What does Psalm 49:9 mean?

The psalmist is answering the "riddle" (Psalm 49:1–4) of why God allows some wicked people to become wealthy and successful (Psalm 49:5–6). The answer, in part, is that money cannot buy off God (Psalm 73:2–3, 15–20). Death comes for all people, and after that they face judgment before their Creator (Hebrews 9:27). All the money in the world cannot earn eternal life. The pit or grave, in this context, is the place where the body decomposes. Even those who live in luxury will experience corruption in the grave; yet for those who trust in Christ, there is hope beyond physical death (John 3:16–18). It is the hope of resurrection.

The apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:54–55: "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' 'O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?'" In verse 57 he gives God the glory for giving believers this victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes in the air to catch away all Christians, the bodies of departed Christians will be resurrected and transformed. Their bodies will reunite with their spirits that are in heaven. At the same times, the bodies of living Christians will be changed (1 Thessalonians 4:13–17). The body of every Christian will resemble the glorified body of Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20–21).