Psalm 49:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.

NIV: they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.

NASB: He will go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light.

CSB: he will go to the generation of his ancestors; they will never see the light.

NLT: But they will die like all before them and never again see the light of day.

KJV: He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.

NKJV: He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.

This passage has noted that wealth and prestige are not enough to save a person from death, let alone the judgment of God (Psalm 49:10). When another rich person rises, seeming to defy God, it helps to remember they are no more invincible than those who came before (Psalm 49:16–17). Just like the wicked rich man's predecessors, who died, so will he.

When a person dies without God's truth, he will never see light again. His soul will live on, but in a dreadful place. He will spend eternity in hell, where he will suffer and be in torment. Jesus described hell as a place of outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). Because a person rejects Jesus, the Light of the World, he lives under divine judgment (John 3:16–18, 36). But when a follower of the Light of the World dies, he enters the presence of the Light of the World (2 Corinthians 5:8) and dwells forever in the dazzling glory of heaven. Revelation 22:5 declares that the future home of the redeemed will never experience night. "They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever."

Psalm 49:13–20 further explains what happens to wicked people who trust in money rather than in God. Sheol—death and the grave—is their destiny. Righteous people should not be jealous of them or fear them. The rich leave everything behind when they die, no different than a poor person. For a second time, the writer compares physical death to that of animals.

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.

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.

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.