Psalm 49
Psalm 49 is the 49th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the bible, and generally in its Latin translations, this psalm is Psalm 48. In the Vulgate, it begins "Audite haec omnes gentes". The psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah and is closely connected with the "Wisdom" or religious philosophy of ancient Israel.
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies, and has been set to music.
Commentary
In Jewish tradition the psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah after recognizing their father's greed for wealth as the root of his downfall, and to teach that the purpose of one's life on earth is to enhance his or her spiritual development and to prepare for the world to come.Alexander Kirkpatrick, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges commentary, notes that this Psalm addresses “all peoples” with a theme of common interest to all humanity: is not wealth, after all, the master-force in the world? Must not the poor tremble before its power and pay court to its splendour? In reply, "the Psalmist expresses his own faith that righteousness will be finally triumphant".
Uses
Judaism
- Psalm 49 is recited on the day of Parshat Shekalim.
- It is also recited following Shacharit and Maariv in a house of mourning.
- Verse 6 is found in the Foundation of Repentance, recited on the eve of Rosh Hashanah.
Book of Common Prayer
Musical settings
wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 49 in German, "Hört zu ihr Völker in gemein", SWV 146, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.Text
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels, alongside the Koine Greek text in the Septuagint and the English translation from the King James Version. Note that the meaning can slightly differ between these versions, as the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text come from different textual traditions. In the Septuagint, this psalm is numbered Psalm 48.| # | Hebrew | English | Greek |
| Εἰς τὸ τέλος· τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορὲ ψαλμός. - | |||
| 1 | Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: | ΑΚΟΥΣΑΤΕ ταῦτα, πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐνωτίσασθε πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην, | |
| 2 | Both low and high, rich and poor, together. | οἵ τε γηγενεῖς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πλούσιος καὶ πένης. | |
| 3 | My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. | τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν· | |
| 4 | I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. | κλινῶ εἰς παραβολὴν τὸ οὖς μου, ἀνοίξω ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ τὸ πρόβλημά μου. | |
| 5 | Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? | ἱνατί φοβοῦμαι ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ; ἡ ἀνομία τῆς πτέρνης μου κυκλώσει με. | |
| 6 | They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; | οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι, | |
| 7 | None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: | ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦται, λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; οὐ δώσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ | |
| 8 | καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῆς λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐκοπίασεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα | ||
| 9 | That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. | καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τέλος· οὐκ ὄψεται καταφθοράν, | |
| 10 | For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. | ὅταν ἴδῃ σοφοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας. ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἄφρων καὶ ἄνους ἀπολοῦνται καὶ καταλείψουσιν ἀλλοτρίοις τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν, | |
| 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. | καὶ οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, σκηνώματα αὐτῶν εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. ἐπεκαλέσαντο τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν αὐτῶν. | |
| 12 | Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. | καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. | |
| 13 | This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. | αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκάνδαλον αὐτοῖς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐδοκήσουσι.. | |
| 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. | ὡς πρόβατα ἐν ᾅδῃ ἔθεντο, θάνατος ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς· καὶ κατακυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν οἱ εὐθεῖς τὸ πρωΐ, καὶ ἡ βοήθεια αὐτῶν παλαιωθήσεται ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ, ἐκ τῆς δόξης αὐτῶν ἐξώσθησαν. | |
| 15 | But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. | πλὴν ὁ Θεὸς λυτρώσεται τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου, ὅταν λαμβάνῃ με.. | |
| 16 | Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; | μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος καὶ ὅταν πληθυνθῇ ἡ δόξα τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ· | |
| 17 | For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. | ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνήσκειν αὐτὸν λήψεται τὰ πάντα, οὐδὲ συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ. | |
| 18 | Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. | ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ εὐλογηθήσεται· ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι, ὅταν ἀγαθύνῃς αὐτῷ. | |
| 19 | He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. | εἰσελεύσεται ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων αὐτοῦ, ἕως αἰῶνος οὐκ ὄψεται φῶς. | |
| 20 | Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. | καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς. |