Psalm 48 – Audite haec, omnes gentes

The folly of worldlings, who live on in sin, without thinking of death or hell.

[1] Unto the end, a psalm for the sons of Core. [2] Hear these things, all ye nations: give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world. [3] All you that are earthborn, and you sons of men: both rich and poor together. [4] My mouth shall speak wisdom: and the meditation of my heart understanding. [5] I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on the psaltery.

[6] Why shall I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall encompass me. [7] They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude of their riches, [8] No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem: he shall not give to God his ransom, [9] Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever, [10] And shall still live unto the end.

[11] He shall not see destruction, when he shall see the wise dying: the senseless and the fool shall perish together: And they shall leave their riches to strangers: [12] And their sepulchres shall be their houses for ever. Their dwelling places to all generations: they have called their lands by their names. [13] And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them. [14] This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards they shall delight in their mouth. [15] They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them. And the just shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their help shall decay in hell from their glory.

[16] But God will redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when he shall receive me. [17] Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rich, and when the glory of his house shall be increased. [18] For when he shall die he shall take nothing away; nor shall his glory descend with him. [19] For in his lifetime his soul will be blessed: and he will praise thee when thou shalt do well to him. [20] He shall go in to the generations of his fathers: and he shall never see light.

[21] Man when he was in honour did not understand: he hath been compared to senseless beasts, and made like to them.

Commentary

[6] “The iniquity of my heel”: That is, the iniquity of my steps or ways: or the iniquity of my pride, with which as with the heel, I have spurned and kicked at my neighbours: or the iniquity of my heel, that is, the iniquity in which I shall be found in death. The meaning of this verse is, Why should I now indulge those passions and sinful affections, or commit now those sins, which will cause me so much fear and anguish in the evil day; when the sorrows of death shall compass me, and the perils of hell shall find me?

[7] “They that trust”: As much as to say, let them fear that trust in their strength or riches: for they have great reason to fear: seeing no brother or other man, how much a friend soever, can by any price or labour rescue them from death.

[9] “And shall labour for ever”: This seems to be a continuation of the foregoing sentence: as much as to say no man can by any price or ransom prolong his life, that so he may still continue to labour here, and live to the end of the world. Others understand it of the eternal sorrows, and dying life of hell, which is the dreadful consequence of dying in sin.

[11] “He shall not see destruction”: Or, shall he not see destruction? As much as to say, however thoughtless he may be of his death, he must not expect to escape; when even the wise and the good are not exempt from dying.

[12] “They have called”: That is, they have left their names on their graves, which alone remain of their lands.

[14] “They shall delight in their mouth”: Notwithstanding the wretched way in which they walk, they shall applaud themselves with their mouths, and glory in their doings.

[15] “In the morning”: That is, in the resurrection to a new life; when the just shall judge and condemn the wicked. Ibid.

[15] “From their glory”: That is, when their short-lived glory in this world shall be past, and be no more.

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