm 90:5-6 (thematic): Uses imagery of transience (sweep away, like a dream/grass) to make the same point that human dwellings and fame are temporary.
- Ecclesiastes 1:11 (thematic): States there is 'no remembrance of former things,' reinforcing the idea that calling lands by one’s name does not secure lasting remembrance or permanence.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their inward thought is, 'Our houses shall endure forever; our dwelling-places to all generations'; they call lands by their own name.
- Their inward thought is that their houses will endure for ever, their dwelling places for all generations; they name lands after their own names.
Psa.49.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואדם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביקר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בל: PART
- ילין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נמשל: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- כבהמות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נדמו: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 49:12 (verbal): Nearly identical wording within the same psalm: man in his pomp/wealth (or 'in his pride') is like the beasts that perish—same comparison and vocabulary.
- Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 (thematic): Reflects the theme that humans and animals share the same fate—both die and return to dust—and questions the distinction between them.
- Job 7:17-21 (thematic): Job laments human mortality and compares human life to that of beasts, emphasizing frailty and the absence of lasting advantage.
- Isaiah 40:6-8 (thematic): Uses the image of transitory human life ('all flesh is grass') to stress human frailty and mortality, paralleling the psalm's portrayal of humans as like perishing beasts.
Alternative generated candidates
- But man in his honor does not abide; he is like the beasts that perish.
- Yet man, though in honor, does not remain—he is like the beasts that perish.
Psa.49.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- דרכם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- כסל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ואחריהם: PREP,3,pl
- בפיהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl+PRON,3,m,pl
- ירצו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 49:12 (structural): Immediate context in the same psalm contrasts the seeming success of the wicked with their folly and eventual fate; continues the theme that people praise or follow them despite their folly.
- Psalm 12:2-3 (verbal): Speaks of flattering lips and deceptive speech—parallels the idea that people speak approval with their mouths even when the object of praise is foolish or wicked.
- Psalm 73:12 (thematic): Observes that the wicked prosper and are admired—links to the lament that people approve or envy the ways of the foolish.
- Job 21:7-15 (thematic): Job questions why the wicked live and are honored by others; parallels the observation that people endorse or praise the wicked despite their folly.
- Proverbs 29:5 (verbal): Remarks on flattery—how flattering speech gains approval or support—parallel to the claim that people commend the ways of the foolish with their mouths.
Alternative generated candidates
- This is their way—such is their lot; and those who come after them give voice to their sayings. Selah.
- This is their way—their folly; after them men approve their words. Selah.
Psa.49.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כצאן: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לשאול: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- שתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מות: VERB,qal,infabs
- ירעם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וירדו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ישרים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- לבקר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וצורם: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- לבלות: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ps.49:14 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the psalm: nearly identical wording and image—'like sheep to Sheol; death shall feed on them; their form consumed in Sheol'—same vocabulary and idea of the grave devouring people.
- Job 21:26 (verbal): Close verbal/thematic echo of bodily decay and communal fate: 'They lie down alike in the dust, and the worms cover them,' paralleling the psalm's picture of corpses consumed by Sheol.
- Isaiah 14:9-11 (thematic): Sheol pictured as stirred to meet the fallen and as a place that consumes and humiliates the dead (worms, shame), thematically matching the psalm's portrayal of the grave's power over the mighty.
- Proverbs 11:7 (thematic): Expresses the idea that the wicked's hopes fail at death—their prosperity ends in death—echoing the psalm's argument that wealth/power do not avert final consumption by Sheol.
- Ezekiel 32:21 (structural): Depicts foreign chiefs and nations in the netherworld being shamed and spoken of as consumed—structurally parallels the psalm's movement from present power/wealth to inevitable fate in Sheol.
Alternative generated candidates
- Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; death shall be their shepherd; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; their form shall be for the grave to consume, far from their tent.
- Like sheep they are laid in Sheol; Death shall shepherd them, and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; their form shall waste away in Sheol, far from their dwelling.
Psa.49.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אך: PART
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יפדה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- מיד: PREP
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יקחני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 30:3 (verbal): Both verses use the image of God bringing up or redeeming life from the pit/Sheol (’brought up my life from the pit’ vs. ‘God will redeem my soul from Sheol’).
- Psalm 116:8–9 (verbal): Shares the language of deliverance of the soul from death and the resulting confidence to live before the LORD (‘You have delivered my soul from death’).
- Jonah 2:6–7 (verbal): Jonah’s thanksgiving describes God’s rescue from the depths/pit—‘you brought my life up from the pit’—parallel to being redeemed from Sheol.
- Hosea 13:14 (verbal): God’s promise to ‘ransom/redeem from the power of Sheol/Death’ closely echoes the Psalm’s claim that God will redeem the speaker from Sheol.
- 1 Samuel 2:6 (thematic): Hannah’s song affirms God’s sovereign power over life, death, and Sheol (‘The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up’), thematically aligning with the psalmist’s trust in God’s rescue from Sheol.
Alternative generated candidates
- But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
- But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for he will receive me. Selah.
Psa.49.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יעשר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ירבה: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- כבוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ביתו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:4-5 (thematic): Warns against straining to become rich and notes the transitory nature of wealth—parallels the Psalm’s admonition not to fear another’s increased riches or household glory.
- Ecclesiastes 5:13-14 (thematic): Describes a wealthy man who hoards riches only to have them inherited by others at death, echoing Psalm 49’s theme that wealth cannot ultimately secure a person’s fate.
- Luke 12:15-21 (thematic): Jesus’ parable of the rich fool cautions against trusting in abundant possessions and boasting in one’s house—a New Testament parallel to the Psalmist’s instruction not to fear another’s prosperity.
- Psalm 49:16-20 (structural): Immediate context: explains why one should not fear the rich—money cannot redeem a life and the wicked’s confidence in wealth is futile, directly continuing the thought of v.17.
- Job 31:24-28 (thematic): Job rejects making gold his confidence or rejoicing in wealth; thematically similar to Psalm 49’s warning against relying on or fearing another’s material glory.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house increases;
- Do not fear when a man grows rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
Psa.49.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- במותו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUF,3,m,sg
- יקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- הכל: PRON,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ירד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אחריו: PREP,3,m,sg
- כבודו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Ps.49:17 (verbal): Immediate parallel within the same psalm: verse 17 states the same idea that a man carries nothing away at death, echoing 49:18's claim that wealth and glory do not follow the dead.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (verbal): Directly echoes the motif/wording: 'As he came forth of his mother’s womb he shall return naked,' stressing that one takes nothing from this life—like Ps 49:18's denial that glory follows death.
- Job 1:21 (thematic): Job's declaration 'Naked I came from my mother's womb... and naked shall I return thither' parallels the psalm's theme that material goods and honor do not accompany a person in death.
- 1 Timothy 6:7 (thematic): Paul's admonition 'For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out' restates the same theological point about mortality and the futility of trusting in riches found in Ps 49:18.
- Luke 12:20 (thematic): Jesus' rebuke to the rich fool ('This night thy soul shall be required of thee') parallels the psalm's warning that wealth and glory cannot be retained at death, undercutting reliance on earthly possessions.
Alternative generated candidates
- for when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not descend with him.
- for when he dies he will carry nothing away—his glory will not descend after him.
Psa.49.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בחייו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,ms
- יברך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ויודך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+2,ms
- כי: CONJ
- תיטיב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 49:17 (structural): Immediate context in the same psalm: contrasts present prosperity with the helplessness of death—shows the temporary nature of blessing oneself in life.
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 (thematic): Affirms the idea of a person enjoying the good of his labor and 'blessing his soul' during life as a God‑given enjoyment, paralleling the celebration of prosperity while alive.
- Luke 12:19-20 (allusion): Parable of the rich fool who 'blesses his soul' by storing goods for himself, only to have his life demanded that very night—echoes the contrast between present self‑satisfaction and sudden death.
- 1 Timothy 6:7 (thematic): States the theological corollary that we brought nothing into the world and can carry nothing out, undercutting confidence in earthly blessing and wealth enjoyed in life.
Alternative generated candidates
- Though while he lives he blesses himself—and men praise you when you do well to yourself—
- While he lives he blesses his soul, and men will praise you when you prosper.
Psa.49.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- דור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבותיו: NOUN,m,pl,cs+3ms
- עד: PREP
- נצח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 (thematic): Explicitly compares the fate of humans and animals—both perish—undercutting human pride and echoing the psalm’s claim that the honored man is like beasts that die.
- Job 14:1-2 (thematic): Emphasizes human frailty and transience (‘born of woman… comes forth like a flower and withers’), a parallel theme about the brevity of life and mortality.
- Isaiah 40:6-8 (verbal): Uses the ‘all flesh is grass’ image to stress human transience; similar language and imagery that negate enduring human glory.
- Genesis 3:19 (thematic): ‘For you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ states human mortality plainly, supporting the psalm’s point that honored humans share the fate of perishing beasts.
- Ps.39:6 (thematic): A close psalmic parallel: humans are like a fleeting shadow and their pursuits (wealth, honor) are ultimately vain in the face of death, echoing Ps.49:20’s contrast between honor and mortality.
Alternative generated candidates
- he will come to the generation of his fathers; they will never see light again.
- He will go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
For the leader; of the sons of Korah. A song.
Hear this, all peoples; give ear, all who dwell on the earth.
Both low and high together—rich and poor alike.
My mouth will speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart is understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will set forth my riddle upon the harp.
Why should I fear in the day of trouble, when the treachery of the wicked surrounds me?
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches,
none can redeem his brother, nor can he give to God a ransom for him;
for the price of the redemption of his life is costly, and it will fail for ever;
that he should live on for ever and not see decay.
For he sees that the wise die; the fool and the senseless perish alike, and leave their wealth to others.
Their inward thought is, 'Their houses shall endure for ever, their dwelling-places to all generations; they have called their lands after their own names.'
Yet the man in honor will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.
Such is their way—folly for them—and after them people approve their sayings. Selah.
Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; and in the morning the upright shall possess them. Their form will be consumed in Sheol, and their place will be desolate. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
Do not be afraid when one grows rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
for he will carry nothing away at his death, his glory will not descend after him.
While he is yet alive he blesses himself—'Let others praise you when you prosper.'
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see the light.