Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 49:16
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
16. Be not thou afraid ] The Psalmist addresses himself, repeating the question of Psa 49:5 in the form of an exhortation (the Heb. word is the same), or any individual who is listening to him.
glory ] The magnificence and splendour which accompany wealth. Cp. Pro 3:16; Pro 8:18.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16 20. The rich man cannot carry his wealth with him when he dies. The thought already expressed in Psa 49:10 is resumed and further developed.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich – Do not dread the power derived from wealth; do not fear anything which a man can do merely because he is rich. The original is, when a man becomes rich. The allusion is not necessarily to a bad man, though that is implied in the whole passage, since there is no reason for fearing a good man, whether he is rich or poor. The only thing that seems to have been apprehended in the mind of the psalmist was that power of doing injury to others, or of employing means to injure others, which wealth confers on a bad man. The psalmist here changes the form of the expression, no longer referring to himself, and to his own feelings, as in the former part of the psalm, but making an application of the whole course of thought to others, showing them, as the result of his own reflection and observation, that no man had any real cause for dread and alarm when riches increased in the hands of the wicked. The reasons why this power should not be feared are stated in the following verses.
When the glory of his house is increased – Rich people often lavish much of their wealth on their dwellings; on the dwelling itself; on the furniture; on the grounds and appendages of their habitation. This is evidently referred to here as the glory of their house; as that which would be adapted to make an impression of the power and rank of its possessor.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich] Do not be envious; do not grieve: it will do you no harm; it will do him no good. All he gets will be left behind; he can carry nothing with him. Even his glory must stay behind; he shall mingle with the common earth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Afraid, i.e. discouraged or dejected. The prosperity of the sinners is oft matter of fear and dread to good men; partly because it enables them to do more mischief; and partly because it shakes their faith in Gods providence and promises, and is apt to engender suspicions in mens minds, as if God did not regard the actions and affairs of men, and made no difference between the good and the bad, and consequently all religion were vain and unprofitable. See Psa 73:12,13.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16-19. applies this instruction.Be not anxious (Ps 37:1, &c.),since death cuts off the prosperous wicked whom you dread.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,…. Who before was poor, or not so rich; but now become so, either by inheritance, or by his own diligence and industry, through the permission of Providence. This is to be understood, not of a good man, from whom oppression is not to be feared; but it may be hoped he will do good with his riches, by relieving the poor, and ministering to the support of the interest of religion, and using what power and authority he may have in defence of it: but it is to be interpreted of a wicked man; of one who neither fears God, nor regards man; who makes an ill use of his riches, power, and authority, to the oppression of the poor, and the persecution of the saints, and who seeks to be feared when he is not loved; see
Pr 28:12; but the people of God should not be afraid when this is the case, since God is their strength, their light, and their salvation; and since wicked men can go no further than permitted, and at most can do no more than kill the body; see Ps 27:1; these words are an apostrophe of the psalmist, either to his own soul, or to the saints, and every particular believer;
when the glory of his house is increased; either the same with riches, so called, Ge 31:1; because men are apt to glory in them, and for the most part obtain honour and glory from men by them; or children, and an increase of them, and especially when they come to honour; as also the advancement of themselves to high places of honour and trust; as well as additional buildings, large stately edifices, to make them look great, and perpetuate their names.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
16 Be not thou afraid The Psalmist repeats, in the form of an exhortation, the same sentiment which he had formerly expressed, that the children of God have no reason to dread the wealth and power of their enemies, or to envy their evanescent prosperity; and as the best preservative against despondency, he would have them to direct their eyes habitually to the end of life. The effect of such a contemplation will be at once to check any impatience we might be apt to feel under our short-lived miseries, and to raise our minds in holy contempt above the boasted but delusory grandeur of the wicked. That this may not impose upon our minds, the prophet recalls us to the consideration of the subject of death — that event which is immediately at hand, and which no sooner arrives than it strips them of their false glory, and consigns them to the tomb. So much is implied in the words, He shall not carry away all these things when he dieth (232) Be their lives ever so illustrious in the eyes of their fellow-creatures, this glory is necessarily bounded by the present world. The same truth is further asserted in the succeeding clause of the verse, His glory shall not descend after him Infatuated men may strain every nerve, as if in defiance of the very laws of nature, to perpetuate their glory after death, but they never can escape the corruption and nakedness of the tomb; for, in the language of the poet Juvenal, –
“
Mots sola fatetur Quantula sint hominum corpuscula,” —
“
It is death which forces us to confess how worthless the bodies of men are.”
(232) “Heb. ‘take of all;’ that is, ought of all that he hath. ‘For we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.’” — Ainsworth.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16, 17) After expressing his own hopes of escaping from death, or being rescued from corruption, the psalmist recurs to the question of Psa. 49:5, and completes the answer to it. He need not fear, however prosperous and wealthy his adversaries become, for they will die, and, dying, can take none of their possessions with them.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16-20. The remainder of the psalm is a hortatory application, with a partial rehearsal of what has been already said.
Be not thou afraid His argument has triumphed over doubt, and from the negative form of reasoning, and the contingent proposition, (Psa 49:5,) “Wherefore should I fear?” the psalmist advances to the positive “be not afraid of,” or, thou shall not fear, the prosperous wicked.
For when he dieth The particle “ for,” here takes its usual causal sense, because when he dieth, or, because in his dying, not all shall he take, not all his glory shall descend after him. Clearly this shows that the eye of the writer is still on the final result of things, the rewards of the life to come. The wicked are not here supposed, as a common order, or as a certainty, to be disrobed of their wealth and power till in dying. Here only is his certain judgment. Compare Luk 16:25, “Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things,” etc.
They shall never see light Hebrew, for ever they shall not see light. “Light,” here, is to be taken spiritually for joy, hope, prosper-ity, blessedness, as in Job 18:5; Psa 97:11; Psa 112:4; Isa 60:1. This, applying to the wicked after death, as a hopeless deprivation, has no doubtful meaning. The opposite of this is the blessedness of the righteous. On these grounds the faith and hope of the Church rest, and endure the reproach of the world and the struggle of the ages against wickedness and wicked persecutors.
Understandeth not Is ignorant or inconsiderate of his honourable rank in creation, and the glorious end for which he was made.
Like the beasts The similitude here is in the want of understanding, that is, spiritual wisdom. Both live lives of appetite and instinct, with no evidence of hope in a higher destiny. In Psa 49:12 the resemblance was in their common mortality.
Perish Is not in the original, which simply reads, “He has been like the beasts, they have been alike.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Upright Are Not Therefore To Be Concerned About The Way That The Rich Seem To Flourish, For In The End The Rich Who Do Not Have True Understanding Will Simply Perish Like The Beasts ( Psa 49:16-20 ).
The Psalm ends with the assurance that there is no need to fear, or be puzzled, when the rich flourish and increase in wealth and glory, and lord it over men, because when those who lack true understanding die they will take nothing with them. They will no longer be rich. Their glory will not follow them. Rather they will go into everlasting darkness, and will be like the beasts which perish. It is very much a warning to the rich that they ensure that they walk in the ways of the Lord in all their doings.
Psa 49:16-20
‘Do not be afraid when one is made rich,
When the glory of his house is increased.
For when he dies he will carry nothing away,
His glory will not descend after him.
Though while he lived he blessed his soul,
(And men praise you, when you do well to yourself,)
He will go to the generation of his fathers,
They will never see the light.
Man who is in honour, and understands not,
Is like the beasts which perish.
Jesus may well have had this Psalm in mind when He told the story of the rich fool (Luk 12:13-20). The picture is of men who appear to be blessed because their prosperity grows and their glory and fame increases. But the Psalmist assures us that they are not to be envied. For when they die they will leave it all behind. And then they will receive the due reward of their behaviour. While they are alive they preen themselves, and ‘bless their souls’, and others praise them because they do well for themselves, but eventually they must go to those who have died before them, and once there they will be in perpetual darkness. ‘They will never see the light.’
And the Psalmist ends the Psalm with the assurance that men who are held in honour on earth, but do not have true understanding (they do not walk in God’s ways), will simply be like the beasts that perish. For that is what by their behaviour they will have revealed themselves to be, mere brute beasts. (Compare how in Daniel 7 the people of God are likened to a ‘son of man’, while those who oppose God are seen as being like wild beasts).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
What a close is here made to the rich man’s pomp! How terrible is death to all such characters! Wherein doth he differ from the brutes that perish? A mere animal life was all that belonged to both: and the worm that feeds on such carcasses will only value that which is most corrupt. Asaph, hath drawn another similar representation of wretchedness, Psa 73:17-20 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 49:16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
Ver. 16. Be not thou afraid ] David was comforted, and so he would have others to be; for as it was said of a certain bishop of Lincoln, that he held nothing his own but what he had bestowed upon others, Hoc habeo quodcunque dedi; so the saints think their comforts nothing so comfortable unless others may share in them, and fare the better by them.
When the glory of his house is increased
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 49:16-20
16Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
17For when he dies he will carry nothing away;
His glory will not descend after him.
18Though while he lives he congratulates himself
And though men praise you when you do well for yourself
19He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They will never see the light.
20Man in his pomp, yet without understanding,
Is like the beasts that perish.
Psa 49:17 For when he dies he will carry nothing away This is the truth that those who trust in wealth will leave it all at death (cf. 1Ti 6:7). Rev 14:13 tells us that good deeds will follow after those who have lived for God. There is a book of life and a book of deeds (see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD ). God will reward those who have loved and served Him. Judgment day is comingfor those who know our God it will be a day of rewards, but for those who have trusted in themselves, it will be a day of eternal separation (cf. Mat 25:31-46; Rev 20:11-15).
His glory This Hebrew word (BDB 458 II, see Special Topic: Glory) can mean
1. abundance
2. honor
3. glory
descend This verb (BDB 432, KB 434, Qal imperfect) denotes the belief that the dead are in the ground or in the earth. See SPECIAL TOPIC: Where Are the Dead? This would be a way of expressing a descent into the realm of the dead. OT Semites buried their dead loved ones.
Psa 49:18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself This verse obviously is related to the bragging arrogance of those who trust in their own resources. But flattery is illusionary. God’s world is moral and each will give an account unto God (cf. Dan 12:2; Mat 25:31-46; 2Co 5:8; Rev 20:11-15).
For himself (lit. nephesh) see notes at Psa 3:2.
Psa 49:19 He shall go to the generation of his fathers This refers to the fact that in the OT burial was often done in family tombs, caves. This is an OT allusion for being buried with the family.
They shall never see the light This probably refers to the same concept as Psa 49:14. It could mean the light of life, the light of truth, but possibly it could mean the darkness of Sheolthe dwelling place of those who do not know our God (cf. Job 3:16; Job 33:28; Job 33:30; Psa 36:9).
Psa 49:20 This is exactly the same as Psa 49:12 and is a fitting summary to the Psalm. It is pitiful but a true picture of a lost man as he stands wrapped in his own resources (cf. Mat 7:13-14).
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. Why did a Jewish sage desire to speak to the entire world?
2. What reasons does the psalmist give for not fearing in the days of adversity?
3. Explain the term redeem.
4. How is this Psalm related to Ecclesiastes?
5. What is Sheol?
6. What is the theological implication of Psa 49:15?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Be not thou afraid. This, with Psa 49:5, gives the scope of the Psalm. See the Structure (p. 767).
one = a man. Hebrew. ‘ish.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 49:16-20
Psa 49:16-20
RECAPITULATION OF THE FIRST PORTION
“Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,
When the glory of his house is increased:
For when he dieth, he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
Though while he lived he blessed his soul
(And men praise thee when thou doest well to thyself),
He shall go to the generation of his fathers;
They shall never see the light.
Man that is in honor, and understandeth not,
Is like the beasts that perish.”
The futility of trusting in riches continues to be the theme here. Psa 49:17 reminds us of what the apostle Paul said, “We brought nothing into this world, and neither can we carry anything out” (1Ti 6:7). The proverb, “You can’t take it with you,” is not nullified by Bob Hope’s wisecrack, that, “If I can’t take it with me, I ain’t goin’.” All men need to be reminded that a hearse never has a U-haul trailer! Also, for the curious question which reporters always ask the survivors, namely, `How much did he leave’? the monotonous answer is always the same, `He left everything; he left it all.’
“His glory shall not descend after him” (Psa 49:17). “The `glory’ here is contrasted with the `darkness’ there (Psa 49:19).
McCaw also commented on the change in the RSV, which omits the words, `and understandeth not,’ “If for all his dignity man does not understand the eternal issues of life, and death, and salvation, then, indeed, what is his dignity worth?
However, Rawlinson saw the words omitted in RSV as, “An important qualification in the refrain. All men die; but only those who are `without understanding’ die, like the beasts without hope. Men of understanding are entitled to the hope of Psa 49:15, provided, of course, that they are willing to receive it upon the conditions laid down in the New Testament by the Christ.
We think Jones’ prayer is an appropriate conclusion for this wonderful psalm.
My rich brother, trust not in uncertain riches; use thy wealth wisely that it may bless both thee and others. My poor brother neither envy nor fear the power of wealthy worldlings; but rejoice in thine own inalienable and blessed portion.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 49:16. The lesson in this verse is that we should not envy others when they become rich. Their wealth and other apparent advantages will do them no good at last.
Psa 49:17. This verse verifies the comments on the preceding one. It also agrees with the statement of Paul in 1Ti 6:7.
Psa 49:18. The worldly-rich man enjoyed his goods while he lived. Other men also congratulated him on his success.
Psa 49:19. The rich man will go the same way his fathers went. Never see light means he will never come back to earth to live. (Job 7:9-10.)
Psa 49:20. A man may be flooded with all these worldly honors while in this life. But if he does not use them according to understanding he will be no better than the beasts when the time comes from him to die.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Be not: Psa 49:5, Psa 37:1, Psa 37:7, Est 3:1-6, Pro 28:12
glory: Gen 31:1, Est 5:11, Rev 21:24, Rev 21:26
Reciprocal: Job 15:29 – neither shall Job 19:9 – stripped Psa 4:6 – many Pro 4:7 – with Isa 10:3 – where Jer 9:23 – wise Mat 4:8 – and showeth Mat 19:23 – That Luk 6:24 – woe Luk 16:22 – the rich
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 49:16-17. Be not thou afraid That is, discouraged or dejected; when one is made rich, &c. The prosperity of sinners is often matter of fear and grief to good men; partly because their prosperity enables them to do more mischief, and partly because it tends to shake the faith of Gods people in his providence and promises, and to engender suspicions in minds not well informed, as if God did not regard the actions and affairs of men, and made no difference between the good and the bad, and consequently, as if all religion were unprofitable and vain. For he shall carry nothing away For, as he will shortly die, so all his wealth, and power, and glory will die with him, and thou wilt have no cause either to envy or fear him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
It is foolish to be jealous of wicked unbelievers. Their prosperity is only temporary. The wise person should not allow the wealth of the ungodly to intimidate him or her.
"We can’t take wealth with us, but we can send it ahead.
"It isn’t a sin to have wealth, provided we earned it honestly, spend it wisely, and invest it faithfully in that which pleases the Lord." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 188.]