TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Psalms 49:6–14. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses we have,
I.A description of the spirit and way of worldly people, whose portion is in this life, Psa 17:14.
It is taken for granted that they have wealth, and a multitude of riches (Psa 49:6), houses and lands of inheritance, which they call their own, Psa 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 most of them to his best friends), and that they are not the best things for us, for then those would not have so much of them who, being marked for ruin, are to be ripened for it by their prosperity, Pro 1:32. A man may have abundance of the wealth of this world and be made better by it, may thereby have his heart enlarged in love, and thankfulness, and obedience, and may do that good with it which will be fruit abounding to his account; and therefore it is not men's having riches that denominates them worldly, but their setting their hearts upon them as the best things; and so these worldly people are here described.
1.They repose a confidence in their riches: They trust in their wealth (Psa 49:6); they depend upon it as their portion and happiness, and expect that it will secure them from all evil and supply them with all good, and that they need nothing else, no, not God himself. Their gold is their hope (Job 31:24), and so it becomes their God. Thus our Saviour explains the difficulty of the salvation of rich people (Mar 10:24): How hard is it for those that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! See Ti1 6:17.
2.They take a pride in their riches: They boast themselves in the multitude of them, as if they were sure tokens of God's favour and certain proofs of their own ingenuity and industry (my might, and the power of my hand, have gotten me this wealth), as if they made them truly great and happy, and more really excellent than their neighbours. They boast that they have all they would have (Psa 10:3) and can set all the world at defiance (I sit as a queen, and shall be a lady for ever); therefore they call their lands after their own names, hoping thereby to perpetuate their memory; and, if their lands do retain the names by which they called them, it is but a poor honour; but they often change their names when they change their owners.
3.They flatter themselves with an expectation of the perpetuity of their worldly possessions (Psa 49:11): Their inward thought is that their houses shall continue for ever, and with this thought they please themselves. Are not all thoughts inward? Yes; but it intimates,
(1.)That this thought is deeply rooted in their minds, is rolled and revolved there, and carefully lodged in the innermost recesses of their hearts. A godly man has thoughts of the world, but they are his outward thoughts; his inward thought is reserved for God and heavenly things: but a worldly man has only some floating foreign thoughts of the things of God, while his fixed thought, his inward thought, is about the world; that lies nearest his heart, and is upon the throne there.
(2.)There it is industriously concealed. They cannot, for shame, say that they expect their houses to continue for ever, but inwardly they think so. If they cannot persuade themselves that they shall continue for ever, yet they are so foolish as to think their houses shall, and their dwelling-places; and suppose they should, what good will that do them when they shall be no longer theirs? But they will not; for the world passes away, and the fashion of it. All things are devoured by the teeth of time.
II.A demonstration of their folly herein.
In general (Psa 49:13), This their way is their folly. Note, The way of worldliness is a very foolish way: those that lay up their treasure on earth, and set their affections on things below, act contrary both to right reason and to their true interest. God himself pronounced him a fool who thought his goods were laid up for many years, and that they would be a portion for his soul, Luk 12:19, Luk 12:20. And yet their posterity approve their sayings, agree with them in the same sentiments, say as t hey say and do as they do, and tread in the steps of their worldliness. Note, The love of the world is a disease that runs in the blood; men have it by kind, till the grace of God cures it. To prove the folly of carnal worldlings he shows,
1.That with all their wealth they cannot save the life of the dearest friend they have in the world, nor purchase a reprieve for him when he is under the arrest of death (Psa 49:7-9): None of them can by any means redeem his brother, his brother worldling, who would give counter-security out of his own estate, if he would but be bail for him: and gladly he would, in hopes that he might do the same kindness for him another time. But their words will not be taken one for another, nor will one man's estate be the ransom of another man's life. God does not value it; it is of no account with him; and the true value of things is as they stand in his books. His justice will not accept it by way of commutation or equivalent. The Lord of our brother's life is the Lord of our estate, and may take both if he please, without either difficulty to himself or wrong to us; and therefore one cannot be ransom for another. We cannot bribe death, that our brother should still live, much less that he should live for ever, in this world, nor bribe the grave, that he should not see corruption; for we must needs die, and return to the dust, and there is no discharge from that war. What folly is it to trust to that, and boast of that, which will not enable us so much as for one hour to respite the execution of the sentence of death upon a parent, a child, or friend that is to us as our own soul! It is certainly true that the redemption of the soul is precious and ceaseth for ever; that is, life, when it is going, cannot be arrested, and when it is gone it cannot be recalled, by any human art, or worldly price. But this looks further, to the eternal redemption which was to be wrought out by the Messiah, whom the Old Testament saints had an eye to as the Redeemer. Everlasting life is a jewel of too great a value to be purchased by the wealth of this world. We are not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold, Pe1 1:18, Pe1 1:19. The learned Dr. Hammond applies the Psa 49:8 and Psa 49:9 verses expressly to Christ: "The redemption of the soul shall be precious, shall be high-prized, it shall cost very dear; but, being once wrought, it shall cease for ever, it shall never need to be repeated, Heb 9:25, Heb 9:26; Heb 10:12. And he (that is, the Redeemer) shall yet live for ever, and shall not see corruption; he shall rise again before he sees corruption, and then shall live for evermore," Rev 1:18. Christ did that for us which all the riches of the world could not do; well therefore may he be dearer to us than any worldly things. Christ did that for us which a brother, a friend, could not do for us, no, not one of the best estate or interest; and therefore those that love father or brother more than him are not worthy of him. This likewise shows the folly of worldly people, who sell their souls for that which would never buy them.
2.That with all their wealth they cannot secure themselves from the stroke of death. The worldling sees, and it vexes him to see it, that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, Psa 49:10. Therefore he cannot but expect that it will, at length, come to his own turn; he cannot find any encouragement to hope that he himself shall continue for ever, and therefore foolishly comforts himself with this, that, though he shall not, his house shall. Some rich people are wise, they are politicians, but they cannot out-wit death, nor evade his stroke, with all their art and management; others are fools and brutish (Fortuna favet fatuis - Fools are Fortune's favourites); these, though they do no good, yet perhaps do no great hurt in the world: but that shall not excuse them; they shall perish, and be taken away by death, as well as the wise that did mischief with their craft. Or by the wise and the foolish we may understand the godly and the wicked; the godly die, and their death is their deliverance; the wicked perish, and their death is their destruction; but, however, they leave their wealth to others.
(1.)They cannot continue with it, nor will it serve to procure them a reprieve. That is a frivolous plea, though once it served a turn (Jer 41:8), Slay us not, for we have treasures in the field.
(2.)They cannot carry it away with them, but must leave it behind them.
(3.)They cannot foresee who will enjoy it when they have left it; they must leave it to others, but to whom they know not, perhaps to a fool (Ecc 2:19), perhaps to an enemy.
3.That, as their wealth will stand them in no stead in a dying hour, so neither will their honour (Psa 49:12): Man, being in honour, abides not. 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. His honour does not continue; that is a fleeting shadow. He himself does not, he tarries not all night; this world is an inn, in which his stay is so short that he can scarcely be said to get a night's lodging in it; so little rest is there in these things; he has but a baiting time. He is like the beasts that perish; that is, he must as certainly die as the beasts, and his death will be as final a period to his state in this world as theirs is; his dead body likewise will putrefy as theirs does; and (as Dr. Hammond observes) frequently the greatest honours and wealth, unjustly gotten by the parent, descend not to any one of his posterity (as the beasts, when they die, leave nothing behind them to their young ones, but the wide world to feed in), but fall into other hands immediately, for which he never designed to gather them.
4.That their condition on the other side of death will be very miserable. The world they dote upon will not only not save them from death, but will sink them so much the lower into hell (Psa 49:14): Like sheep they are laid in the grave. Their prosperity did but feed them like sheep for the slaughter (Hos 4:16), and then death comes, and shuts them up in the grave like fat sheep in a fold, to be brought forth to the day of wrath, Job 21:30. Multitudes of them, like flocks of sheep dead of some disease, are thrown into the grave, and there death shall feed on them, the second death, the worm that dies not, Job 24:20. Their own guilty consciences, like so many vultures, shall be continually preying upon them, with, Son, remember, Luk 16:25. Death insults and triumphs over them, as it is represented in the fall of the king of Babylon, at which hell from beneath is moved, Isa 14:9, etc. While a saint can ask proud Death, Where is thy sting? Death will ask the proud sinner, Where is thy wealth, thy pomp? and the more he was fattened with prosperity the more sweetly will death feed on him. And in the morning of the resurrection, when all that sleep in the dust shall awake (Dan 12:2), the upright shall have dominion over them, shall not only be advanced to the highest dignity and honour when they are filled with everlasting shame and contempt, elevated to the highest heavens when they are sunk to the lowest hell, but they shall be assessors with Christ in passing judgment upon them, and shall applaud the justice of God in their ruin. When the rich man in hell begged that Lazarus might bring him a drop of water to cool his tongue he owned that that upright man had dominion over him, as the foolish virgins also owned the dominion of the wise, and that they lay much at their mercy, when the begged, Give us of your oil. Let this comfort us in reference to the oppressions which the upright are now often groaning under, and the dominion which the wicked have over them. The day is coming when the tables will be turned (Est 9:1) and the upright will have the dominion. Let us now judge of things as they will appear at that day. But what will become of all the beauty of the wicked? Alas! that shall all be consumed in the grave from their dwelling; all that upon which they valued themselves, and for which others caressed and admired them, was adventitious and borrowed; it was paint and varnish, and they will rise in their own native deformity. The beauty of holiness is that which the grave, that consumes all other beauty, cannot touch, or do any damage to. Their beauty shall consume, the grave (or hell) being a habitation to every one of them; and what beauty can be there where there is nothing but the blackness of darkness for ever?
Historical interpretation
Historical Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
Even if he seems to be one of the very powerful people in this life, even if he is surrounded with a great number of possessions, these words teach him to descend from such a notion and to humble himself under the mighty hand of God. … Not even the soul is complete in itself for salvation.… Every human soul has bowed down under the evil yoke of slavery imposed by the common enemy of all and, being deprived of the very freedom that it received from the Creator, has been led captive through sin. Every captive has need of ransoms for his freedom. Now, neither a brother can ransom his brother, nor can anyone ransom himself, because he who is ransoming must be much better than he who has been overcome and is now a slave. But, actually, no one has the power with respect to God to make atonement for a sinner, since he himself is liable for sin. “All have sinned and have need of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” our Lord.
But who are they whom the "iniquity of their heel shall compass"? "They who trust in their virtue, and in the abundance of their riches do glory" [Psalm 49:6]. Therefore such sins will I avoid, and the "iniquity of my heel" shall never compass me. What is avoiding such sins? Let us not trust in our own virtue, let us not glory in the abundance of our own riches, but let us glory in Him who has promised to us, being humble, exaltation, and has threatened condemnation to men exalted; and then iniquity of our heel shall never compass us.
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Summary
Psalms 49:6 incisively introduces the central human folly explored in this wisdom psalm: the profound and misguided confidence, coupled with arrogant self-glorification, of those who anchor their ultimate security, significance, and identity in their material possessions. This verse illuminates the deceptive illusion that accumulated wealth can provide lasting safety, true worth, or an escape from universal mortality, thereby setting the stage for the psalm's profound theological exploration of humanity's shared vulnerability and the ultimate futility of earthly riches in the face of divine judgment and eternal realities.
Context
Literary Context
Psalm 49 is a maskil, an instructional or contemplative psalm, designed to impart profound wisdom concerning one of life's most perplexing theological dilemmas: the apparent prosperity of the wicked and the struggles of the righteous. Verse 6 serves as the pivotal opening statement of the problem the psalmist intends to dissect. It immediately follows a universal summons to all people to heed the psalmist's wise counsel (verses 1-4) and a personal declaration by the psalmist that he will not fear in times of adversity because he possesses an understanding of the ultimate, inescapable fate of those who place their trust in riches (verse 5). This verse directly establishes the stark contrast between the fleeting illusion of security offered by material wealth and the enduring, immutable truth of human mortality and God's sovereign control. The subsequent verses (7-9) elaborate on humanity's utter inability to ransom a life from death, while verses 10-14 vividly depict the ultimate, inglorious end of the foolish wealthy, underscoring the vanity of their earthly pursuits.
Historical & Cultural Context
In the ancient Near East, wealth was frequently interpreted as a tangible sign of divine favor and blessing, while poverty was often misconstrued as an indicator of divine displeasure or even a curse. This pervasive cultural assumption created a significant theological challenge for the righteous, who often observed the wicked flourishing. Wisdom literature, including the book of Psalms, consistently grappled with this inherent tension. The psalm reflects a stratified society where the "wealthy" (often synonymous with power, influence, and social standing) could easily succumb to arrogance and oppression, believing their vast riches insulated them from the common human experience of suffering and death. Cultural norms frequently encouraged the relentless accumulation of land, livestock, and treasures, fostering a dangerous sense of invincibility that tragically overlooked the universal reality of death and the ultimate accountability before a righteous God.
Key Themes
This verse immediately introduces and encapsulates several core themes that resonate throughout Psalm 49 and are deeply embedded within broader biblical wisdom literature. The most prominent is False Security, which highlights the dangerous illusion that material possessions can offer ultimate safety or permanence against life's inevitable challenges, most notably death itself. This stands in stark opposition to the consistent biblical teaching that true and lasting security is found exclusively in God, a truth powerfully echoed in Psalm 20:7, where the psalmist declares, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God." Closely intertwined with this is Boasting and Pride, where those who rely on their riches cultivate an arrogant self-sufficiency, elevating their perceived status and power above others. This hubris blinds them to their own inherent mortality and their absolute dependence on a higher, sovereign power. Finally, the verse subtly but profoundly introduces the theme of Materialism's Emptiness, foreshadowing the psalm's overarching argument that a life consumed by the accumulation and ostentatious display of wealth is ultimately futile and devoid of eternal meaning, utterly incapable of purchasing redemption or extending one's lifespan, a truth powerfully articulated in Ecclesiastes 2:18-19.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This primitive root signifies a deep-seated reliance, confidence, or security placed in something or someone. When applied to wealth, as it is here, it denotes a misplaced and idolatrous dependence—a confidence that should be exclusively reserved for God. It implies a profound conviction that one's financial resources are inherently sufficient to meet all needs, overcome all dangers, and even circumvent the ultimate danger of death. This constitutes a fundamental theological error, as it illicitly shifts ultimate dependence from the Creator to the created.
This term, derived from a root meaning "to be strong," refers broadly to "force, whether of men, means or other resources." It encompasses an army, valor, strength, and, critically in this context, "riches" or "substance." Here, it specifically denotes the material possessions and financial resources that the individuals in question possess. The very nature of this word, implying strength and power, underscores the deceptive allure of wealth: it appears to offer a robust foundation, yet it proves to be a fragile and failing support when truly tested.
This primitive root carries a primary meaning of "to be clear (orig. of sound, but usually of color); to shine; hence, to make a show, to boast." In its reflexive form used here ("boast themselves"), it refers to self-glorification, an inward celebration of one's own material abundance, often manifesting as an outward display of pride, arrogance, and self-congratulation. It suggests that one's identity, worth, and significance are derived from their possessions, leading to an inflated sense of superiority over others and a disregard for divine authority.
Verse Breakdown
"They that trust in their wealth"
This initial clause precisely identifies the subject of the psalm's profound critique: individuals whose fundamental security, hope, and ultimate refuge are anchored not in the living God, but in their accumulated material possessions. The "trust" described here is not merely a pragmatic acknowledgment of having resources, but a deep-seated, unwavering reliance and confidence, suggesting that their wealth has become their ultimate source of strength and protection. This misplaced trust represents a profound form of idolatry, where a created thing (wealth) usurps the rightful and exclusive place of the Creator in the human heart.
"and boast themselves"
This subsequent phrase vividly describes both the outward manifestation and the inward attitude that naturally stem from their misplaced trust. It speaks of a pervasive self-glorification, an arrogant and often ostentatious pride that directly arises from their financial standing and perceived social superiority. This "boasting" is not merely about the quantity of their possessions, but about what their possessions enable them to do, to be, or to control, fostering a dangerous sense of self-sufficiency and an often disdainful superiority over those less fortunate. It reflects a heart that finds its ultimate glory and validation in its own achievements and acquisitions rather than in the divine Giver of all good things.
"in the multitude of their riches"
This final phrase powerfully amplifies the preceding two clauses, specifying both the source and the extent of their misplaced trust and arrogant boasting. It's not simply "riches" in general, but specifically the "multitude" or vast abundance of them, indicating an overwhelming accumulation of wealth. This emphasis on sheer quantity underscores the profound spiritual blindness of those who erroneously believe that an immense volume of material possessions can somehow provide ultimate security, confer immortality, or bestow true and lasting worth, thereby setting the stage for the psalm's devastating argument that such wealth is utterly powerless in the face of death and the inevitable divine judgment.
Literary Devices
Psalm 49:6 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its critical message. The most prominent device is Synonymous Parallelism, where the second clause ("and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches") does not merely repeat but rather intensifies and elaborates upon the meaning of the first clause ("They that trust in their wealth"). This structural repetition powerfully emphasizes the dual nature of the folly: a misplaced internal reliance (trust) and an outward display of arrogant pride (boasting), both inextricably rooted in their material possessions. There is also a profound implied Irony at play, as the very thing in which these individuals place their ultimate trust and boast—their vast and seemingly impregnable wealth—will prove utterly useless and impotent in the face of death, a truth the psalm will meticulously elaborate upon in subsequent verses. This sets up a stark Contrast between the apparent strength, security, and invincibility of the wealthy and their ultimate vulnerability, foolishness, and shared mortality, a central and recurring theme within biblical wisdom literature.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Psalms 49:6 lays bare a fundamental and pervasive theological error: the insidious idolatry of wealth. By placing their ultimate trust and deriving their core identity and security from material possessions, individuals effectively dethrone God from His rightful place and enthrone their riches in His stead. This verse speaks powerfully to the universal human temptation to find ultimate security, significance, and satisfaction in created things rather than in the Creator Himself. It highlights the deeply deceptive nature of wealth, which often promises an enduring security but delivers only a fleeting illusion, ultimately proving utterly incapable of ransoming a life from the clutches of death or providing genuine, lasting peace. The psalm's message resonates profoundly with the consistent biblical warning against materialism, covetousness, and the love of money, emphasizing that true life, enduring value, and eternal security are found exclusively in a right relationship with God, who alone is the immutable source of all true provision, redemption, and life beyond the grave.
Reflection and Application
Psalm 49:6 serves as a profound spiritual mirror, inviting every believer to engage in a critical and honest examination of the true object of their trust and the ultimate source of their boasting. In a contemporary world that frequently equates success, security, and happiness with financial accumulation, material possessions, and elevated societal status, this verse issues a radical call for a fundamental reorientation of our values and priorities. It compels us to consider with sober reflection whether our deepest confidence and security ultimately rest in our bank accounts, our professional careers, our investment portfolios, or our material possessions, or if it is firmly anchored in the steadfast faithfulness, sovereign provision, and unfailing love of God. True biblical wisdom acknowledges our inherent mortality and God's absolute sovereignty over all things, including our very lives and all our earthly wealth. This verse powerfully encourages a spirit of profound humility, reminding us that all earthly achievements, assets, and accolades are inherently fleeting and temporary, utterly incapable of securing our future beyond the grave. Instead of boasting in what we possess or what we have accomplished, we are called to boast exclusively in the Lord and to live each day with a profound eternal perspective, recognizing that true and lasting value is found not in material abundance but in an intimate, saving relationship with God, who alone possesses the power to redeem us from the dominion of the grave and to offer us the gift of eternal life.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Psalm 49:6 imply that all wealth is inherently evil or that rich people are necessarily condemned by God?
Not at all. Psalm 49:6 does not condemn wealth itself, nor does it inherently condemn wealthy individuals. Rather, its critique is directed squarely at the misplaced trust in wealth and the arrogant boasting that frequently accompanies it. The core issue is where one places their ultimate security, hope, and identity. The Bible consistently acknowledges that wealth can indeed be a blessing and a powerful tool for good, to be used for God's glory and the benefit of others (e.g., Proverbs 3:9-10). However, it also consistently and emphatically warns against the inherent dangers of covetousness, greed, and placing one's ultimate hope in "uncertain riches" rather than in the living God (e.g., 1 Timothy 6:9-10). The fundamental problem arises when wealth ascends to the status of an idol, thereby usurping God's rightful and exclusive place in the human heart and fostering a dangerous, false sense of invincibility against the universal reality of mortality and the certainty of divine judgment.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Psalms 49:6, with its stark and sobering portrayal of the utter futility of trusting in earthly wealth to escape the inevitability of death, finds its ultimate fulfillment, profound answer, and glorious resolution in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The psalmist laments that "none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him" (verse 7), powerfully highlighting humanity's inherent inability to purchase salvation, eternal life, or deliverance from the grave with any amount of earthly treasure. This profound human incapacity is precisely what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, perfectly accomplished. He is the true and perfect "ransom for all" (as seen in Mark 10:45 and 1 Timothy 2:6), whose singular, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross paid the immeasurable debt for sin that no amount of human wealth, no matter how vast, could ever hope to cover. Jesus Himself taught extensively on the deceptive and dangerous nature of riches, warning His followers against storing up "treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal" (as recorded in Matthew 6:19). Instead, He emphasized that true and enduring riches are found only in God (see Luke 12:21). He demonstrated through His own life that true and abundant life is not found in the accumulation of possessions but in following Him, the one who, though "rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich" (as described in 2 Corinthians 8:9). In Christ alone, we discover the ultimate and unshakeable security, and our boast is found solely in His finished work, not in fleeting earthly wealth, for He has decisively conquered death and offers eternal life to all who place their trust in Him—a redemption that money can never buy.