Bible Glide

Psalms 49

Psalms 49 Summary, Context, and Full Chapter

Psalm 49 speaks to everyone, rich and poor alike, and asks what wealth can really do in the face of death. It contrasts human success with the limits of money, then turns to the hope that God can redeem life and gather his people to himself.

Read in ReaderShare Passage

What happens in Psalms 49?

This psalm opens as a wisdom song for all people, calling the whole world to listen. It challenges trust in wealth, showing that no one can pay the price to rescue another from death. Even the wise, the foolish, and the rich all leave their possessions behind. The psalm describes the end of those who depend on riches, then offers hope: God can redeem the life of the speaker from Sheol and take him to himself. It closes by warning that wealth without understanding leaves a person no better than the animals that perish.

Psalm 49 belongs to the second book of Psalms and is attributed to the sons of Korah. It reads like a wisdom reflection within a worship setting, aimed at people of every social rank. Coming after praise for God's city in Psalm 48, it shifts to a sobering meditation on mortality, justice, and the limits of human security.

Themes to notice

  • Wealth cannot saveMoney, status, and property cannot purchase deliverance from death or secure lasting life.
  • Mortality for all peopleRich and poor alike face the same end, which levels human pride and success.
  • Hope in God's redemptionThe psalm points beyond the grave to God's ability to redeem and receive a person to himself.

Questions for Psalms 49

  • What does this psalm say wealth can and cannot do?
  • How does the psalm compare the fate of the rich and the poor?
  • What hope does verse 15 give when human resources run out?

Read the full text of Psalms 49 below, then open it in the reader to highlight, take notes, or ask follow-up Bible questions. No account is required to read.

Psalms 49

The Evanescence of Wealth

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

1Hear this, all you peoples;

listen, all inhabitants of the world,

2both low and high,

rich and poor alike.

3My mouth will impart wisdom,

and the meditation of my heart will bring understanding.

4I will incline my ear to a proverb;

I will express my riddle with the harp:

5Why should I fear in times of trouble,

when wicked usurpers surround me?

6They trust in their wealth

and boast in their great riches.

7No man can possibly redeem his brother

or pay his ransom to God.

8For the redemption of his soul is costly,

and never can payment suffice,

9that he should live on forever

and not see decay.

10For it is clear that wise men die,

and the foolish and the senseless both perish

and leave their wealth to others.

11Their graves are their eternal homes—

their dwellings for endless generations—

even though their lands were their namesakes.

12But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure;

he is like the beasts that perish.

13This is the fate of the self-confident

and their followers who endorse their sayings.

Selah

14Like 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.

15But God will redeem my life from Sheol,

for He will surely take me to Himself.

Selah

16Do not be amazed when a man grows rich,

when the splendor of his house increases.

17For when he dies, he will carry nothing away;

his abundance will not follow him down.

18Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—

and men praise you when you prosper—

19he will join the generation of his fathers,

who will never see the light of day.

20A man who has riches without understanding

is like the beasts that perish.

Keep studying

Save notes and ask about Psalms 49

Create a free account to keep highlights and notes across devices, or open Bible Glide Chat with this passage already attached.

Create Free AccountAsk About This Passage