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Psalm 49

Psalm 49 exposes wealth’s failure before death and places the hope of redemption in God’s power.

A wisdom singer calls people of every rank and nation to listen while he addresses a riddle with his harp. The title attributes the psalm to the sons of Korah; no particular occasion is named. Facing evil and people who boast in wealth, the speaker considers what money can buy when death comes. Riches cannot ransom a life. Against that limit, he declares his confidence that God will redeem him from Sheol.

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1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples. Listen, all you inhabitants of the world,
2both low and high, rich and poor together.
3My mouth will speak words of wisdom. My heart will utter understanding.
4I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will solve my riddle on the harp.
5Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
6Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches—
7none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.
8For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,
9that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.
10For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.
11Their inward thought is that their houses will endure forever, and their dwelling places to all generations. They name their lands after themselves.
12But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.
13This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
14They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.
15But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
16Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
17for when he dies he will carry nothing away. His glory won’t descend after him.
18Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—
19he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light.
20A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.
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Key verses
Psalm 49:6Trusting and boasting in wealth identify the false security that the rest of the psalm dismantles.
Psalm 49:7The inability to ransom even a brother exposes the limits of riches when life itself is at stake.
Psalm 49:15The speaker’s confidence in God’s redemption breaks through the surrounding account of death’s rule and wealth’s failure.
Where this chapter reaches

Ecclesiastes shares the psalm’s observation that wise and foolish people die and leave their wealth behind, while Luke portrays a rich man whose stored goods cannot secure his life. Matthew and Mark share its ransom language, describing Jesus giving his life as a ransom for many.

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After reading the whole chapter

Which image in the psalm most challenges your sense of what makes a life secure?

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How does verse 15 change the way you read the warnings about wealth and death?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 49

Who wrote Psalm 49?

The heading attributes Psalm 49 to the sons of Korah and addresses it to the Chief Musician. It does not name an individual author or identify a historical occasion. The speaker presents wisdom for all peoples, using a proverb, a riddle, and harp music.

What does Sheol mean in Psalm 49?

Sheol names the realm of the dead. Verse 14 pictures death as a shepherd gathering a flock there, where wealth and splendor offer no protection. Verse 15 expresses confidence that God will redeem the speaker from Sheol’s power and receive him, without explaining how or when.

Does Psalm 49 say being rich is wrong?

The psalm addresses rich and poor together. Its warning targets those who trust in wealth, boast in riches, and imagine their houses will endure forever. The closing verse joins riches with a lack of understanding. Wealth cannot purchase escape from death or accompany its owner into the grave.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about death →What the Bible says about money →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).