Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 17 Sept 2023
Read
my translation: {A psalm for the concertmaster, by the sons of
Korah.}
“Listen to this, all you peoples; give ear, all
inhabitants of the temporal-world – both sons of lowly-men and
sons of elite-men, rich and poor together! My mouth will speak of
wise things, and the meditation of my heart will be on things which
must be understood; I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will open
up my riddle, accompanied by a guitar: Why should I be afraid during
evil days? The iniquity of those at my heels surrounds me – those
who are confident based on their wealth and boast in the amount of
their riches. A man couldn’t even redeem a brother; he can’t
give God his ransom, indeed, the ransom of their soul is invaluable,
indeed, they would have to {labor} for ever, nevertheless, he will
live on indefinitely, {and} he will not see the grave, while he sees
wise-men die. A fool and the stupid man will perish together, and
they will relinquish their wealth to those who follow. Their {tombs}
will be their houses forever – their dwellings for generation
after generation – they [who] called lands by their own names.
When a man with assets never {understands}, he should be compared to
the cattle, {for that’s what he is like}. This confidence in
themselves is their way, and those who follow them give approval
with their mouth. SELAH
“Like sheep, they are set for Sheol;
death will tend them, while those who are righteous dominate them in
the morning. And it is their image that will be consumed by hell, so
that no {glory} belongs to it. However, God Himself will redeem my
soul from the control of Sheol, for He will pick me up. SELAH
“Don’t
be in awe when a man strikes it rich – when the worth of his house
increases, because he will not get it all when he dies; His worth
will not go down after him. Yet, it is his own soul that he blesses
through his life-circumstances. ({He} also praises you when you are
good to {him}.) It will go to be with the generation of his fathers;
{he} will not see light ever again. When a man with assets doesn’t
understand, he should be compared to the cattle {for that’s what
he is like}.”
Many translations interpret English v.9 as carrying on the thought of v.7.
The focus in that interpretation is the inevitability of death, which is undeniably a thesis in this Psalm, but I would like to suggest a more-nuanced position that the focus is on the inevitability of death for those who orient their life around the things of the world rather than the things of God.
First, I’d like to point out that if we interpret verses 8 & 10 as giving the reason for the statement in v.7 that “A man cannot redeem the soul of a brother,” something doesn’t make sense.
Verse 8 does make sense: “A man can’t redeem a soul... because the redemption of his soul is priceless.” That works.
But it doesn’t make a sense to do that with v.10: “A man can’t redeem the soul of this brother… for he sees wise men die.” The fact that we see wise men dying doesn’t really explain why we can’t redeem anybody’s soul.
(By the way, if you have the word “even” or “all” in your translation in v.10, those words have been added to force a certain meaning; they aren’t in the Hebrew text.)
Another issue is that the Hebrew conjunction which opens v.9 is the same word which the English versions translated “and” in verses 8 and 10, so why did all the English versions switch to translating it with the word “that” at the beginning of v.9? The Latin and Greek versions all start verse v.10 with a simple “and.” The Hebrew conjunction for the word “that” is usually a different word.
This all got me looking for another way to interpret verses 8-10, and I would like to suggest that v.15’s assertion that “God will redeem” gives us reason to interpret the hope of eternal life into verses 8-10, such that, while v.7 denies that any human can earn eternal life, verses 8-10 indicate that there are some, including the Psalmist himself, who will experience eternal life, while they see others die. (The English word “while” is one of the legitimate meanings of the Hebrew word at the beginning of v.10.)
This goes along with the strong “us-them” contrast which the Psalmist is making:
On the one hand is all the first-person pronouns: “I speak wisdom, I heed proverbs, I am not afraid when evil surrounds me... [then down to v.15] God will redeem my soul, He will receive me.”
On the other hand is the contrast group in third person, starting at verse 6, “they trust in wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches, they can’t redeem or give a ransom to God, they die, they perish and leave their wealth to others. They think their legacy is forever, and they name places after themselves, but will not endure, they are foolish, they are appointed for Sheol, death will be their lot, they will be ruled by the upright... [and skipping down to v.17] he dies, he will carry nothing – no glory, He shall go, they will not see the light, he is like beasts that perish.”
Do you see the giant contrast between “us” whose earthly life is oriented around God (and who experience eternal life) and “them” whose earthly life is oriented around the things of this world (and who end in death and hell)?
That is the context which frames the two second-person commands in this Psalm: v.1 “Y’all give heed,” and v.16 “don’t you be afraid.”
As we look at the latter half of Psalm 49, the Psalmist pounds his point home with reason after reason why materialism is foolish and therefore why we shouldn’t be afraid of it – and why we should seek redemption and eternal life from God instead. I have grouped his reasoning into seven lines of argument: first...
There is, of course, a difference in their eternal destiny, hinted at in the two different Hebrew verbs used to describe their end: the foolish “perish” (experience destructive judgment) whereas the wise simply “die” but the point is that everybody passes from this world.
And not only does everybody die, everybody also loses control of all their hard-earned wealth when they die!
Eccl. 2:16 “For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! … 18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me.… 26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God's sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.” (NASB)
Psalm 39:6 “...man collects things but doesn't know who will get them.” (NAW)
Luke 12:20 “God said…, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” (NKJV)
Will we learn wisdom and live our lives so that when we die, we will be ready to spend eternity with Jesus and not be sorry to part with our lifework? In fact, you don’t have to part with your lifework if you follow Jesus’ advice, “Don't keep treasuring for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and consumption are devaluing, and where thieves are breaking in and stealing, but keep treasuring for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor consumption are devaluing, and where thieves neither break in nor steal, for where your treasure is, there also will be your heart.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NAW)
If you’re reading from the King James or NASB, you’ll see a comment about man’s “inward thoughts” at the beginning of v.11, and that is based on1 the 9th Century Masoretic Hebrew text. However, all the ancient versions dating back to the 5th Century – and many Jewish commentators – instead have the word for “tombs,” so most contemporary English versions read “tombs.” The two words look pretty similar in Hebrew, and either word works:
“inward thought” parallels the “pomp” of man referenced in v.12, and emphasizes the dramatic irony of deceptive thoughts that get us making plans as though we were God, and then we die and collide with the painful truth that we are merely finite creations of an infinite God who is the actual owner and controller of all the things we thought we owned and controlled.
The other word “tombs” parallels “the pit of destruction” in v.8 as the destination of mortal man, and it emphasizes the dramatic irony that, despite our best efforts to possess property and manage it – maybe even naming it after ourselves, the truth is that, when we die, our bodies can’t use any more than the couple dozen square feet it takes for a cemetery plot, and, for the rest of time, that’s home (at least for our mortal remains – our souls are another matter)!
To be “wholly bent upon earthly renown” (Calvin) is insane, in light of the inevitability of death.
The Hebrew text reads “they were undone/perished,” but all the Bibles in all the other ancient languages read, “and he is like them.”
The comparison works either way, for cattle don’t live long lives compared to humans, and cattle also are not very smart compared to humans.
Wealth doesn’t prove that you understand what’s going on in the world better than everybody else.
Those who think they can create an everlasting legacy for the world to remember are fooling themselves. Eventually, even the most powerful billionaires die, and their bodies turn into dirt like everybody else. In that respect, they are no different than animals are.
Ecclesiastes 3:18-19 “...I said to myself concerning the sons of men, ‘God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.’ For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.” (NKJV) Considered from this side of the grave, it’s true, although considered from God’s point of view there is a difference, because, unlike animals, humans have immortal souls.
2 Peter 2:12 “But these, like natural brute beasts… speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.” (NKJV)
Psalm 32:9-10 So “Don't y'all be like a horse – like a non-intelligent mule… Many are the sorrows for the wicked man, but as for the one who trusts in Yahweh, lovingkindness will surround him.” (NAW)
Self-confident Secular Humanists will always be around, saying things that aren’t true with bold faces, and lots of people will follow their ideas, simply because they seem so sure of themselves2, but they are not the ones to follow.
The secular news anchors, the faithless politicians, the boastful bloggers and podcasters, and arrogant college professors should not be given any more credence than you would give a con artist on the street.
I’m not saying that all newscasters and politicians and teachers are going to hell; I’m saying that just because they are sure of themselves isn’t enough of a reason to follow them; rather, we should follow leaders whose faith is in God and who are following God’s word.
Furthermore, just because an idea is popular and everybody approves of it doesn’t make it right or wise.
In Noah’s day, the scientific consensus was that there would be no flood.
In Lot’s day, the political majority of Sodom and Gomorrah considered the angel’s warning of judgment by fire and brimstone a bunch of hooey.
In King Ahab’s day, all the prophets in his war cabinet predicted victory in battle against Syria; Micaiah was alone in warning Ahab that he’d come home in a body bag.
And the Jews of Jesus’ day scoffed at His prophecy that the temple in Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed in their lifetime.
Even today, just because somebody has millions of likes or tweets (or whatever you call them) on social media, isn’t necessarily a reason to follow them. Popular opinion is not the way to find truth or values by which to live your life!
Romans 1:21-32 “...although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man... who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator... And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind... knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (NKJV)
“Their vain confidences are not casual aberrations from the path of wisdom but ‘their way,’ their usual and regular course... No need of missionaries to teach men to be earthworms, they crawl naturally to the dust... Well may the minstrel pause3 [here], and bid us muse upon the deep-seated madness of the sons of Adam. Take occasion... to reflect upon [your] own.” ~Charles Spurgeon
There is a clear contrast between the upright who will be “redeemed” and reign “in the morning,” and the foolish materialistic humanists who lose everything in death.
The Hebrew word “Sheol” is translated “grave” in some English Bibles, and it is parallel to “death” in v.14.
There are separate words in Hebrew for “death,” “grave,” and “hell,” but usually “Sheol” is a poetic word placed in parallel with one of those other words, as it is here.
Many Old Testament passages that use the word “Sheol” are simply referring to the end of earthly life, but in verse 14, the upright who live victoriously are contrasted with the people who trust in themselves and end up in Sheol, and in Sheol they are being “consumed,” so I think we can interpret it as “hell” here, where Jesus said the consuming “fire is not quenched and the worm does not die” (Isa. 66:24; Mark 9:44-48).
The Hebrew word for “shepherd” has a root meaning for “feed,” so some English versions translate v.14 as death “shepherding” the unrighteous, and others translate it as death “feeding on” the unrighteous, but both ideas come from the same Hebrew word.
Meanwhile, “the upright shall exercise dominion over them in the morning.” “Morning” here has a figurative meaning.
I like how John Calvin4 interpreted it: Here “we see only as through a glass darkly,” so the coming of the Lord will resemble the morning, when both the elect and reprobate will awake. The former will then cast aside their lethargy and sloth, and being freed from the darkness which rested upon them, will behold Christ the Sun of Righteousness face to face, and the full effulgence of life which resides in him. The others, who lie at present in a state of total darkness, will be aroused from their stupidity, and begin to discover a new life, of which they had previously no apprehension [apart from all common graces].”
Daniel 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (NKJV)
“[I]t is yet night... The merits of the righteous appear not… there shall be fruit in the morning: so that they that now labour shall hereafter reign, and they that now boast them and are proud, shall hereafter be brought under... Endure thou the night, yearn for the morning. Think not because the night hath life, the morning too hath not life... ‘Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.’ They then that are lightened by Christ watch now... in the morning it shall appear, that is, when doubtful things of this world shall have passed away.” ~Augustine
The 9th Century Hebrew text ends v.14 with a word that means “mansion/princely dwelling,” but all the older versions end the verse with the word for “glory.” Both are consistent with the rest of Scripture:
Practically, the owners of “fancy homes” are no longer considered the owners of their mansions after they die,
and spiritually, “hell” is a place where the “glory” of God is lost.
The double-whammy of material and spiritual loss is what makes hell the horror that it is.
Those who live in rebellion against God’s righteousness will lose their glory and will experience being consumed un-endingly by the fires of hell, while those who live in the righteousness that God gives us through Christ will be enthroned as kings5, will have authority over men and angels6, and will be glorified7 in the world to come.
The way to this righteousness and glory and freedom from destruction, according to v.15 is by being “redeemed” by God. (And it must be by God, because, remember from v. 7, the redemption of a soul can’t be accomplished by a man!)
And those whom God redeems He also “receives/picks up.”
The Hebrew verb behind God “receiving me” is not focused on so much on the idea of finding someone acceptable as it is focused on “taking/snatching them up8.”
It is the same verb used in Genesis 5:24 when “Enoch walked with God and... God took him up.”
In parallel with the phrase in v.15 for “redeem[ing a] soul from the power of Sheol,” the phrase “He will receive me” pictures “grabbing” a soul that was under the jurisdiction of death and hell and taking that person away to be with God in heaven.
It is the opposite of being “shepherded [or consumed] by death.”
What a beautiful picture of the salvation we have in Christ!
Hosea 13:14 God says, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death." (NKJV)
Psalm 16:10-11 “...You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; you will not destine Your godly man to the Pit. You will cause me to know the path of life…” (NAW) 86:13 “For great is Your mercy toward me, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.” 73:24 “You will guide me with Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.” (NKJV)
John quoted Jesus in his gospel saying, “...everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day... My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” (John 6:40 & 10:27-28, NKJV) Will you abandon trust in material things and humanism and instead trust Jesus to redeem you and make you right with God and receive you to heaven when you die?
The Hebrew word for “fear” includes not only being afraid of the harm someone might do to you, but is also carries a sense of “awe” and “respect.” Humanists worship humans; they orient their lives around whoever is impressive, but God says that’s not the way we are supposed to operate. We are to not to fear/be in awe of rich men but of God and God alone.
The picture painted by the Hebrew words at the end of v.16 is that the rich man’s house becomes literally heavier and heavier, as more and more wealth is accumulated into it, as more and more people live in it, as it gets built bigger and bigger, as its value and worth increase on the market, and as the family increases in their influence upon every aspect of the community.
But, as we saw in the first half of this Psalm, wealth is not the measuring-stick for determining whether God is blessing a person or not. (It is one of the ways God may bless a person, but not the only one; it can also be a curse, because God often uses wealth to ripen reprobates for judgment.)
Believers throughout history have been threatened with persecution by magistrates who hated God’s ways, threatened with violence by criminals, slandered by powerful media moguls, disenfranchised by prejudiced employers, and so on. But believers have also always had a God who loves them, who provides for their daily needs, who gives peace and joy and meaning in life, and who takes them to heaven when they die.
It is natural to be drawn into being impressed when somebody becomes rich and powerful. It is natural to want to get on their good side and maybe curry a little favor from them, and it’s natural to worry about how they might harm you if they don’t like you. It’s easy to get all caught up in that, but God commands us not to go down that rabbit hole! We must “Set [our] mind on the things above… where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Col. 3:1-2, NASB)
In Psalm 37:1 David wrote: “Don't get heated up over evil men; don't be jealous about those who commit injustice, because, quick as grass, they will wither, and like sprouts of greenery they will wilt. Believe Yahweh and do what is good. Settle down on the land and associate with faithfulness, and delight yourself over Yahweh... Don't heat yourself up when a man is operating wicked schemes, when his way is making progress..., because evil men will be cut off, but those who wait on Yahweh, they will inherit the land. For again a short time and a wicked man won't be around, and you will see for yourself that he is not at his place, but the lowly ones will inherit the land, and will delight themselves over abundance of peace.” (NAW)
Now, from archaeology, we know that, when rich men in the Psalmist’s culture would die, many of their treasures were buried with them, in the belief that they could somehow use those treasures in the afterlife.
I got to see that sort of thing for myself just last year, when I visited Altun Ha, the ruins of a Mayan temple in Belize from around 500 AD. There I met the son of the man who discovered the famous 11-pound jade-stone head inside the tomb of one of the ancient Mayan kings buried there. That king must have been really wealthy, because that’s the biggest piece of jade anybody has ever seen in that region, and, there it was, for over a thousand years just sitting on his sarcophagus!
But v.17 tells us that such practices are based on a false belief. So do other verses like:
1 Timothy 6:7 “...we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” (NKJV)
Ecclesiastes 5:15 “As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.” (NASB)
And we can even deduce it from Jesus’ parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus: “[D]o we read in the Gospel, that this rich man appeared in the fire... in the same situation in hell as he was when feasting at his table? When he thirsted and desired a drop, there was no food or drink to be had! Therefore we can infer that nobody carries anything with him into death... The spirit is tormented in hell. What does it profit him, that the body lies in [a marble tomb with] spices and perfumes, wound in costly linens?” ~Augustine, c.400 AD
There are two contrast statements in v.17 which use parallel words to bring this point home:
One is that, despite the “glory/splendor/worth” of the rich man’s house, he can’t take any of it with him when he dies and goes to hell.
The other contrast is a little more subtle, but it has to do with the repetition of the Hebrew word lakakh – which most English versions translate “receive” in v.15 and then translate “carry away” in v.17. (The NIV is the only English translation I found that preserved the parallel, and they accurately rendering the Hebrew word “take” both times.) Now, can you see the contrast?
V.15 God will lakakh (“take”) me – the one devoted to God’s wisdom – out of the realm of death,
while those in v.17 – who devoted themselves to materialism – will go down into the realm of death to stay, and they won’t be able to lakakh (“take”) into the afterlife any of the material wealth they had accumulated in this life!
Wisdom responds to that earthshattering truth by investing in a death-defying relationship of righteousness with God and in God’s work of redeeming souls rather than investing exclusively in accumulating material wealth. (I say “exclusively” because God has commanded us in places like Ephesians 4:28 to work to earn income in order to provide for our households and also to invest in His kingdom work, so if that’s your motivation for accumulating wealth, that’s good; the problem comes when you stop doing it for the glory of God and just accumulate wealth for its own sake.)
In the second half of v.18, the 9th century Masoretic Hebrew has a plural subject for the word “praise” and ends with a second-person pronoun, so it literally reads “...they praise you when you are good to you.”
The ancient versions instead make the subject singular and end with a third-person pronoun, “he praises you when you are good to him.”
Either way, the man who trusts in his wealth is selfishly-oriented around blessing himself, and he is egged-on in his self-centered, materialistic lifestyle through the adulation of other men – or through treating God merely as a tool to get more things for himself.
Idolatry has a way of blinding us to reality, and this Psalm warns us of the way that material wealth can turn us in on ourselves so that we become preoccupied with ourselves and our blessings, and then we start thinking that God is just there to make us rich, and we start believing the praises of fairweather friends who are just kissing up to get favors, and we get “carried away by the erring influence of worldly applause” (Calvin).
David also talked about that kind of self-deception9 in:
Psalm 10:3 “...the wicked man boasted over his selfish desires, so it was the greedy he blessed; Yahweh he despised... He said in his heart, ‘I will never be overthrown and thus never be in bad [times] for generations!’" (NAW)
Psalm 36:2 “In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” (NIV)
And Jesus also mentioned it in his parable of “the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” He blessed himself saying, “...Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” His idolatry of wealth deceived him into falsely assessing his situation. “Then God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you.” (Luke 12:19-21, NASB)
And so “his soul will go to be with the generation of his fathers… [and] will not see light ever again.”
The NIV adds an explanatory note which is not in the Hebrew of v.19, but it accurately explains what it means “not to see light,” that is, not to be alive anymore, not to experience the sun with fleshly senses any more10.
This is parallel to the idea of “going to the generation of [your] fathers,” that is, to die and go to be with them wherever they are in the afterlife.
The New Testament also describes a spiritual dimension of darkness in hell, which Jesus described in Matt. 8:12 as being “thrown out into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth,” And Jude 13 described it as “...gloom of darkness... for eternity” (NAW), so this could also be speaking of hell.
Once again, we see the contrast between an earthly life of pomp and splendor, fame and applause... and an eternity of darkness, and the wise take it to heart.
“While a saint can ask proud Death, ‘Where is thy sting?’ Death will ask the proud sinner, ‘Where is thy wealth, thy pomp?’” ~Matthew Henry
The final verse in Psalm 49 is basically a repeat of v.12, summing up that, in light of God’s wisdom, men who are materialists – who orient their lives around selfishly acquiring wealth and who trust in themselves rather than in God, are just as clueless about the big picture of eternal realities as cows are.
The Korahites wrote this Psalm to get us thinking about how we spend our lives. Since they wrote in the wisdom genre, they didn’t write step-by-step instructions on what we should do about the truth they highlighted; they just left us to connect the dots.
But let me close by connecting a few of them:
Embrace the fact that you’re going to leave this life and meet your Maker.
“It is a common proverb, that experience teaches fools, and they may be looked upon as something worse who will not lay to heart their mortality, when surrounded by so many convincing illustrations of it.” ~J. Calvin, 1554 AD
Invest your time and money in what will last forever.
“They ought, on the contrary, to have made ready for themselves an eternal house in good works, to have made ready for themselves everlasting life, to have sent before them expenditure, to have followed their works, to have ministered to a needy companion, to have given to him with whom they were walking, not to have despised Christ covered with sores before their gate, who hath said, ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.’” ~Augustine 400 AD
“Don’t be in awe when a man strikes it rich” (v.16a)
Don’t worry. The Lord of Hosts is your shepherd; don’t fear rich and powerful persons, no matter how much they threaten you, Jesus is bigger than them.
Don’t question God’s goodness if it looks like He is giving too much wealth to others and not enough to you. “Let it not give thee any concern to see the godless prosper. Raise no questions as to divine justice…” (Spurgeon) “The Lord is my shepherd: I [can trust that I] will not be left in want (Psalm 23:1), and I can trust that “the judge of all the earth will do what is right” (Gen. 18:25).
Be patient and wait on the Lord through the night to bring justice and righteousness in the morning.
LXXB
|
Brenton (Vaticanus)C |
Vulgate (Ps. 48)D |
KJVE |
NAW |
Masoretic TxtF |
PeshittaG |
1
Εἰς
τὸ τέλοςH·
τοῖς υἱοῖς Κορε ψαλμός. |
1
For the end, a Psalm for the sons of
Core. Hear th |
1
in finem filiis Core psalmus |
1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: |
1 {A psalm for the concertmaster, by the sons of Korah.} Listen to this, all you peoples; give hear, all inhabitants of the temporal-world – |
א
לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי
קֹרַח מִזְמוֹר. |
|
3 οἵ τε γηγενεῖς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πλούσιος καὶ πένης. |
2 both the sons of mean men, and sons of [great] men; the rich and poor man together. |
3 quique terriginae et filii hominum in unum dives et pauper |
2 Both X X X [low] and X X X [high], rich and poor, together. |
2 both sons of lowly-men and sons of elite-men, rich and poor together! |
ג גַּם בְּנֵי אָדָם גַּם בְּנֵי אִישׁ יַחַד עָשִׁיר וְאֶבְיוֹן. |
3
X
בני
ארעא |
4 τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν· |
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdomX; and the meditation of my heart shall [bring forth] understandingX. |
4 os meum loquetur sapientiam et meditatio cordis mei prudentiam |
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdomX; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understandingX. |
3 My mouth will speak of wise things, and the meditation of my heart will be on things which must be understood; |
4 פומי נמלל חכמתא ורניה דלבי סוכלא |
|
5 κλινῶ εἰς παραβολὴν τὸ οὖς μου, ἀνοίξω ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ τὸ πρόβλημάN μου. |
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my riddle on [the] harp. |
5 inclinabo in parabolam aurem meam aperiam in psalterio propositionem meam |
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon [the] harp. |
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will open up my riddle, accompanied by a guitar: |
5
אצלא
אדני למתל |
|
6
ἵνα τί φοβοῦμαι ἐν ἡμέρᾳX
πονηρᾷ; ἡ ἀνομία
τῆς πτέρν |
5 Wherefore should I fear in the evil dayX? the iniquity of my heelX shall compass me. |
6 cur timebo in die malo iniquitas calcanei mei circumdabit me |
5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? |
5 Why should I be afraid during evil days? The iniquity of those at my heels surrounds me – |
6 לאX דחל אנא ביומתא בישׁא עולא [דב]עלדבביS כרכני |
|
7 οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι, |
6 They that trust in their strength, and boast themselves in the multitude of their wealth— |
7 qui confidunt in virtute sua et in multitudine divitiarum suarum gloriantur |
6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; |
6 those who are confident based on their wealth and boast in the amount of their riches. |
7 כל דתכילין על חילהון ומשׁתבהרין בסוגאא דעותרהון |
|
8 ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦται· λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; οὐ δώσει τῷ θεῷ ἐξίλασμα αὐτοῦ |
7 A brother does not redeem, shall a man redeem? he shall not give to God a ransom for himself, |
8 frater non redimit redimet homo non dabit Deo placationem suam |
7
None of them
can by
any means redeem [his]
brother,
n |
7 A man couldn’t even redeem a brother; he can’t give God his ransom, |
ח אָחU לֹאV פָדֹה יִפְדֶּה אִישׁ לֹא יִתֵּן לֵאלֹהִים כָּפְרוֹW. |
8 אחא לא פרק X [ו]גברא לא יהב לאלהא פורקנה |
9
καὶ
τὴν |
8
or
the |
9
et |
8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) |
8 indeed, the ransom of their soul is invaluable, indeed, they would have to {labor} for ever, |
9 xיקיר הו פורקנא דנפשׁהון ACxלאי לעלם |
|
καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τέλος, [ὅτι] οὐκ ὄψεται καταφθοράν, |
9 and live to the end, [so that] he should not see corruption. |
10
et vivet adhuc;
in finem |
9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. |
9 nevertheless, he will live on indefinitely, {and} he will not see the grave, |
10
|
|
ὅταν
ἴδῃ σοφοὺς
ἀποθνῄσκοντας.11
ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἄφρων καὶ ἄνους
ἀπολοῦνται καὶ καταλείψουσιν
|
10
When he
shall see wise men dying, the fool and the senseless one shall
perish together;
and they shall leave their wealth to |
cum
viderit sapientes morientes simul insipiens et stultus
peribunt et relinquent |
10
For he seeth that
wise men die, |
10 while he sees wise-men die. A fool and the stupid man will perish together, and they will relinquish their wealth to those who follow. |
יא כִּי יִרְאֶה חֲכָמִים יָמוּתוּ יַחַד כְּסִיל וָבַעַר יֹאבֵדוּAH וְעָזְבוּ לַאֲחֵרִים חֵילָם. |
11
כד
|
12 καὶ οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, σκηνώματα αὐτῶν εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν. ἐπεκαλέσαντο τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν [αὐτῶν]. |
11
And their sepulchres
are their houses for ever, [even]
their tabernacles
to |
12 et; sepulchra eorum domus illorum in aeternum tabernacula eorum in progeniem et progeniem vocaverunt nomina sua in terris [suis] |
11
Their inward
thought is,
that their houses shall
continue for ever, and
their dwelling places to |
11 Their {tombs} will be their houses forever – their dwellings for generation after generation – they [who] called lands by their own names. |
יב קִרְבָּםAI בָּתֵּימוֹ לְעוֹלָם מִשְׁכְּנֹתָם לְדֹר וָדֹר קָרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹתָם עֲלֵי אֲדָמוֹתAJ. |
12
קבריהון
בתיהון לעלם ומעמרהון לדרדרין [ו]קר |
13
καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ
[ὢν] οὐ
|
12
And man [being]
in honour,
|
13
et homo cum in honore
esset non |
12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. |
12 When a man with assets never {understands}, he should be compared to the cattle, {for that’s what he is like}. |
יג וְאָדָםAL בִּיקָרAM בַּל יָלִיןAN נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּAO. |
13
xברנשׁא
באיקרה
לא |
14 αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκάνδαλον AQαὐτοῖς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐδοκήσουσιν. διάψαλμα. |
13 This their way is an offence to them: yet afterwards X men will commend X their saying[s]AR. Pause. |
14 haec via illorum scandalum ipsis et postea X in ore suo conplacebuntAS diapsalma |
13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve X their saying[s]. Selah. |
13 This confidence in themselves is their way, and those who follow them give approval with their mouth. SELAH |
יד זֶה דַרְכָּם כֵּסֶלAT לָמוֹ וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם בְּפִיהֶם יִרְצוּAU סֶלָה. |
14
הנו
שׁבילהון תוקלתאAV
ל[נפשׁ]הון
ואחריתx
בפומהון
|
15
ὡς πρόβατα |
14
They have laid
them as sheep |
15
sicut oves |
14
Like sheep they are laid
|
14
Like sheep, they are set for Sheol;
death will tend them,
|
טו
כַּצֹּאן לִשְׁאוֹלBC
שַׁתּוּ מָוֶת יִרְעֵםBD
|
15איך
ענא לשׁיול נשׁתלמוןBK
[ו]מותא
נרעא אנון |
16 πλὴν ὁ θεὸς λυτρώσεται τὴν ψυχήν μου ἐκ χειρὸς ᾅδου, ὅταν λαμβάνῃ με. διάψαλμα. |
15
But God shall |
16 verumtamen Deus redimet animam meam de manu inferi cum acceperit me diapsalma |
15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. |
15 However, God Himself will redeem my soul from the control of Sheol, for He will pick me up. SELAH |
טז אַךְBN אֱלֹהִים יִפְדֶּה נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל כִּי יִקָּחֵנִיBO סֶלָה. |
16
X אלהא
נפרקיה לנפשׁי [ו]מן
אידא דשׁיול X
|
17
μὴ φοβοῦ, ὅταν πλουτήσῃ ἄνθρωπος
καὶ ὅταν πληθυν |
16
Fear not when a man is enriched, and when the glory of his house
|
17
ne timueris cum dives factus fuerit homo et cum multiplicata
|
16
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his
house |
16 Don’t be in awe when a man strikes it rich – when the worth of his house increases, |
יז אַל תִּירָא כִּי יַעֲשִׁרBQ אִישׁ כִּי יִרְבֶּה כְּבוֹד בֵּיתוֹ. |
17 לא תדחל מא דעתר גברא וסגא איקרא דביתה |
18 ὅτι οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἀποθνῄσκειν αὐτὸν λήμψεται τὰ πάντα, οὐ[δὲ] συγκαταβήσεται αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα αὐτοῦ. |
17 For he shall take nothing when he dies; neither shall his glory descend with him. |
18 quoniam cum interierit non sumet omnia neque descendet cum eo pone; gloria eius |
17 For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him. |
17 because he will not get it all when he dies; His worth will not go down after him. |
יח כִּי לֹא בְמוֹתוֹ יִקַּח הַכֹּל לֹא יֵרֵד אַחֲרָיו כְּבוֹדוֹ. |
18 מטול דלא נסב מדם במותה [אף] לא נחת בתרה שׁובחה |
19
ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ζωῇX
αὐτοῦ εὐλογη |
18
For his soul shall |
19
quia anima eius in vita ipsius benedicetur X
confitebit |
18
Though while he live |
18 Yet, it is his own soul that he blesses through his life-circumstances. ({He} also praises you when you are good to {him}.) |
יט כִּי נַפְשׁוֹ בְּחַיָּיו יְבָרֵךְ וְיוֹדֻךָBS כִּי תֵיטִיב לָךְBT. |
19
מטל
דנפשׁה [הו]
מברך
בחיוהי Xנוד |
20
εἰσελεύσεται ἕως γενεᾶς πατέρων
αὐτοῦ, ἕως αἰῶνος οὐκ ὄψ |
19
[Yet]
|
20
introibit usque in progenie[s] patrum suorum usque in
aeternum non videb |
19
|
19 It will go to be with the generation of his fathers; {he} will not see light ever again. |
כ תָּבוֹאBU עַד דּוֹר אֲבוֹתָיו עַד נֵצַח לֹא יִרְאוּBV אוֹר. |
20[ו]תמטיו[הי]
עדמא
לדרא דאבהוהי עדמא לעלם לא נחז |
21
ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ
|
20
Man that is in honour,
understands not: he is compared to the [senseless]
cattle, [and]
|
21
homo in honore cum esset
non intellexit conparatus est iumentis insipientibus; [et]
|
20 Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. |
20 When a man with assets doesn’t understand, he should be compared to the cattle {for that’s what he is like}. |
כא אָדָם בִּיקָר וְלֹאBW יָבִין נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּBX. |
21
ברנשׁא
דבאיקרה לא אתבין
אלא אשׁתלם לחיותא [ו] |
1Actually, the Hebrew only says “innards” and doesn’t specify “thoughts.”
2cf. Mark 13:22, 2 Peter 3:4, Rev. 2:20
3Referring to the Selah.
4Calvin’s English editor seems to have favored the interpretation of a commentator named Dathe, who interpreted “morning” as the usual time when judges held court, citing Psalm 73:14 & 101:8, and Jeremiah 21:12 as prooftexts.
5Daniel 7:18, Mat. 19:28, Luke 22:30, Rev. 1:6, 4:4, 11:16, 20:4
6Malachi 4:3, 1 Cor. 6:2-3, Rev. 2:2-6
7Rom. 8:17-30, 1Cor. 15:43, 2 Cor. 3:18, 4:17, Phil. 3:21, 1 Pet. 5:1-4, Rev. 21:11
8although it is also the Hebrew verb used for getting married.
9cf. Deut. 29:19 for another example.
10cf. Job 33:30 “To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.” (NKJV)
AMy
original chart includes the NASB, NIV, and ESV, but their copyright
restrictions force me to remove them from the publicly-available
edition of this chart. (NAW is my translation.) When a translation
adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done
so by the use of italics (or greyed-out text), I put the added words
in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is
different from all the other translations, I underline it.
When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either
departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs
too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout.
And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I
insert an X. (I also place an X at the end of a word if the original
word is plural but the English translation is singular.) I
occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between
the various editions and versions when there are more than two
different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea
Scrolls containing Psalm 49 are 4Q85 Psalmsc (which
contains parts of verses 1-16) and 4Q91 Psalmsj (which
contains parts of vs.5-16). Where the DSS is legible and reads the
same as the MT, the Hebrew text is colored purple. Where the DSS and
ancient versions support each other against the MT in such a way
that I suspect they are the original reading, I have highlighted
them with
yellow.
BThis Greek New Testament (GNT) is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era as a break from the traditional Greek Bible by compiling just a few of the oldest-known manuscripts, but even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
CEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.
DJerome's Latin Vulgate w/ Deuterocanon using Gallican Psalter, 405 AD. As published electronically by E-Sword.
E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.
FFrom
the Wiki Hebrew Bible
https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8_%D7%AA%D7%94%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D.
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com
GThe Leiden Peshitta, Copyright © 2012 by The Peshitta Foundation c/o Leiden University Institute for Religious Studies, as published electronically in BibleWorks.
H2nd-4th century Greek translators Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotian all rendered this word with a form of the Greek noun for “victory.” Aquila and “E” do it again with the “telos” that appears between verses 9-10.
IFields noted that “other” Greek translators rendered “this” as singular, matching the MT.
JFields noted that most other Greek versions used the synonym [εγ]καταδυ-σιν/τον (“settling-down”).
KThis word only occurs four other times in the Hebrew Bible, all in poetic literature (Job 11:17; Ps. 17:14; 39:6; 89:48), and is translated “life,” “time,” “lifetime,” “span of time,” and “world” in English versions. Augustine found in these paired nouns (“peoples” and “land-residents,” “adam” and “ish,” “rich and poor”) a contrast between believers and unbelievers, and this is also reflected in the Targums (“sons of old Adam” – i.e. Gentiles – “and sons of Jacob”), but I think they have more to do with various ways we identify ourselves. All would agree, however, that they are merisms signifying “everybody without exception.”
LWisdom unites the lips and the heart with integrity. “For many have understanding in their lips, but have not in their heart, of whom the Scripture saith, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.’” ~Augustine, quoting Isa. 29:13.
M“understandings” - plural like this in only five other places: Job 32:11 (“reasonings”); Ps. 78:72 (“skillfulness”); Prov. 11:12; 28:16; Isa. 40:14. Delitzsch commented that the plural indicates profoundness and noted that this introduction is “Very similar [to the way] the elder (in the reign of Jehoshaphat) and the younger Micha(h) introduce their prophecies in 1 Kings 22:28 & Micah 1:2; and Elihu in the Book of Job his didactic discourses.” Calvin commented, “He puts himself forward as an humble scholar, one who, in acting the part of teacher, has an eye at the same time to his own improvement. It were desirable that all the ministers of God should be actuated by a similar spirit, disposing them to regard God as at once their own teacher and that of the common people, and to embrace in the first place themselves that divine word which they preach to others.”
Ncf. Aquila, αινιγμα from which we get “enigma.”
Ocf. Psalm 78:2 “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old” (NKJV) Augustine commented: “And why ‘to a parable’? Because ‘ we see through a glass darkly,’ (1 Cor. 13:12) as the Apostle said; ‘while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 5:6) For our vision is not yet that ‘face to face’ ... where there no longer are riddles and comparisons... However much a man may cultivate his heart and apply himself to apprehend mysteries, so long as we see through the corruption of this flesh, we ‘see but in part’.…But, as He ‘was seen by those who believed,’ and by those who crucified Him, when He was judged; so will He be seen, when He shall have begun to be judge, both by those whom He shall condemn, and by those whom He shall crown.”
PSymmachus rendered ιχνεων (“footsteps”).
QGill suggested (based on Eccl. 12:1) that “evil days” meant the approach of death, but Delitzsch (based on Psalm 94:13 and Amos 6:3) argued that it meant, “days in which one experiences evil.” Both are themes of this Psalm.
RLit. “my heels” cf. Psalm 41:9 “Even my peaceful ally – who I confided in, who ate my food – he has enlarged [his] footprint/heel over me.” (NAW) Delitzsch was the only commentator I read who found this “inadmissable,” but his translator was so taken aback by this that he added a conciliatory paragraph to tone it down.
S“Enemies” is the interpretation here. The Arabic Bible also interprets the Hebrew word thus.
TLXX,
Vulgate, and KJV connect this verse with the following verse
(explaining who cannot be redeemed), whereas NASB, NIV, and ESV
connect it with the previous verse as further explanation of who
“those at my heels” are.
Calvin commented: “[T]he fear of
man is unwarrantable… it argues ignorance of what man is even at
his best... it were as reasonable to startle at a shadow or a
spectre... It is not merely from the intrinsic insufficiency of
wealth, honors, or pleasures, to confer true happiness that the
Psalmist proves the misery of worldly men, but from their manifest
and total incapacity of forming a correct judgment of such
possessions.”
UThis is the Hebrew word for “brother.” The LXX & Vaticanus interpreted it as the subject, but Ibn Ezra and Delitzsch and the English versions interpreted it as the object. Either is possible, as the Hebrew here is somewhat ambiguous, but what is clear here is that the word “brother” is emphatic. (The NLT, instead, renders “self,” and NIV/ESV “another.”)
V“[T]he negative in other instances stands after the intensive infinitive, but here, as in Gen. 3:4, Amos 9:8, and Isa. 28:28, before it.” ~Delitzsch
WAugustine interpreted this to mean that the ungodly refuse to give alms, but I think this is saying that it is not possible to use temporal wealth to redeem a man’s soul from God’s judgment. On “precious,” cf. 1 Sam. 26:21 Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son, David, for I will not cause harm to you any more, since, when it came down to it, my soul was precious in your eyes this day..." Psalm 72:14 “He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight.” (NKJV) and Isaiah 43:3-4 “...I gave Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Sudan instead of you. Because you are precious in my eyes, you were honored, and I myself loved you, and I gave a man instead of you and peoples instead of your soul.” (NAW)
XAquila and Symmachus corrected to the MT reading with a form of the verb παυσ- “cease,” but Theodotian and “E” used the same verb for “labor” as the LXX.
YThe meaning has to do with being valuable because it is rare. Calvin noted, “not to be understood as implying merely that it is an event of rare occurrence, but that it never can take place… [I]t is not merely impossible to redeem the life of menwhen they are dead, but impossible while they are yet living, to extend the term of their existence.” “Jarchi observes, ‘heavier than their substance’: it is too weighty a matter for the richest man in the world to engage in” ~J. Gill. “[T]he λυτρον which is required to be paid for the souls of men is too precious, i.e., exorbitant, or such as cannot be found…” Often connected with the value of a life, cf. 1 Sam. 26:21, Ps. 72:12-14, Isa. 43:3-4. LXX renders this word as a noun out of the same consonants, as though it were pointed וׅיקָר.
ZOnly other instance of this word in the Hebrew OT is in Exodus 21:30.
AALXX & Vulgate have a singular pronoun “his” instead of “their,” but the Peshitta matches the plural in the MT.
ABDSS 4Q85 reads the same as the MT (“and he ceased”), but DSS 4Q91 reads וחלו matching the LXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta “labor,” (although it is singular in LXX and Peshitta, “he labour”). Calvin, on the other hand, rendered it “continue.” AJV = “let alone” Gill commented, “...the redemption of the soul... must have ceased, it could never have been accomplished, had not Christ undertook it... Or ...the brother, whose soul or life is to be redeemed, he ...dies the second and eternal death, for aught his brother can do for him... Jarchi[Rashi] observes; he ceases from redeeming his brother; he finds he cannot do it... Some... connect these words with the following... that is, it is impossible that such an one by such means should live for ever.” Fausset = “that is, the ransom fails, the price is too precious, costly.”
ACBauscher translated “it labors,” which matches the LXX, Vulgate, and 4Q91. Lamsa translated “do good,” which seems to be out in left field.
ADMany translations interpret English v.9 as carrying on the thought of v.7 (e.g. Delitzsch: “[N]othing remains but to take v.9 [that’s v.8 in English] as a parenthesis; the principal clause affirms that no man can give to God a ransom that shall protect another against death, so that this other should still continue (עֹוד) to live… The כִּי in v.11 is now confirmatory of what is denied by its opposite…”) The problem with that position is that the reason given in v.10 would be a non sequitur. A second problem with that interpretation is that the Hebrew conjunction which opens v.9 is the common copulative vav (which the English versions translate “and” in v.8 & v.10), not the conjunction usually used in Hebrew for a result clause (ki = for/in order that, which does start v.10). The Latin and Greek versions therefore begin v.10 with a simple “and.” English versions which change “and” to “in order that” generally have to insert an extra word like “all” or “even” into v.10 to force their translation to work.) I suggest, as an alternative, that v.15’s assertion that “God will redeem” gives us reason to interpret that hope into verses 8-10, such that, while v.7 denies that any human can earn eternal life, verses 8-10 indicate that there are those who will experience eternal life “while” they see others die, in which case the Hebrew conjunction ki which opens v.10 could be interpreted in its temporal sense (“while” – II.10 in Holliday’s lexicon). This goes along with the strong us-them contrast the Psalmist is making.
AEDead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, and Peshitta all have a vav prefix.
AFTargums explains the pit as “the judgment of Gehenum/hell.”
AGThe Syriac changed the person of the verbs in this verse (and in the next) to second singular “you.”
AH“Designedly
the word used of the death of wise men is מוּת,
and of the death of the fool and the stupid man, אָבַד.”
~Delitzsch. In other words, while affirming that wise men and fools
both die, it is not denying that the fool experiences a destructive
judgment not experienced by the wise.
“It is a common
proverb, that experience teaches fools, and they may be looked upon
as something worse who will not lay to heart their mortality, when
surrounded by so many convincing illustrations of it.” ~J.
Calvin
Luke
16:22
“So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to
Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.” “And
what did it profit the rich man, who asked, while lying in torments
in hell, that a drop of water should be poured upon his tongue from
the finger of Lazarus... and it was not granted to him? One longed
for the drop from the finger, as the other had for the crumbs from
the rich man’s table; but the labour of the one is ended, and the
life of the other is ended” ~Augustine
AIAquila and Symmachus supported the MT text with εντος (and this is the reading of Calvin, Delitzsch, Geneva Bible, KJV, AJV, and NASB), but the Vulgate, Targums (Following Talmud M.K. 9b, Ibn Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech), Peshitta, Arabic, and Septuagint all read with the last two letters of the Hebrew root switched, as though it read “grave/sepulcher/tomb” (which is the reading of Augustine, G. Wilson, and the NIV, NET, ESV, and NLT). On the one hand, it is easy to see how similar the two words are in Hebrew and how a mistake could be made. On the other hand, it’s hard to see who should be accused of making such a mistake. Is it reasonable to assume that everyone who translated it, on every continent and every century all somehow made the exact same mistake? Aquila’s version would indicate that the variant was at least as old as the second century AD, and the contradiction between the Targums and the Masoretic text makes it appear that Hebrew-speakers have made peace for some time with the existence of both readings. It could just as well parallel the “pit” of v.9 as the “pomp” of v.12 and not change the overall meaning of the paragraph. Unfortunately, the DSS are no help because this word is obliterated in both extant manuscripts (only the words before and after it are legible). The lack of any verb between “their grave/innard” and “their houses” points to a continuation of the imperfect verbs from the previous verse.
AJ“...he
might as well write it on the water.” ~Spurgeon
This is the
only place in the Tanach where “ground” is plural. Although the
LXX (and Theodotian) & Vulgate (surprisingly followed by the
Geneva, KJV, ASV/NASB, NET and NLT) insert “their,” the
Peshitta, Targums, Aquila, Symmachus, and DSS support the simpler
reading of the MT. This doesn’t necessarily indicate an error,
however, for the possession of such lands can be inferred logically
by the fact that they had the authority to name said
lands.
Augustine, however, had a completely different
interpretation, based on an ancient cultural practice: “Hear:
‘they shall invoke their names in their lands.’ What is this?
They shall take bread and wine to their tombs, and there they shall
invoke the names of the dead. Dost thou consider how loudly was
invoked the name of the rich man after his death, when men drank
them drunk at his monument, and there came down not one drop upon
his own burning tongue [Luke 16:24]? Men minister to their own
belly, not to the ghosts of their friends.”
AKLamsa = “they marked graves, Bauscher = “they read”
ALcf. the lowly adam-man in v.2
AMThis is not the standard Hebrew word for “honor,” so I think the LXX and KJV are making too much of a secondary meaning by translating it such. Nevertheless, Matthew Henry draws a good application from it: “[A]s their wealth will stand them in no stead in a dying hour, so neither will their honour... We will suppose a man advanced to the highest pinnacle of preferment, as great and happy as the world can make him, man in splendour, man at his best estate, surrounded and supported with all the advantages he can desire; yet then he abides not.” Delitzsch affirmed that it was “outward show.”
ANDSS, LXX, Peshitta, and Vulgate all read יבין , which is also the reading of the repeat of this verse in v.20. Targums (יבית) and Symmachus (αυλιςθησεται) supported the MT, as did Boettcher, Delitzsch, and G.Wilson. (Fields does not mention which variant Aquila supported.) The only differences between v.12 and v.20 in the MT are 1) v. 20 does not start with a vav conjunction but inserts a vav conjunction before the second clause, 2) v.20 reads with a different negative (לֹא instead of בל), and 3) the verb here is bin (“understand”) instead of lun (“spend the night”). The repetition of the verse may have introduced some incentive to match or to vary. Gerald Wilson in the NIV Application Commentary wrote, “it seems preferable to maintain the distinctive readings between these two verses with their added meanings.”
AOInstead of the Niphal perfect 3p in the MT and DSS (“they were undone,” which doesn’t make much sense and so has to be translated “perishes” as though it were the word יאבד in v.10), the LXX, Targum, Peshitta, and Vulgate all read as though the first letter were a vav instead of a nun (very similar-looking letters, by the way), which would be a Qal spelling instead of a Niphal, and would mean “and he is like him/them.” Fields doesn’t mention which one of these variants the later Greek versions of Aquila or Symmachus or Theodotian supported. Why would there have been such consensus among the versions except that there was a reputable textual tradition for it in Hebrew?
APLamsa appears to have translated a version more like the MT, for he renders it “and he will perish” (yet note the inserted “and”). Bauscher, however, translated according to the Leiden Peshitta here, “and he resembles one.”
AQAquila and Symmachus instead translated with a form of ανοια (“foolish/ignorant”).
ARBrenton’s translation does not reflect the LXX. A better translation of the Greek would be: “and after them with their mouth they approve.”
ASAugustine interpreted this as giving lip-service to God, but not heart-worship.
AT7 out of the 13 times this word is used in the OT, this word means “flanks/loins/waist” (Lev. 3:4, 10, 15; 4:9; 7:4; Job 15:27; Ps. 38:8). Of the remaining instances, four are translated “hope/confidence/trust” – half of which refer to faith in God (Job 8:14; 31:24; Ps. 78:7; Prov. 3:26), and two are translated “folly/stupidity” (Ps. 49:12; Eccl. 7:25 – although NIV translates it as “trust” in this Psalm).
AUcf. Psalm 40:14 & 44:4. Aquila came up with dramountai (“run”) by adding a u-class vowel between the first two radicals (יָרֻצוּ), but it is better to assume that this root has a lamed-he that dropped out.
AVLamsa= “folly,” Bauscher = “subversion”
AWLamsa = “they will graze like cattle,” Bauscher = “they will feed like sheep” – mistaking the tsade in the Hebrew word for an ayin.
AXSymmachus opted for the meaning “feed” in his translation νεμησαι.
AYLater Greek versions rendered this word with a variety of synonyms: Aquila επικρατησουσιν (“exercise power over”), Symmachus ‘υποταξουσιν (“submit”), Theodotian καταχθησονται (“lead down”).
AZAquila = χαρακτηρ (“image”), Symmachus = κρατερον (“strength”)
BAAquila = κατοικητηριου (“homestead” – supporting the MT tradition), Symmachus = οικησεως της εντιμου (“room of glory” – combining both textual traditions!). All the Greek versions pluralized the singular pronoun in the MT (“his”) to αυτων (“their”).
BBGill
compiled the following Latin translations:
figura
eorum – Pagninus, Montanus,
Vatablus;
forma eorum
– Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
robur
illorum – Musculus (“strength”
– a bit of an outlier)
petra
illorum – Cocceius
BCSome commentators note that sheep were not normally buried. Only diseased sheep that could not be eaten were so treated. Spurgeon suggested instead, in his Treasury of David that it was a sheep savaged by wild animals.
BDThere is some controversy on whether to translate this “shepherd” or “feed-on.” Augustine and G. Wilson opted for the former, as did Calvin, (quoting Kennicott, Hammond “feeding of sheep is very different from feeding on them,” and Horsley in support), and this is what the NASB, NET, ESV & NLT followed. (Vatablus, Gill, Fausset, and Delitzsch followed this same general idea, but used the verb “rule” – which is actually a different verb in Hebrew.) Calvin’s English editor, Anderson, seemed in favor of “feed on,” citing Merrick and Fry in support, as well as Micah 5:6, Psalm 80:14, Isa. 44:20, and Hosea 12:2 as instances where this verb means “feed on/lay waste,” and this translation was followed by the Geneva, KJV and NIV. Either meaning could fit, and both meanings find a parallel in the second half of the verse with the verbs “dominate” and “consume.”
BE“The mornings of resurrection after the sleep of death (cf. Daniel 12:2)” ~Cohen, Soncino Book of Psalms. Augustine was basically of the same opinion, including the idea of Judgment Day. Calvin’s English editor suggested the dominant meaning was Judgment. Kimchi seemed short-sighted in suggesting that “morning” meant release from exile, and G. Wilson seemed out in left-field with his interpretation that this was “the futile hopes of the wicked” who are claiming that God will redeem them anyway.
BFThe Qere note in the margin suggests substituting a sureq for the hireq-yod (וְצוּרָם), changing the meaning from “image” to “landmark-rock,” and this substitution is perhaps supported by the LXX, Vulgate, Ethiopic, and Arabic, which read “help.” Targums, Peshitta, and Aquila supported the MT. This word is obliterated in both DSS. Calvin vouched for “strength/form,” citing 1 Cor. 7:31 (“the fashion of this world passes away”) as a proof and also citing Ainsworth in support, and Gill and Fausset followed this interpretation too. Delitzsch agreed, expounding that this image denotes “outward appearance.”
BGAccording to Cohen, Rashi noted that “the soul of the wicked is doomed to waste away in the nether world, Gehinom.” Delitzsch commented that this word denotes “slow, but sure and entire, consuming away.”
BHI transliterated the first “sheol” in this verse to highlight the Hebrew poetic alliteration, but here, I translated it “hell.” Gill made a case for “hell,” citing Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis, and Ainsworth in support.
BILXX, Peshitta, Symmachus, and Vulgate all read “glory” (צבי or הלל ?) instead of “dwelling.” Targum and Aquila support the MT. Only the last letter of the word in the DSS is legible (lamed). The Hebrew word in the MT is only used in four other places in the Hebrew O.T.: 1 Ki. 8:13 & 2 Chr. 6:2 (where it refers to Solomon’s temple), and Isa. 63:15 & Hab. 3:11 (where it refers to mansions).
BJLXX, Vulgate, and Syriac pluralize the pronoun, and Peshitta adds a verb.
BKLamsa = “consigned,” Bauschner = “given up”
BLPeshitta adds “they shall be cast out.”
BMThe Greek translates better “will redeem.”
BN“אַךְ [is] used here adversatively, as e.g., in Job 13:15.” ~Delitzsch
BOCalvin suggested that “the future tense has been substituted for the perfect,” and that the ki is a “causal particle, reading ‘for he has taken me up.’” In other words, it is a logical progression, “he took me up, therefore He will redeem my soul,” but the ki could just as well be explanatory, equating “redeem” with “take up,” and then we don’t have to change the natural meaning of the verb’s tense.
BPPeshitta reads “raise up” instead of “receive.”
BQDavid was “made rich” when he killed Goliath and Saul became his benefactor (1 Samuel 17:25).
BRAquila, Symmachus, and Origen’s “E” all corrected the Septuagint's passive voice to the active active voice of the MT and Peshitta.
BSMasoretic scribes wrote in the plural (and Symmachus’ Greek version carries the plural through), but there is no clear plural subject to refer it to (the only plural possible is the one in in the temporal clause “in his life-circumstances”), which is why most English versions insert the word “men” even though it is not in the Hebrew. The LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate all read as a singular (“he praises”).
BTThe introduction of the second person “you” in the verb “you are good” is difficult to interpret because it is unclear to whom the “you” refers: Is it God (who is often addressed in the Psalms in second person)? Is it the audience (since all the other second persons in the Psalm are imperatives - “hear… do not fear”)? Or is it the impious rich (changing from third to second person for emphasis, a device used in some Hebrew poetry)? Any of the above can be made to work. However, the second person pronoun in the MT at the end of this verse is even more perplexing because “you are good to you” doesn’t make good sense. The LXX, Vulgate, Peshitta, and even Symmachus all read “to him” instead, and the Targums also support a third-person object. Following these ancient versions requires pulling only one subject out of thin air (referring “you are good” to God) instead of two (referring “they praise” to unidentified “men” and referring “you are good to you” to the rich man).
BUThis spelling is either a 2ms (“you will go” – advocated by the OSHB morphology and by the Peshitta) or a 3fs (“she will go” – advocated by Beal/Banks/Smith’s Old Testament Parsing Guide and by Groves/Wheeler’s Westminster Morphology). “She (i.e. ‘his soul,’ which is the subject of the previous verse) will go to his fathers” requires adding fewer words than, “You will [cause him] go to his fathers.” Delitzsch supported the latter.
BVLXX, Vulgate, and Peshitta all read with a singular rather than a plural subject.
BWThis word was the slightly-more-emphatic negative בַּל in v.12.
BXSame as in v.13 (Eng. v.12), instead of the Niphal perfect 3p in the MT and DSS (“they were undone”), the LXX, Targum, Peshitta, and Vulgate all read as though the first letter were a vav instead of a nun, making the stem Qal instead of Niphal, and meaning “and he is like him/them.”