Passage

Psalms 49.15

Book: Psalms · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"13. This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. [[Selah 14. They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it."

"15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. [[Selah"

"16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased. 17. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him." (Psalms 49:13-17, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"13. This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings. Selah. 14. They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion."

"15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah."

"16. Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17. for when he dies he will carry nothing away. His glory won’t descend after him." (Psalms 49:13-17, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"13. This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. ^{approve: Heb. delight in their mouth} 14. Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. ^{beauty: or, strength} ^{in the grave from: or, the grave being an habitation to every one of them}"

"15. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah. ^{power: Heb. hand} ^{the grave: or, hell}"

"16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; 17. For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him." (Psalms 49:13-17, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"13. This their way [is] folly for them, And their posterity with their sayings are pleased. Selah. 14. As sheep for Sheol they have set themselves, Death doth afflict them, And the upright rule over them in the morning, And their form [is] for consumption. Sheol [is] a dwelling for him."

"15. Only, God doth ransom my soul from the hand of Sheol, For He doth receive me. Selah."

"16. Fear not, when one maketh wealth, When the honour of his house is abundant, 17. For at his death he receiveth nothing, His honour goeth not down after him." (Psalms 49:13-17, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: various (David majority; Asaph, Korah, Moses, Solomon, anonymous)
Audience: worshipping Israel (corporate + individual devotion)
Location: Israel, various periods
Time period: composition spans c. 1400 BC (Moses, Ps 90), c. 400 BC; principal Davidic composition c. 1000 BC

Theological reading

Key words

H0430 - elohim, elohim (Strong's H430). Also appears in: Genesis 1.1, Genesis 1.2, Genesis 1.14-19.
H5315 - nephesh, nephesh (Strong's H5315). Also appears in: Genesis 1.21, Genesis 1.24-28, Genesis 2.7.
H7585 - sheol, sheol (Strong's H7585). Also appears in: Psalms 16.10, Ecclesiastes 9.10, Song of Solomon 8.6.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.