5<\/strong>. in the days of evil<\/em> ] Or, of the evil man: when evil or evil men seem to have the upper hand, uncontrolled by any divine law of righteousness. Cp. Psa 94:13<\/span>.<\/p>\n when the iniquity of my heels<\/em> &c.] Apparently this means, when his own false steps and errors of conduct surround him and threaten to prove his ruin. But apart from the strangeness of the expression, this meaning does not suit the context. It is better to render with R.V.,<\/p>\n When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about,<\/p>\n when the injustice of wealthy neighbours dogs his footsteps and threatens to trip him up. But better still is the rendering of R.V. marg., which gives a clear sense, and a good connexion with Psa 49:6<\/em><\/span>,<\/p>\n When the iniquity of them that would supplant me compasseth me about,<\/p>\n Even of them that trust riches?<\/p>\n He is in danger from wealthy and unscrupulous neighbours, who are eager to trip him up and get him into their power. Cp. Jer 9:4<\/span>.<\/p>\n 5 12<\/strong>. The limits to the power and the possession of wealth.<\/p>\n Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil – <\/B>This verse is designed evidently to state the main subject of the psalm; the result of the reflections of the author on what had been to him a source of perplexity; on what had seemed to him to be a dark problem. He had evidently felt that there was occasion to dread the power of wicked rich men; but he now felt that he had no ground for that fear and alarm. He saw that their power was short-lived; that all the ability to injure, arising from their station and wealth, must soon cease; that his own highest interests could not be affected by anything which they could do. The days of evil here spoken of are the times which are referred to in the following phrase, when the iniquity of my heels, etc.<\/P> When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about – <\/B>It would be difficult to make any sense out of this expression, though it is substantially the same rendering which is found in the Vulgate and the Septuagint. Luther renders it when the iniquity of my oppressors encompasses me. The Chaldee Paraphrase renders it, why should I fear in the days of evil, unless it be when the guilt of my sin compasses me about? The Syriac renders it, the iniquity of my enemies. The Arabic, when my enemies surround me. DeWette renders it as Luther does. Rosenmuller, when the iniquity of those who lay snares against me shall compass me around. Prof. Alexander, when the iniquity of my oppressors (or supplanters) shall surround me. The word rendered heels here – <\/span> <\/I>aqeb<\/I> – means properly heel, Gen 3:15<\/span>; Job 18:9<\/span>; Jdg 5:22<\/span>; then, the rear of an army, Jos 8:13<\/span>; then, in the plural, footsteps, prints of the heel or foot, Psa 77:19<\/span>; and then, according to Gesenius (Lexicon) a lier in wait, insidiator.<\/P> Perhaps there is in the word the idea of craft; of lying in wait; of taking the advantages – from the verb <\/span> <\/I>aqab<\/I>, to be behind, to come from behind; and hence to supplant; to circumvent. So in Hos 12:3<\/span>, in the womb he held his brother by the heel (compare Gen 25:26<\/span>). Hence, the word is used as meaning to supplant; to circumvent, Gen 27:36<\/span>; Jer 9:4<\/span> (Hebrew, Jer 9:3<\/span>) This is, undoubtedly, the meaning here. The true idea is, when I am exposed to the crafts, the cunning, the tricks, of those who lie in wait for me; I am liable to be attacked suddenly, or to be taken unawares; but what have I to fear? The psalmist refers to the evil conduct of his enemies, as having given him alarm. They were rich and powerful. They endeavored in some way to supplant him – perhaps, as we should say, to trip him up – to overcome him by art, by power, by trick, or by fraud. He had been afraid of these powerful foes; but on a calm review of the whole matter, he came to the conclusion that he had really no cause for fear. The reasons for this he proceeds to state in the following part of the psalm.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 5<\/span>. The iniquity of my heels<\/B><\/I>] Perhaps akebai<\/I>, which we translate my heels<\/I>, should be considered the contracted plural of akebim, supplanters<\/I>. The verse would then read thus: “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, though the iniquity of my supplanters should compass me about.” The Syriac<\/I> and Arabic<\/I> have taken a similar view of the passage: “Why should I fear in the evil day, when the iniquity of my enemies compasses me about.” And so Dr. Kennicott<\/I> translates it.<\/P> <\/p>\n He speaks in his own person, because he had now said that he would incline his ear<\/I>, Psa 49:4<\/span>, i.e. learn and practise what he was teaching others; but his meaning is more general, that there is no sufficient cause why he or any good man should fear<\/I>; which is to be understood of excessive or immoderate and prevailing fear, causing dejection or despondency, or distrust of Gods providence and goodness, or discontent with his condition; in which sense men are bid not to fear, Gen 1:19<\/span>; Mat 28:5<\/span>, compared with Mar 16:6<\/span>. Thus Gen 45:5<\/span>, Be not grieved<\/I>, to wit, inordinately; for otherwise they ought, and he would have had them to grieve for their sin. Thus to lead a man into temptation<\/I>, Mat 6:13<\/span>, is to suffer<\/I> him to be overcome by it, by comparing 1Co 10:13<\/span>. And the object or cause of this forbidden fear is double; the one, the afflictions of good men, here following; the other, the prosperity of the ungodly, as it is declared Psa 49:16<\/span>, and of which he begins to treat in the very next verse, and continues the discourse of it to the end of the Psalm. <\/P> In the days of evil; <\/B>either, <\/P> 1. Of sin; when iniquity of all sorts abounds; which is many ways grievous and vexatious to every good man. Or, <\/P> 2. Of misery; in times of great distress and calamity, either public or private, when wicked men flourish, (of which he speaks in all the rest of the Psalm,) and good men are oppressed and persecuted. <\/P> The iniquity of my heels; <\/B>by which he understands either, <\/P> 1. His afflictions; which he might justly call the punishment of his sinful actions; for iniquity<\/I> is commonly put for the punishment of it, and the heels are put for a mans footsteps, and metaphorically for ones ways or actions, as Psa 56:6<\/span>; 89:51<\/span>. Or, <\/P> 2. <\/P> The iniquity, <\/B>i.e. the violent and injurious designs and practices of his ungodly and malicious enemies, who, as he here saith, <\/P> did compass him about; <\/B>whereby he notes their prosperous success against him, and his being endangered and vexed by them, as this phrase implies, Job 16:13<\/span>; Psa 17:9<\/span>,11<\/span>; 22:12<\/span>; 140:9<\/span>; Hab 1:4<\/span>; and withal their intention and endeavour to vex and persecute and destroy him, as this phrase is used, Psa 17:9<\/span>; 22:12<\/span>,16<\/span>, and in many other places. This sense is favoured both by the Syriac and Arabic interpreters; whereof the former renders the words thus, the iniquity of mine enemies hath compassed me<\/I>, and the latter thus, when mine enemies shall compass me about<\/I>; and by the main scope of the Psalm, which is to comfort himself and other good men against that great scandal of the prosperity of the wicked, and the oppressions and miseries of the righteous. But all the difficulty is why or how he calls this the iniquity of his heels<\/I>. For the clearing whereof, it is humbly proposed to consideration, that this genitive case, of my heels<\/I>, seems to note not the efficient or meritorious cause of this iniquity, or punishment of it, but the object about which this iniquity is exercised; as nouns in the genitive case are frequently taken. Thus the spoil of the poor<\/I>, Isa 3:14<\/span>, is not that spoil which was made by them, but upon them; and the violence of the children of Judah<\/I>, as it is in the Hebrew text, Joe 3:19<\/span>, is that which was done against them, as we truly translate it. See also Dan 4:27<\/span>; Mat 10:1<\/span>; Act 4:9<\/span>. In like manner here, <\/P> the iniquity of my heels, <\/B>is the iniquity wherewith they compass and seek to trip up my heels; for we shall find David oft speaking of the malicious practices of his enemies, with respect to his heels<\/I>, feet<\/I>, or steps<\/I>. So he tells us they pierced his hands and feet<\/I>, Psa 22:16<\/span>, they compassed<\/I>, and marked<\/I>, and prepared a net for his steps<\/I>, Psa 17:11<\/span>; 56:6<\/span>; 57:6<\/span>; as Jeremiah also complains of his enemies, that they hid snare for his feet<\/I>, Jer 18:22<\/span>. And therefore it is not strange that the iniquity of his enemies is here noted to be exercised about his heels<\/I> or footsteps<\/I> as this word signifies; either because they did malignantly observe all his steps or ways, that they might find occasion to load him with reproaches in order to his ruin; or because they purposed to trip up his heels, or to overthrow his goings<\/I>, as he complains, Psa 140:4<\/span>. Besides, the words may be rendered, the iniquity of my supplanters<\/I>; for the Hebrew word rendered heels<\/I> may be, and is by some learned interpreters taken for a particle of that verb, which signifies to supplant<\/I> or trip up the heels, or circumvent, from whence Jacob had his name And this character fitly agrees to Davids enemies, who were not only most malicious, but also very deceitful and treacherous, as he every where complains. <\/P> <\/p>\n 5. iniquity<\/B>or, “calamity”(Ps 40:12<\/span>). <\/P> of my heels<\/B>literally”my supplanters” (Ge27:36<\/span>), or oppressors: “I am surrounded by the evils theyinflict.”<\/P><\/p>\n Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil<\/strong>,…. This is the principal thing that all are before called to hearken to. This is the wisdom and understanding the psalmist had been meditating upon, and was about to utter; this is the parable he inclined his ear to, and the dark saying he would open; namely, that a saint has nothing to fear in the worst of times; which is a riddle to a natural man. Aben Ezra interprets “the days of evil” of the days of old age, as they are called, Ec 12:1<\/span>, which bring on diseases, weakness, and death; in which a good man has no reason to fear; as that he should want the necessaries of life, since they that fear the Lord shall want no good thing; or that he should not hold out to the end, seeing God, who is the guide of youth, is the staff of old age, and carries to hoary hairs, and will never leave nor forsake; and though the wicked man in old age has reason to be afraid of death and eternity at hand, the saint has not; but may sing, on the borders of the grave, “O death! where is thy sting?” c. 1Co 15:55<\/span>. Also days in which iniquity abounds, and error and heresy prevail, are days of evil and though the good man may fear he shall be led aside by the ill example of some, or by the craft of others; yet he need not, since the foundation of God stands sure, and he knows them that are his, and will take care of them and preserve them. Moreover, times of affliction and persecution are evil days; see Eph 5:16<\/span>; and such will be the hour of temptation, that shall try the inhabitants of the earth, Re 3:10<\/span>. Yet the righteous man need not fear, since it is always well with him, let his case and circumstances be what they will. Yea, the day of death, and the day of judgment are days of evil to wicked men; and therefore they put them away far from them, Am 6:3<\/span>; but believers have reason to rejoice at them, the day of their death being better than the day of their birth; and the day of judgment will be the time of the glorious appearing of Christ to them. It is added,<\/p>\n [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about<\/strong>; that is, the sins of life and conversation; “heels” denote “steps”, and the word is sometimes so rendered, as in Ps 56:6<\/span>; and “iniquity” intends sin committed in walking; and so designs not original sin, as some have thought, but actual sins and transgressions: and these may be said to “compass [the saints] about”, when they are chastised for them, and so are brought to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to be humbled for them; and then they have nothing to fear in a slavish way, since these chastisements are not in wrath, or in a way of vindictive justice, or punishment for sin; but the fruits of love and favour. Or the sense may be, when death, the fruit of iniquity, the wages of sin, surrounds and seizes upon me; , “in my end”, as the Targum; in my last days, at the heel or close of them, I will not fear; the saint has no reason to fear, when he walks through death’s dark valley; for death is abolished as a penal evil, its sting is took away, and its curse removed. Some render the words, “when the iniquity of my supplanters shall compass me about” o; meaning his enemies, who either lay in wait for him privately, and endeavoured to supplant him; or that pursued him closely, and pressed upon his heels, just ready to destroy him; yet even then he signifies he should not fear: and then the sense is the same with Ps 27:1<\/span>; to which agree the Syriac and Arabic versions, which render it, “the iniquity of mine enemies”; or, “when my enemies surround me”: and it may be literally rendered, when “iniquity surrounds me at my heels” p; that is, when men, who are iniquity itself, encompass me, are at my heels, ready to seize me, I will not fear.<\/p>\n o “iniquitas supplantatorum meorum”, Gejerus; “insidiatorum meorum”, some in Vatablus. p “Iniquitas oppressorum”, i.e. “iniquissimi mei oppressores ambiunt me”, Gejerus.<\/p>\n (Heb.: 49:6-13)<\/strong> First division of the sermon. Those who have to endure suffering from rich sinners have no need to fear, for the might and splendour of their oppressors is hastening towards destruction. are days in which one experiences evil, as in Psa 94:13<\/span>, cf. Amo 6:3<\/span>. The genitive r` is continued in Amo 6:6<\/span><\/em> in a clause that is subordinate to the of Psa 49:6<\/span><\/em> (cf. 1Sa 25:15<\/span>; Job 29:2<\/span>; Psa 90:15<\/span>). The poet calls his crafty and malicious foes . There is no necessity for reading as Bttcher does, since without doubt a participial noun , supplantator<\/em>, can be formed from , supplantare <\/em>; and although in its branchings out it coincides with , planta <\/em>, its meaning is made secure by the connection. To render the passage: “when wickedness surrounds me about my heels,” whether with or without changing into (Hupfeld, von Ortenberg), is proved on all sides to be inadmissible: it ought to have been instead of ; but even then it would still be an awkward expression, “to surround<\/em> any one’s heels,” <\/p>\n (Note: This might be avoided if it were possible for to mean “the sin that follows my heels, that follows me at the heels;” but apart from being unsuitable with this interpretation, an impossible meaning is thereby extorted from the genitive construction. This, however, is perhaps what is meant by the expression of the lxx, , so much spoken of in the Greek Church down to the present day.)<\/p>\n and the , which follows, would be unconnected with what precedes. This last word comes after , giving minuteness to the description, and is then continued quite regularly in Psa 49:7<\/span><\/em> by the finite verb. Up to this point all is clear enough; but now the difficulties accumulate. One naturally expects the thought, that the rich man is not able to redeem himself from death. Instead of this it is said, that no man is able to redeem another from death. Ewald, Bttcher, and others, therefore, take , as in Eze 18:10<\/span>; Eze 21:20<\/span> (vid., Hitzig), to be a careless form of writing for , and change into the reflexive ; but the thought that is sought thus to be brought to is only then arrived at with great difficulty: the words ought to be . The words as they stand assert: a brother ( , as a prominently placed object, with Rebia magnum <\/em>, = , cf. Eze 5:10<\/span>; Eze 18:18<\/span>; Mic 7:6<\/span>; Mal 1:6<\/span>) can a man by no means redeem, i.e., men cannot redeem one another. Hengstenberg and Hitzig find the thought that is to be expected in Psa 49:8<\/span><\/em>: the rich ungodly man can with all his riches not even redeem another ( ) , much less then can he redeem himself, offer a for himself. But if the poet meant to be so understood, he must have written and . Psa 49:8<\/span><\/em> and Psa 49:8<\/span><\/em> bear no appearance of referring to different persons; the second clause is, on the contrary, the necessary supplement of the first: Among men certainly it is possible under some circumstances for one who is delivered over to death to be freed by money, but no (= , Exo 21:30<\/span> and frequently) can be given to God ( ).<\/p>\n All idea of the thought one would most naturally look for must therefore be given up, so far as it can be made clear why the poet has given no direct expression to it. And this can be done. The thought of a man’s redeeming himself is far from the poet’s mind; and the contrast which he has before his mind is this: no man can redeem another, Elohim only can redeem man. That one of his fellow-men cannot redeem a man, is expressed as strongly as possible by the words ; the negative in other instances stands after the intensive infinitive, but here, as in Gen 3:4<\/span>; Amo 9:8<\/span>; Isa 28:28<\/span>, before it. By an easy flight of irony, Psa 49:9<\/span> says that the lu’tron which is required to be paid for the souls of men is too precious, i.e., exorbitant, or such as cannot be found, and that he (whoever might wish to lay it down) lets it alone (is obliged to let it alone) for ever Thus much is clear enough, so far as the language is concerned ( according to the consec. temp<\/em>. = ), and, although somewhat fully expressed, is perfectly in accordance with the connection. But how is Psa 49:10<\/span> attached to what precedes? Hengstenberg renders it, “he must for ever give it up, that he should live continually and not see the grave.” But according to the syntax, cannot be attached to , but only to the futures in Psa 49:8<\/span>, ranking with which the voluntative , ut vivat <\/em> (Ew. 347, a<\/em>). Thus, therefore, nothing remains but to take Psa 49:9<\/span> (which von Ortenberg expunges as a gloss upon Psa 49:8<\/span>) 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 ( ) to live, and that without end ( ) , without seeing the grave, i.e., without being obliged to go down into the grave. The in Psa 49:11<\/span> is now confirmatory of what is denied by its opposite; it is, therefore, according to the sense, imo<\/em> (cf. 1Ki 21:15<\/span>): …that he may not see the grave – no indeed, without being able to interpose and alter it, he must see how all men, without distinction, succumb to death. Designedly the word used of the death of wise men is , and of the death of the fool and the stupid man, . Kurtz renders: “together with the fool and the slow of understanding;”; but as a proposition cannot be supported; moreover, would then have “the wise” as its subject, which is surely not the intention of the poet. Everything without distinction, and in mingled confusion, falls a prey to death; the rich man must see it, and yet he is at the same time possessed by the foolish delusion that he, with his wealth, is immortal.<\/p>\n The reading (lxx, Targ., Syr.), preferred by Ewald, and the conjecture , adopted by Olshausen and Riehm, give a thought that is not altogether contrary to the connection, viz., the narrow grave is the eternal habitation of those who called broad lands their own; but this thought appears here, in view of Psa 49:12<\/span><\/em>, too early. denotes the inward part, or that which is within, described according to that which encircles or contains it: that which is within them is, “their houses (pronounce battemo <\/em>) are for ever” (Hengstenberg, Hitzig); i.e., the contents of their inward part is the self-delusion that their houses are everlasting, and their habitations so durable that one generation after another will pass over them; cf. the similar style of expression in Psa 10:4<\/span><\/em>, Est 5:7<\/span>. Hitzig further renders: men celebrate their names in the lands; , to call with a name = solemnly to proclaim it, to mention any one’s name with honour (Isa 44:5<\/span>). But it is unlikely that the subject of should now again be any other than the rich men themselves; and for or is contrary to the usage of the language. is the earth as tillage, (only in this passage) in this connection, fields, estates, lands; the proclaiming of names is, according to 2Sa 12:28<\/span>; 1Ki 8:43<\/span>; Amo 9:12<\/span>, equivalent to the calling of the lands or estates after their (the possessors’) names (Bttcher, Hupfeld, Kurtz). The idea of the rich is, their houses and dwelling-places (and they themselves who have grown up together with them) are of eternal duration; accordingly they solemnly give their own names to their lands, as being the names of immortals. But, adds the poet, man , in the pomp of his riches and outward show, abideth not ( non pernoctat <\/em> = non permanet <\/em>). is the complement of the subject, although it logically (cf. Psa 45:13<\/span>) also belongs to . Bttcher has shown the impropriety of reading here according to Psa 49:20<\/span>. There are other instances also of refrains that are not exact repetitions; and this correction is moreover at once overthrown by the fact that will not suit , it would stamp each man of rank, as such, as one deficient in intelligence. On the other hand, this emotional negative is admirably suitable to : no indeed, he has no abiding. He is compared ( like the New Testament ), of like kind and lot, to cattle ( as in Job 30:19<\/span>). is an attributive clause to : like heads of cattle which are cut off or destroyed. The verb is so chosen that it is appropriate at the same time to men who are likened to the beasts (Hos 10:7<\/span>, Hos 10:15<\/span>, Oba 1:5<\/span>, Isa 6:5<\/span>).<\/p>\n 5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil? The Psalmist now enters upon the point on which he proposed to discourse, That the people of God must not yield to despondency even in the most distressing circumstances, when their enemies may seem to have enclosed them on every side, but must rest assured that God, although he connives for a time, is awake to their condition, and only watches the best opportunity of executing his judgments. This manner of introducing the subject by interrogation is much more emphatic than if he had simply asserted his resolution to preserve his mind undisturbed in the midst of adversity. In the second clause of the verse he particularises the heaviest and most bitter of all afflictions, those which are experienced by the righteous when their enemies triumph in the unrestrained indulgence of their wickedness. When, the adverb of time, must therefore be understood — When the iniquity of my heel shall compass me about There is a different meaning which some interpreters have attached to the words, namely, If I should fear in the days of evil, and be guilty of the excessive anxieties of the unbeliever, — in that case, when the hour of my death came, my iniquity would compass me about. The heel they take to be the end of life. But this interpretation is to be dismissed at once as most unnatural. Nor do I see what reason others have for referring this word to the thoughts, for I believe that in no other part of Scripture can such a metaphor or similitude be found. Others, with more plausibility, have rendered the original word liers in wait, (217) because the Hebrew verb עקב, akab, signifies to deceive; and they consider the Psalmist as intimating, that he would not fear though crafty and treacherous men laid snares for him. In my opinion, there is no figure intended; and he means to say, that he would have no fear when his enemies surrounded him, and in pursuing him, trode, as it were, upon his heel. The French have a similar expression, “Poursuyvre jusques aux talons.” (218) I agree with them, that he speaks of enemies, but it is of their wicked persecution as they press upon him in the height of their power, and with design to destroy him, keep themselves near him, and tread, so to speak, upon his very heel. <\/p>\n (217) Lowth reads, “The wickedness of those who lie in wait for me, or endeavor to supplant me; ” and Horsley, “When the iniquity of those who plot against me environs me.” The original word is עקבי, akabey, which Dr Adam Clarke thinks is to be considered as the contracted plural of עקבים, akabim, supplanters, from עקב, akab, to supplant, to defraud It is literally, “My Jacobs;” that is, those who would act towards me as Jacob acted towards Esau. See Gen 27:36<\/span>, and Jer 9:4<\/span>. The Syriac and Arabic versions read it, “My enemies.” <\/p>\n (218) i. e. “To pursue even to the heels.” <\/p>\n (5) Should I fear?<\/strong>Here the problem is stated not in a speculative, <\/em>but personal <\/em>form. The poet himself feels <\/em>the pressure of this riddle of life.<\/p>\n When the iniquity of my heels.<\/strong>The Authorised Version seems to take heels in the sense of footsteps, as Symmachus does, and when the evil of my course entangles me, is good sense, but not in agreement with the context. Render rather, when iniquity dogs me at the heels, i.e., <\/em>when wicked and prosperous men pursue him with malice. This is more natural than to give the word heel <\/em>the derived term of supplanter; <\/em>the sense, too, is the same. There is no direct reference to Gen. 3:15<\/span>, though possibly the figure of the heel <\/em>as a vulnerable part, and of wickedness lying like a snake in the path, may have occurred to the poet. The Syriac, however, suggests a different reading, malice of my oppressors.<\/p>\n 5<\/strong>. <\/strong> Wherefore should I fear <\/strong> The psalmist strikes at once into his subject. <\/p>\n Days of evil <\/strong> Days of calamity, persecution, and the apparent defeat of all his hopes. <\/p>\n Iniquity of my heels <\/strong> An unfortunate, because a too literal, translation. The word, indeed, means heels, but figuratively, <\/strong> those that take by the heels, that is, supplanters, <\/em> false friends, deceitful enemies. In Jos 8:13<\/span>, it is translated “liers in wait,” ambushed enemies. <\/em> The verb is rendered supplant, Jer 9:4<\/span><\/em>; Gen 27:36<\/span>. The question is, Why should I fear in the day of adversity, when the iniquity of my insidious foes has encircled or circumvented me? To this question the psalmist addresses his argument.<\/p>\n Psa 49:5<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Wherefore should I fear, <\/em><\/strong>&c.<\/strong> Wherefore should I fear in the days of adversity, when the iniquity of those who lie in wait for me, surrounds me? <\/em>Bishop Hare. Houbigant renders the last clause, Because trouble surrounds me. The iniquity of my heels, <\/em>is agreeable to the Hebrew; but the meaning seems to be what the versions above have assigned; “The iniquity of those unjust persons who are at my heels, and are ready to supplant and destroy me.” <\/p>\n He openeth his sermon with proposing a question, What cause is there to fear on account of wickedness? This seems to be the text of his discourse. And he proceeds to give a most satisfactory and decided answer in what follows.<\/p>\n Psa 49:5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?<\/p>\n Ver. 5. Wherfore should I fear in the days of evil?<\/strong> ] All the days of the afflicted are evil, Pro 15:15<\/span> . But why should either I, or any other afflicted servant of God, be overly troubled, as if some strange thing had befallen us; or staggered at the better condition of worse men, all things considered? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n When the iniquity of my heels<\/strong> ] Or, of my supplanters, mine enemies, those naughty men (called here iniquity in the abstract) who seek to trip up my heels, and do surround me with their snares for that purpose. See Psa 56:7<\/span> . Or thus, “When the iniquity of my heels,” &c. That is, as some will have it, when my sins come to my remembrance, or are chastened upon me. Every man’s heel hath some iniquity. As we shall have some dirt cleaving to our heels whiles we walk in a dirty world; so there is some defilement upon all our actions, which we may call the iniquity of our heels. “He that is washed,” saith our Saviour to Peter, “needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit,” Joh 13:10<\/span> . The comparison seems to be taken from those that wash in baths; for although their whole bodies are thereby made clean, yet going forth they touch the earth with their feet, and so are fain to wash again; in like manner the saints, although bathed in that blessed fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness, Zec 13:1<\/span> , and thereby freed from the stain and reign of sin; yet their feet or heels have some filth on them, some relics of corruption do still cleave to them, and cause them some sorrow; yet ought they not to fear, or be dismayed, but by the practice of mortification purge themselves daily from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2Co 7:1<\/span> .<\/p>\n NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 49:5-9<\/p>\n 5Why should I fear in days of adversity,<\/p>\n When the iniquity of my foes surrounds me,<\/p>\n 6Even those who trust in their wealth<\/p>\n And boast in the abundance of their riches?<\/p>\n 7No man can by any means redeem his brother<\/p>\n Or give to God a ransom for him<\/p>\n 8For the redemption of his soul is costly,<\/p>\n And he should cease trying forever<\/p>\n 9That he should live on eternally,<\/p>\n That he should not undergo decay. <\/p>\n Psa 49:5-9 Why should I fear in days of adversity This is the theme which will be developed in this Psalm. <\/p>\n Godly people have always wondered about the unfairness of life (cf. Job, Psalms 73; Habakkuk). Often the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer. This seems to violate Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 27-30. YHWH wanted to use the abundance and prosperity of His people to attract the nations to Himself. However, because of the Fall of Genesis 3, even covenant mankind could not keep the Law. The only prosperity came to violent, greedy, powerful people. <\/p>\n This is not the world that God created it to be. His people did not model His character (cf. Eze 36:22-23). Fallen mankind cannot save\/redeem themselves or their families, or their neighbors! <\/p>\n Psa 49:5 iniquities of my foes surround me The KJV has the word heels in place of foes. The literal Hebrew term (BDB 784) seems to relate to Jacob as he held onto his brother’s heel as he was born and, therefore, was named the trickster, supplanter, or usurper. This is the concept of the word foes here. <\/p>\n Psa 49:6 Even those who trust in their wealth This verb trust (BDB 105, KB 120) occurs mostly in Psalms and Isaiah (cf. Isa 26:3-4; Isa 30:15). In Psalms 37 we learned that we are to trust in God alone! This verse is the exact opposite, humans trusting in themselves or their material possessions (cf. Job 31:24; Psa 62:10; Pro 11:28; Pro 23:4-5; Mar 10:23-31; 1Ti 6:17-19). See Special Topic: Wealth.<\/p>\n Psa 49:7 No man can by any means redeem his brother In Hebrew the term brother (BDB 26) appears first for emphasis. NEB, REB, RSV, NRSV change (brother) to (surely, BDB 36). The UBS Text Project (p. 245) gives brother an A rating. The Hebrew states that a person cannot redeem (i.e., save, deliver) even himself\/herself. <\/p>\n Psa 49:7-8 redeem. . .ransom. . .redemption There are two Hebrew verbs: <\/p>\n 1. redeem BDB 804, KB 911, Qal infinitive absolute and imperfect verb of the same root for emphasis <\/p>\n 2. ransom (not BDB 145 I) BDB 678, KB 733, Qal imperfect with BDB 497 I, lit. a man cannot give to God the price of his life <\/p>\n Both of them refer to the buying back of someone from slavery or from incarceration as a prisoner of war. See SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM\/REDEEM . <\/p>\n Psa 49:8-9 For the redemption of his soul is costly, <\/p>\n And he should cease trying forever This is a parenthetical thought which emphasizes that no matter how wealthy a man is, the price to pay to prolong life or secure an afterlife, is too high. This is where the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news (cf. Isaiah 53; Mar 10:45; 2Co 5:21)! <\/p>\n Notice the parallelism. <\/p>\n 1. he should cease trying forever (BDB 761) BDB 292, KB 292, Qal perfect with waw <\/p>\n 2. he should live on eternally (BDB 664) BDB 310, KB 309, Qal jussive <\/p>\n 3. he should not see the pit (BDB 1001) BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal imperfect <\/p>\n It is difficult for Christians to interpret texts like this one because we read our NT understandings and definitions of words into these OT contexts. This is originally not related to Isaiah 53 or Joh 3:16. This is dealing with a long, healthy, prosperous life. Wealth cannot assure this! In a fallen world even covenant obedience could not assure this (i.e., Job, Isaac, Israel). <\/p>\n There are surely some hints of an afterlife in the OT (i.e., Job 14:14-15; Job 19:25-27; Psa 16:10; Dan 12:2), but for the most part the OT deals with this life! <\/p>\n Psa 49:8 costly In the context of the OT, the cost of ransom\/redemption was <\/p>\n 1. the death of an innocent animal as a substitute (cf. Leviticus 4) for the sinful soul of a human being or Leviticus 16 for a community of faith <\/p>\n 2. in Psalms 51 there was no sacrifice for the intentional sin of David (cf. Lev 4:2; Lev 4:22; Lev 4:27; Lev 5:15-18; Lev 22:14), so David offered a broken and contrite heart (Psa 51:17) <\/p>\n 3. the ultimate cost was paid by the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (cf. Joh 1:29). This was predicted in Isa 52:13 to Isa 53:12 (i.e., the Suffering Servant). This concept of substitutionary atonement was documented by Jesus (cf. Mar 10:45), Paul (cf. Gal 1:4; 1Co 15:3; 2Co 5:21), Peter (cf. 1Pe 2:21-24), and the author of Hebrews (cf. Heb 7:26-27; Heb 9:28). <\/p>\n Psa 49:9 That he should live on eternally, <\/p>\n That he should not undergo decay Here is the problem of wealth. It does not provide ultimate answers. It cannot make a person right with God and it cannot prolong life. Therefore, it is false hope; it is a glimmer that lasts for only a moment and then is gone. The only true light, the only true hope, and the only true life is found in God. <\/p>\n days of evil. His were in Mat 26:38. Luk 22:44, Luk 22:53. Joh 12:27. Heb 5:7. <\/p>\n evil. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44. <\/p>\n iniquity = perverseness. Hebrew ‘avah. App-41. <\/p>\n of my heels: or, my footsteps. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for the whole person, in order to call attention to, and thus emphasize, the reference to Gen 3:15. When our iniquities were laid upon Christ, then He was vulnerable and was wounded for our transgressions. <\/p>\n Psa 49:5-8<\/p>\n Psa 49:5-8<\/p>\n WICKED RICH; PERSECUTED GODLY POOR<\/p>\n “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil,<\/p>\n When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about?<\/p>\n They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;<\/p>\n None of them by any means can redeem his brother,<\/p>\n Nor give to God a ransom for him<\/p>\n (For the redemption of their life is costly,<\/p>\n And it abideth forever).”<\/p>\n “Days of evil … iniquity at my heels … they that trust in riches” (Psa 49:5-6). The proximity of Psa 49:5-6, is not accidental. Although the psalm does not say that all rich persons are wicked, it is clear enough that the days of evil and the encircling iniquity mentioned in Psa 49:5 are clearly due to rich men who are evil, who trust in their riches and boast of their great wealth.<\/p>\n The problem here confronted is that of the contrasting lots of the wealthy wicked and the righteous man, persecuted by wicked men who are wealthy, boasting of their riches and trusting in them. There have been many very rich men who were righteous, such as Abraham, Job, and many others; but as the Lord himself noted, “Money itself is wicked”; and it is able to corrupt and destroy many of the people who possess it. <\/p>\n As Rawlinson pointed out, this old problem about the prosperity of the wicked, coupled with the persecutions and sufferings of the righteous, “Is solved in this psalm more distinctly than anywhere else in the Psalter by the announcement of compensation in a future life (Psa 49:13-15).<\/p>\n “None of them can redeem his brother” (Psa 49:7). This is only one of many things that riches cannot do:<\/p>\n (1) They cannot bring the possessor happiness.<\/p>\n (2) They cannot enable their owner to redeem a brother, either from a fatal illness, or for the salvation of his soul.<\/p>\n (3) They cannot endow their possessor with power to redeem himself from a terminal illness, nor prevent his dying just like all men. Diamond Jim Brady of New York once offered a physician a million dollars to get him a new stomach, but he didn’t get it, and died for the lack of it.<\/p>\n (4) They cannot provide salvation for their owner.<\/p>\n (5) They cannot even guarantee their owner’s continued possession of them throughout his life. Many who once were rich became poor.<\/p>\n E.M. Zerr:<\/p>\n Psa 49:5. Wherefore means “why,” and David was expressing confidence that he need fear no evil effects from his enemy. That was true even when such evils were of my heels, which means they were so near as to be “at his heels.” <\/p>\n Psa 49:6-7. The worthlessness of worldly riches for the soul is the subject of this paragraph. Could money be used to save the soul of men it would have been unnecessary for Christ to die. <\/p>\n Psa 49:8. This verse will seem plain by noting that the antecedent of it is wealth in the preceding paragraph. And ceaseth is from CHADAI which Strong defines, “A primitive root; properly to be flabby, i.e. (by implication) desist; be lacking or idle.” The meaning of the verse is that wealth would be for ever unable to ransom a man’s soul; either before or after death of the body. <\/p>\n Wherefore: Psa 27:1, Psa 27:2, Psa 46:1, Psa 46:2, Isa 41:10, Isa 41:11, Act 27:24, Rom 8:33, Rom 8:34, Phi 1:28 <\/p>\n days: Pro 24:10, Amo 5:13, Eph 5:16 <\/p>\n iniquity: Psa 38:4, Pro 5:22, Hos 7:2 <\/p>\n heels: Psa 22:16, Psa 56:6, Psa 56:7, Gen 49:17, 1Sa 26:20 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Psa 37:18 – the days Psa 49:16 – Be not Zep 3:11 – shalt thou Luk 12:19 – Soul<\/p>\n Psa 49:5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil Either, 1st, Of sin; when iniquities of all sorts abound, which is, in many respects, grievous and vexatious to good men. Or, 2d, Of misery; in times of great distress and calamity, either public or private, when wicked men flourish, and good men are oppressed and persecuted. When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about That is, the violent and injurious practices of my ungodly and malicious enemies, who lay snares for my feet, and seek to trip up my heels, and cause me to fall into sin or into trouble. The words may, with propriety, be rendered, The iniquity of my supplanters; for the word , gnakeebai, rendered heels, may be, and is, by some learned interpreters, taken for a participle of that verb which signifies to supplant, or trip up the heels, or circumvent; from whence Jacob had his name. And this character fitly agrees to Davids enemies, who were not only very malicious, but also very deceitful and treacherous, as he everywhere complains. This sense of the words, the reader will observe, is favoured both by the Syriac and Arabic interpreters; the former of whom render the words, the iniquity of my enemies hath compassed me; and the latter thus, When mine enemies shall compass me about. The sense is also agreeable to the main scope of the Psalm, which is to comfort good men against that great trial and stumbling-block, the prosperity of the wicked, and the oppressions and afflictions of the righteous. Bishop Hare translates the verse, Wherefore should I fear in the days of adversity, when the iniquity of those that lie in wait for me surrounds me?<\/p>\n 49:5 Wherefore should I {b} fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?<\/p>\n (b) Though wickedness reigns and enemies rage, seeing God will execute his judgments against the wicked at a suitable time.<\/p>\n 2. Observation of the prosperity of the wicked 49:5-12<\/span><\/p>\n This rhetorical question sets forth the folly of fearing when wicked people oppose the righteous. It introduces the revelation that the prosperous ungodly enjoy a false security (Psa 49:7-12).<\/p>\n "It’s good to have things that money can buy, if we don’t lose the things money can’t buy. It’s sad when people start to confuse prices with values." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 187.] <\/span><\/p>\n Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? 5. in the days of evil ] Or, of the evil man: when evil or evil men seem to have the upper hand, uncontrolled by any divine law of righteousness. Cp. Psa 94:13. when the iniquity … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 49:5”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14665\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"