Psalm 49:10-12

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 49:6-14

In these verses we have, I. A description of the spirit and way of worldly people, whose portion is in this life, Ps. 17:14. It is taken for granted that they have wealth, and a multitude of riches (Ps. 49:6), houses and lands of inheritance, which they call their own, Ps. 49:11. God often gives abundance of the good things of this world to bad men who live in contempt of him and rebellion against him, by which it appears that they are not the best things in themselves (for then God would give... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 49:10

For he seeth that wise men die ,.... This is a reason convincing the rich man, that with all his riches he cannot redeem his brother from death; since he must see, by daily and constant experience, that none are exempted from dying, no, not even the wise man; and therefore, not the rich, since wisdom is better than riches, and is said to give life, Ecclesiastes 7:12 ; and yet wise men die, yea, Solomon, the wisest of men, died. Worldly wise men, such who are wiser in their generation... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 49:11

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever ,.... This is the thought of their hearts, what they secretly imagine, and conclude within themselves; either that their families, which may be meant by their houses, see 2 Samuel 3:1 ; shall continue in succeeding ages, to the end of the world, to inherit their possessions, and perpetuate their name; though often so it is, that great families become extinct, and the seed of the wicked is cut off: or that their... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 49:12

Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not ,.... Or Adam: and some understand this of the first man Adam, who was created and crowned with glory and honour; but it did not abide with him, nor he in that: so some Jewish writers F25 Bereshit Rabba, s. 11. fol. 9. 1. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 19. interpret it. But whether the words will admit of this sense or not, the general view of the psalmist, which is to show the inconstancy and instability of worldly honour, may be exemplified in the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 49:10

For he seeth that wise men die - Though they may be rich, and their wisdom teach them the best method of managing their riches so as to derive all the good from them they can possibly produce, yet they die as well as the fool and the poor ignorant man; and their wealth is left to others who will be equally disappointed in their expectation from it. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 49:11

Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever - Thus, by interpolation, we have endeavored to patch up a sense to this clause. Instead of קרבם kirbam , their inward part, the Septuagint appear to have used a copy in which the second and third letters have been transposed קברם kibram , their sepulchres; for they translate: Και οἱ ταφοι αυτων οικιαι αυτων εις τον αιωνα· "For their graves are their dwellings for ever." So six or seven feet long, and two or three... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 49:12

Man being in honor abideth not - However rich, wise, or honorable, they must die; and if they die not with a sure hope of eternal life, they die like beasts. See on Psalm 49:20 ; (note). read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 49:10

Verse 10 10For he shall see that wise men die. I consider the ninth and tenth verses to be connected, and that it is the intention of the Psalmist to censure the folly of those who dream of spending an eternity in this world, and set themselves seriously to establish a permanent settlement in it, though they cannot but see their fellow-creatures cut down daily before their eyes by the stroke of death. It is a common proverb, that experience teaches fools, and they may be looked upon as... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 49:12

Verse 12 12And man shall not abide in honor Having exposed the vain and delusory nature of the fancies entertained by the ungodly, he next shows that however fondly they may cherish them, they must experience the same fate with the beasts of the field. It is true that there is a great difference, so far as the soul is concerned, between man and the brute creation; but the Psalmist speaks of things as they appear in this world, and in this respect he was warranted to say of the ungodly that they... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 49:1-20

Metrically, the composition divides itself into three portions: read more

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