Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 49:16
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich - Do not dread the power derived from wealth; do not fear anything which a man can do merely because he is rich. The original is, “when a “man” becomes rich.” The allusion is not necessarily to a bad man, though that is implied in the whole passage, since there is no reason for fearing a “good” man, whether he is rich or poor. The only thing that seems to have been apprehended in the mind of the psalmist was that power of doing injury to others, or of... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 49:16-20
The conclusion "repeats and confirms the general lessons of the psalm." Psalms 49:16 is a categorical answer to the doubt propounded in Psalms 49:5 . Psalms 49:17-19 are an echo of Psalms 49:14 , and at the same time a counterpoise to the views put forth in Psalms 49:6 , Psalms 49:11 . Psalms 49:20 is a repetition, but with an important modification, of Psalms 49:12 . read more