Psalm 49 is the 49th psalm of the

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

, beginning in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...

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 Korah ( he, ''Qōraḥ''; ar, قارون ''Qārūn''), son of Izhar, is an individual who appears in the Book of Numbers of the Hebrew Bible and four different verses in the Quran, known for leading a rebellion against Moses. Some older Englis ...

and is closely connected with the "

Wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, ...

" or religious philosophy of

ancient Israel The history of ancient Israel and Judah begins in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age. "Israel" as a people or tribal confederation (see Israelites) appears for the first time in the Merneptah Stele, an inscripti ...

.Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1906)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Psalm 49
accessed 24 October 2020 The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

and other Protestant liturgies, and has been set to music.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

The following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 49:

King James Version

# Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: # Both low and high, rich and poor, together. # My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. # I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp. # Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? # They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; # None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: # (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) # That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. # For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. # 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. # Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. # This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. # 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. # But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. # Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; # For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. # Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself. # He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light. # Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

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 The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or par ...

Alexander Kirkpatrick Alexander Francis Kirkpatrick (25 June 1849 – 22 January 1940) was Regius Professor of Hebrew at Cambridge University (1882–1903) and the third Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge (1898–1907). Life Kirkpatrick was born at Lewes, East Su ...

, in the

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges is a biblical commentary set published in parts by Cambridge University Press from 1882 onwards. Anglican bishop John Perowne was the general editor. The first section published was written by theologian ...

commentary, notes that this Psalm addresses “all peoples” with a theme of common interest to all humanity: is not

wealth Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...

, 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 ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components of ...

and

Maariv ''Maariv'' or ''Maʿariv'' (, ), also known as ''Arvit'' (, ), is a Jewish prayer service held in the evening or night. It consists primarily of the evening ''Shema'' and '' Amidah''. The service will often begin with two verses from Psalms, ...

in a house of mourning.; *Verse 6 is found in the

Foundation of Repentance Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

, recited on the eve of

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the ninth day of the month.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by

John Baskerville John Baskerville (baptised 28 January 1707 – 8 January 1775) was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer. He was also responsible for inventing "wov ...

in 1762, pp. 196ff

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 49 in German, "Hört zu ihr Völker in gemein",

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

146, for the ''

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms contai ...

'', published first in 1628.

References

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 49 according to th
1928 Psalter
* in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
Psalm 49 – What Money Can’t Buy
text and detailed commentary, enduringword.com
For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites. 2Hear this, all you peoples! Give ear, all who inhabit the world
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 49 / Refrain: Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

Psalm 49
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 49
hymnary.org {{Psalms 049