What does Psalm 49:3 mean?
ESV: My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
NIV: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.
NASB: My mouth will speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart will be understanding.
CSB: My mouth speaks wisdom; my heart’s meditation brings understanding.
NLT: For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight.
KJV: My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.
NKJV: My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding.
Verse Commentary:
The psalmist has called on all people to listen (Psalm 49:1–2), and now promises to speak valuable words.
The message God conveys in His Word, the Bible, exudes wisdom. Psalm 119:98–99 quotes the writer as saying, "Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation." When the Lord called Joshua to succeed Moses as Israel's leader, He told him to carefully study the Book of the Law and carefully obey everything in it. As a result, Joshua would be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).
The wisdom God gives through His Word outstrips by far the wisdom of the world. The apostle Paul writes, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?…but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:20–24).
Verse Context:
Psalm 49:1–4 introduces the topic of the rest of the song. What the psalmist is about to say is crucial for everyone. It is a wise message that discusses a difficult topic—a "riddle"—which many people struggle to understand. The rest of the psalm discusses the frustration of seeing evil people prosper in the world, while there are good people who suffer.
Chapter Summary:
The "riddle" in question is the fact that some rich persons are also wicked and ungodly. Rich and poor, alike, should remember that money is temporary. It is not a substitute for God's approval. All people face death and God's judgment. There is no reason to envy a person who has earthly wealth but lacks eternal hope.
Chapter Context:
As did Psalm 73, this passage tackles the riddle of how to respond to prosperity among those who reject God. Just as did Asaph (Psalm 73:15–19), the psalmist concludes that the prosperous wicked face a hopeless end. The righteous have an endless hope. This psalm is rightfully regarded as a wisdom psalm. Several themes, such as the temporary nature of wealth, are echoed in the book of Proverbs.
Book Summary:
The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.
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