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Psalm 49:5
Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me?
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.
Notice
Evil surrounds the speaker and reaches his heels, yet he questions his fear while the danger is still close.
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 37:18The LORD knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.Both speak of a person’s days; Psalm 49 names evil, while Psalm 37 speaks of the LORD’s knowledge and a lasting inheritance.
Psalm 94:13that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.Days marked by evil or adversity appear in both passages; Psalm 94 speaks of rest while judgment on the wicked remains ahead.
Acts 27:24saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’Both address fear; the psalm questions it, while Paul is told he must stand before Caesar.
Romans 8:33–34Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies.Both question the force of a threat; Romans speaks of charges against those whom God justifies.
Proverbs 24:10If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.Both concern a response to hard times: the psalm questions fear, while the proverb describes faltering in trouble.
Philippians 1:28and in nothing frightened by the adversaries, which is for them a proof of destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.Both address fear in the presence of opposition; Philippians speaks of salvation from God amid threats from adversaries.
Psalm 56:6–7They conspire and lurk, watching my steps. They are eager to take my life.The heels in Psalm 49 and the watched steps in Psalm 56 picture danger close to the speaker’s movements.
Proverbs 5:22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.Both portray iniquity as enclosing someone; Proverbs specifies that the wicked person is caught by his own deeds.
1 Samuel 26:20Now therefore, don’t let my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a …Both picture someone under threat, with evil at the speaker’s heels in the psalm and a king hunting a man in Samuel.
Genesis 49:17Dan will be a serpent on the trail, an adder in the path, that bites the horse’s heels, so that his rider falls backward.Both locate danger at the heels; Genesis describes a serpent biting a horse, while the psalm describes surrounding iniquity.
Psalm 46:1–2For the Chief Musician. By the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.Trouble forms their shared setting; Psalm 49 questions fear, while Psalm 46 names God as refuge and strength.
Amos 5:13Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.Both name an evil time; the psalm questions fear, while Amos describes a prudent person keeping silent.
Where this verse fits
Fear for the future. injustice and anger. anxiety or panic.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The speaker questions fear before the danger has passed. The next lines expose the limits of those who boast in riches: their wealth cannot pay God a ransom for another.
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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).