Psalm 49 | |
Subtitle: | "Hear this, all ye people" |
Image Upright: | 1.2 |
Language: | Hebrew (original) |
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".[1] The psalm is attributed to the sons of Korah and is closely connected with the "Wisdom" or religious philosophy of ancient Israel.[2]
The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies, and has been set to music.
The following table shows the Hebrew text[3] [4] of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).
Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
---|---|---|
1 | For the Leader; a Psalm for the sons of Korah. | |
2 | Hear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world, | |
3 | Both low and high, Rich and poor together. | |
4 | My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. | |
5 | I will incline mine ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying upon the harp. | |
6 | Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my supplanters compasseth me about, | |
7 | Of them that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches? | |
8 | No man can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him— | |
9 | For too costly is the redemption of their soul, and must be let alone for ever— | |
10 | That he should still live always, that he should not see the pit. | |
11 | For he seeth that wise men die, The fool and the brutish together perish, And leave their wealth to others. | |
12 | 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. | |
13 | But man abideth not in honour; He is like the beasts that perish. | |
14 | This is the way of them that are foolish, and of those who after them approve their sayings. Selah | |
15 | Like sheep they are appointed for the nether-world; death shall be their shepherd; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their form shall be for the nether-world to wear away, That there be no habitation for it. | |
16 | But God will redeem my soul from the power of the nether-world; For He shall receive me. Selah | |
17 | Be not thou afraid when one waxeth rich, When the wealth of his house is increased; | |
18 | For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His wealth shall not descend after him. | |
19 | Though while he lived he blessed his soul: 'Men will praise thee, when thou shalt do well to thyself'; | |
20 | It shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see the light. . | |
21 | Man that is in honour understandeth not; He is like the beasts that perish. | |
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".
In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the ninth day of the month.[7]
Heinrich Schütz 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.