Introduction
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.
The theme of the psalmist, as in Psalms 37, 73, is the transient prosperity of the wicked contrasted with the everlasting blessedness of the saints, offered, as is common in Scripture, as an explanation and defence of that standing mystery of Providence, the present sufferings of the Church. The psalm fitly comes in as a meditation, after the experiences of the two preceding. Psalms 49:1-4 are an introduction; Psalms 49:5-15 contain the subject-matter of the discourse; while Psalms 49:16-20 conclude with a hortative admonition. In the musical performance, after the introduction, the two parts following might have been marked by the refrain, Psalms 49:12; Psalms 49:20. The psalm is the sixth and concluding one of this division of the Korahite songs. The others are found in Psalms 84, 85, 87, 88. It comes to us as a voice from the depths of the captivity.
Be the first to react on this!
