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Commentary on Psalms 49 verses 15–20
Good reason is here given to good people,
I. Why they should not be afraid of death. There is no cause for that fear if they have such a comfortable prospect as David here has of a happy state on the other side death, Psa 49:15. He had shown (Psa 49:14) how miserable the dead are that die in their sins, where he shows how blessed the dead are that die in the Lord. The distinction of men's outward condition, how great a difference soever it makes in life, makes none at death; rich and poor meet in the grave. But the distinction of men's spiritual state, though, in this life, it makes a small difference, where all things come alike to all, yet, at and after death, it makes a very great one. Now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. The righteous has hope in his death, so has David here hope in God concerning his soul. Note, The believing hopes of the soul's redemption from the grave, and reception to glory, are the great support and joy of the children of God in a dying hour. They hope,
I. That God will redeem their souls from the power of the grave, which includes, (1.) The preserving of the soul from going to the grave with the body. The grave has a power over the body, by virtue of the sentence (Gen 3:19), and it is cruel enough in executing that power (Sol 8:6); but is has no such power over the soul. It has power to silence, and imprison, and consume the body; but the soul then moves, and acts, and converses, more freely than ever (Rev 6:9, Rev 6:10); it is immaterial and immortal. When death breaks the dark lantern, yet it does not extinguish the candle that was pent up in it. (2.) The reuniting of the soul and body at the resurrection. The soul is often put for the life; that indeed falls under the power of the grave for a time, but is hall, at length, be redeemed from it, when mortality shall be swallowed up of life. The God of life, that was its Creator at first, can and will be its Redeemer at last. (3.) The salvation of the soul from eternal ruin: "God shall redeem my soul from the sheol of hell (Psa 49:15), the wrath to come, that pit of destruction into which the wicked shall be cast," Psa 49:14. It is a great comfort to dying saints that they shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev 2:11), and therefore the first death has no sting and the grave no victory.
2.That he will receive them to himself. He redeems their souls, that he may receive them. Psa 31:5, Into thy hands I commit my spirit, for thou has redeemed it. He will receive them into his favour, will admit them into his kingdom, into the mansions that he prepared for them (Joh 14:2, Joh 14:3), those everlasting habitations, Luk 16:9.
II. Why they should not be afraid of the prosperity and power of wicked people in this world, which, as it is their pride and joy, has often been the envy, and grief, and terror of the righteous, which yet, all things considered, there is no reason for.
1.He supposes the temptation very strong to envy the prosperity of sinners, and to be afraid that they will carry all before them with a high hand, that with their wealth and interest they will run down religion and religious people, and that they will be found the truly happy people; for he supposes, (1.) That they are made rich, and so are enabled to give law to all about them and have every thing at command. Pecuniae obediunt omnes et omnia - Every person and every thing obey the commanding influence of money. (2.) That the glory of their house, from very small beginnings, is increased greatly, which naturally makes men haughty, insolent, and imperious, Psa 5:1-12 :16. Thus they seem to be the favourites of heaven, and therefore formidable. (3.) That they are very easy and secure in themselves and in their own minds (Psa 49:18): In his life-time he blessed his soul; that is, he thought himself a very happy man, such a one as he would be, and a very good man, such a one as he should be, because he prospered in the world. He blessed his soul, as that rich fool who said to his soul, "Soul, take thy ease, and be not disturbed either with cares and fears about the world or with the rebukes and admonitions of conscience. All is well, and will be well for ever." Note, [1.] It is of great consequence to consider what that is in which we bless our souls, upon the score of which we think well of ourselves. Believers bless themselves in the God of truth (Isa 65:16) and think themselves happy if he be theirs; carnal people bless themselves in the wealth of the world, and think themselves happy if they have abundance of that. [2.] There are many whose precious souls lie under God's curse, and yet they do themselves bless them; they applaud that in themselves which God condemns, and speak peace to themselves when God denounces war against them. Yet this is not all. (4.) They are in good reputation among their neighbours: "Men will praise thee, and cry thee up, as having done well for thyself in raising such an estate and family." This is the sentiment of all the children of this world, that those do best for themselves that do most for their bodies, by heaping up riches, though, at the same time, nothing is done for the soul, nothing for eternity; and accordingly they bless the covetous, whom the Lord abhors, Psa 10:3. If men were to be our judges, it were our wisdom thus to recommend ourselves to their good opinion: but what will it avail us to be approved of men if God condemn us? Dr. Hammond understands this of the good man here spoken to, for it is the second person, not of the wicked man spoken of: "He, in his life-time, blessed his soul, but thou shalt be praised for doing well unto thyself. The worldling magnified himself; but thou that dost not, like him, speak well of thyself, but do well for thyself, in securing thy eternal welfare, thou shalt be praised, if not of men, yet of God, which will be thy everlasting honour."
2.He suggests that which is sufficient to take off the strength of the temptation, by directing us to look forward to the end of prosperous sinners (Psa 73:17): "Think what they will be in the other world, and you will see no cause to envy them what they are and have in this world."
(1.)In the other world they will be never the better for all the wealth and prosperity they are now so fond of. It is a miserable portion, which will not last so long as they must (Psa 49:17): When he dies it is taken for granted that he goes into another world himself, but he shall carry nothing away with him of all that which he has been so long heaping up. The greatest and wealthiest cannot therefore be the happiest, because they are never the better for their living in this world; as they came naked into it, they shall go naked out of it. But those have something to show in the other world for their living in this world who can say, through grace, that though they came corrupt, and sinful, and spiritually naked, into it, they go renewed, and sanctified, and well clothed with the righteousness of Christ, out of it. Those that are rich in the graces and comforts of the Spirit have something which, when they die, they shall carry away with them, something which death cannot strip them of, nay, which death will be the improvement of; but, as for worldly possessions, as we brought nothing into the world (what we have we had from others), so it is certain that we shall carry nothing out, but leave it to others, Ti1 6:7. They shall descend, but their glory, that which they called and counted their glory, and gloried in, shall not descend after them to lessen the disgrace of death and the grave, to bring them off in the judgment, or abate the torments of hell. Grace is glory that will ascend with us, but no earthly glory will descend after us.
(2.)In the other world they will be infinitely the worse for all their abuses of the wealth and prosperity they enjoyed in this world (Psa 49:19): The soul shall go to the generation of his fathers, his worldly wicked fathers, whose sayings he approved and whose steps he trod in, his fathers who would not hearken to the word of God, Zac 1:4. He shall go to be there where they are that shall never see light, shall never have the least glimpse of comfort and joy, being condemned to utter darkness. Be not afraid then of the pomp and power of wicked people; for the end of the man that is in honour, if he be not wise and good, will be miserable; if he understand not, he is to be pitied rather than envied. A fool, a wicked man, in honour, is really as despicable an animal as any under the sun; he is like the beasts that perish (Psa 49:20); nay, it is better to be a beast than to be a man that makes himself like a beast. Men in honour that understand, that know and do their duty and make conscience of it, are as gods, and children of the Most High. But men in honour that understand not, that are proud, and sensual, and oppressive, are as beasts, and they shall perish, like the beasts, ingloriously as to this world, though not, like the beasts, indemnified as to another world. Let prosperous sinners therefore be afraid for themselves, but let not even suffering saints be afraid of them.
Even if rich in this life, he will not for this reason prove to be blessed after death as well. On the contrary, then, he will leave it all behind and thus present himself naked at the judge’s tribunal.
Do not be troubled when you hear that the glory of someone’s house has increased. Think deeply about it, and you will see that a house is empty if it is not filled with faith.… Adam, by his ruin, left us void and empty, but Christ’s grace has filled the void. Christ emptied himself so that the fullness of virtue might live in human flesh.
He did not say, note, “when their glory is increased,” but “the glory of their house.” All these things that I enumerated, after all—fountains, walkways and baths, gold and silver, horses and mules, carpets and clothes—are the glory of the house, not of the person living in the house. A person’s glory, in fact, is virtue, which takes the journey from here with its possessor. A house’s glory, by contrast, itself remains here, or rather, far even from remaining, it disappears along with the house, doing no good to the one who lived in it. It did not belong to him, after all.
"Fear not, though a man be made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied." Wherefore "fear not"? "For when he shall die, he shall not receive anything" [Psalm 49:17]. You see him living, consider him dying. You mark what he has here, mark what he takes with him. What does he take with him? He has store of gold, he has store of silver, numerous estates, slaves: he dies, these remain, he knows not for whom. For though he leaves them for whom he will, he keeps them not for whom he will. For many have gained even what was not left them, and many have lost what was left them. All these things then remain, and he takes with him what? Perhaps some one says, He takes that with him in which he is wound, and that which is expended upon him for a costly and marble tomb, to erect a monument, this he takes with him. I say, not even this. For these things are presented to him without his feeling them. If you deck a man sleeping and not awake, he has the decorations with him on the couch: perhaps the decorations are resting upon the body of him as he lies, and perhaps he sees himself in tatters during sleep. What he feels is more to him than what he feels not. Though even this when he shall have awaked will not be: yet to him sleeping, that which he saw in sleep was more than that which he felt not. Why then, brethren, should men say to themselves, Let money be spent at my death: why do I leave my heirs rich? Many things will they have of mine, let me too have something of my own for my body. What shall a dead body have? What shall rotting flesh have? What shall flesh not feeling have? If that rich man had anything, whose tongue was dry, then man has something of his own. My brethren, do we read in the Gospel, that this rich man appeared in the fire with all-silken and fine-linen coverings? Was he of such sort in hell as he was in feastings at table? When he thirsted and desired a drop, all those things were not there. Therefore man carries not with him anything, nor does the dead take with him that which the burial takes. For where feeling is, there is the man; where is no feeling, the man is not. There lies fallen the vessel which contained the man, the house which held the man. The body let us call the house, the spirit let us call the inhabitant of the house. The spirit is tormented in hell: what does it profit him, that the body lies in spices and perfumes, wound in costly linens? just as if the master of the house should be sent into banishment, and you should garnish the walls of his house. He in banishment is in need, and does faint with hunger, he scarce finds to himself one hovel where he may snatch a sleep, and you say, "Happy is he, for his house has been garnished." Who would not judge that you were either jesting or wast mad? You garnish the body; the spirit is tormented. Give something to the spirit, and you have given something to the dead man. But what will you give him, when he desired one drop, and received not? For the man scorned to send before him anything. Wherefore scorned? "because this their way is a stumbling-block to them." He minded not any but the present life, he thought not but how he might be buried, wound in costly vestments. His soul was taken from him, as the Lord says: "You fool, this night your soul shall be taken from you, and whose shall those things be which you have provided?" [Luke 12:20] And that is fulfilled which this Psalm says: "Fear not, though a man be made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied: for when he shall die he shall not receive anything, nor shall his glory descend together with him."
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SUMMARY
Psalms 49:17 delivers a profound and sobering declaration on the ultimate futility of earthly wealth, status, and glory when confronted by the inevitability of death. This verse serves as a stark reminder that all material possessions, human achievements, and social standing are inherently temporal and cannot accompany an individual beyond the grave. It thus emphasizes mortality as the universal equalizer, challenging humanity's pervasive tendency to find ultimate security and identity in transient worldly things.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 49:17 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound and sobering message. Parallelism is prominently featured in the two main clauses: "he shall carry nothing away" and "his glory shall not descend after him." This is a form of synonymous or complementary parallelism, where the second clause reinforces and expands upon the first, emphasizing both the material and immaterial aspects of what is left behind at death. The use of mundane imagery such as "carry" and "descend" makes the abstract concept of death's finality tangible and relatable, grounding the theological truth in everyday experience. The verse's concise and direct nature contributes to the overall didactic tone of Psalm 49, functioning as an unequivocal statement of truth intended to instruct and admonish the listener. Finally, there is a powerful implicit contrast drawn between the perceived value and security of earthly wealth and glory during life and their utter worthlessness and powerlessness in the face of eternity and the grave.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 49:17 serves as a powerful theological anchor, grounding human existence in the inescapable reality of mortality and the transient nature of all earthly endeavors. It fundamentally challenges the human tendency to find ultimate security, identity, or purpose in material possessions, social status, or personal achievements. The verse implicitly points to a greater, non-material reality, urging a radical reorientation of priorities towards that which transcends death. It underscores God's absolute sovereignty over life and death, reminding humanity that true value and lasting inheritance are not found in what can be accumulated or displayed in this world, but rather in a relationship with the divine and the eternal hope He offers. This truth is foundational to understanding biblical wisdom, which consistently contrasts worldly folly and its fleeting rewards with divine insight and its enduring blessings.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 49:17 offers timeless wisdom that profoundly impacts how we might live today. This stark declaration on the futility of earthly possessions and glory in the face of death compels us to critically re-evaluate our priorities and where we place our ultimate hope and security. If wealth, status, and achievements do not accompany us beyond the grave, then our focus should decisively shift from accumulation to eternal investment. It encourages a mindset of stewardship rather than ownership, recognizing that all we possess—our time, talents, and resources—are a temporary loan from God, to be managed responsibly for His purposes and for the advancement of His kingdom. Embracing this truth fosters genuine humility, countering the pride and self-sufficiency that often accompany earthly success, and reminds us of our ultimate dependence on God for everything, including our very breath and future. Ultimately, this verse calls believers to live with an eternal perspective, investing in spiritual riches—such as a vibrant relationship with God, acts of sacrificial love and justice, and the diligent pursuit of righteousness—which alone transcend the boundary of death and yield enduring dividends.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does this verse suggest that all earthly achievements are meaningless?
Answer: Not necessarily that they are inherently meaningless, but rather that their meaning and value are strictly temporal and cannot provide eternal security or accompany one beyond death. The verse emphasizes the transience of earthly things and their inability to offer ultimate salvation or lasting significance in the face of eternity. It does not negate the value of good works, responsible living, or positive contributions to society during one's lifetime, but rather reorients our ultimate hope and trust away from these things and towards God. The point is to discern where our ultimate security, identity, and lasting legacy truly lie, which this verse asserts is not in the material or temporal.
How does this psalm reconcile the prosperity of the wicked with divine justice?
Answer: Psalm 49, including verse 17, addresses the perplexing issue of the wicked's apparent prosperity by highlighting their ultimate and inevitable end. While they may flourish temporarily and accumulate great wealth and glory, the psalm asserts that their prosperity is fleeting and offers no protection against death. Their wealth cannot save them or extend their lives, and their "glory" does not follow them into the grave, rendering their temporal advantages ultimately hollow. In stark contrast, the psalm subtly but powerfully hints at the enduring hope for the righteous, as seen in Psalms 49:15, suggesting that God will redeem the righteous from the power of Sheol, implying a different, eternal destiny that transcends earthly limitations and offers true, lasting security and honor in God's presence.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 49:17, with its stark declaration of the futility of earthly wealth and glory in the face of death, finds its ultimate fulfillment and profound resolution in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. This verse powerfully underscores humanity's inherent inability to secure eternal life or lasting significance through material means or personal achievement, thus pointing to the desperate need for a divine solution. Jesus himself, though "being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant," demonstrating a radical and divine detachment from earthly glory and worldly ambition. He consistently taught His disciples to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal," directly contrasting the perishable nature of earthly wealth with the enduring value of spiritual investment in God's kingdom. Through His sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection, Christ decisively conquered the very power of death that renders all earthly possessions useless, offering the free gift of eternal life that no amount of human "glory" or riches could ever purchase (Romans 6:23). For the believer, true "glory" is no longer found in fleeting human accolades or material accumulation but in being "hidden with Christ in God," with the triumphant promise that "when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory"—a glory that truly descends with us, not after us, into eternity.