Psalms 49:1
in Psalms 49Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Hear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,
KJV
Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:
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This verse in Psalms 49
Commentary
13 notes on this verseHear and give ear, Ps. lxii. Not only, "Hear, all you Israelites, and give ear all the inhabitants of Canaan," but, Hear, all you people, and give ear, all you inhabitants of the world; for this doctrine is not peculiar to those that are blessed with divine revelation, but even the light of nature witnesses to it.
This site's exposition
Hear this, all you peoples
on Psalms 49:1-4
Hear this, all you peoples reaches past Israel to everyone alive. Both low and high, rich and poor stand in the audience before a word of the teaching begins. The psalm calls its own teaching a proverb and a riddle, and it plays the riddle on the harp.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
..."Hear ye these things, all ye nations" (ver. 1). Not then you only who are here. For of what power is our voice so to cry out, as that all nations may hear? For Our Lord Jesus Christ hath proclaimed it through the Apostles, hath proclaimed it in so many tongues that He sent; and we see this Psalm, which before was only repeated in one nation, in the Synagogue of the Jews, now repeated throughout the whole world, throughout all Churches; and that fulfilled which is here spoken of, "Hear ye these words, all ye nations." ...Of whom ye are: "With ears ponder, all ye that dwell in the world." This He seemeth to have repeated a second time, lest to have said "hear," before, were too little. What I say, he saith, "hear, with ears ponder," that is, hear not cursorily. What is, "with ears ponder"? It is what the Lord said, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear:" for as all who were in His presence must have had ears, what ears did He require save those of the heart, when He said, "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear"? The same ears also this Psalm doth smite. "With ears ponder, all ye that dwell in the world." Perhaps there is here some distinction. We ought not indeed to narrow our view, but there is no harm in explaining even this view of the sense. Perhaps there is some difference between the saying, "all nations," and the saying, "all ye that dwell in the world." For perchance he would have us understand the expression, "dwell in," with a further meaning, so as to take all nations for all the wicked, but the dwellers of the world all the just. For he doth inhabit who is not held fast: but he that is occupied is inhabited, and doth not inhabit. […]
The voice of Christ alone, "without exception" calls all as one, rich and poor, noble and base. He invites all living on the earth, equally, as the opening of the psalm says, showing that he is to be feared by us on the evil day.
He who is assembling and summoning all by the proclamation is the Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, who brings together through prophets and apostles those who are saved.… The sharing of the summons is a uniting in peace, so that those who were, up to this time, opposed to each other because of customs might, through gathering together, become habituated to each other in love.
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanCommentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 49 · Written before 397.
proposed
In the very beginning of this psalm we hear the voice of the Lord of salvation inviting the Gentiles into his church. He calls on them to renounce error, to follow truth, to fulfill the duties of love and adoration. The hearts of these people were infected by the Serpent's venom, passed down from generation to generation, and their inclination was toward sin. So long as they despair of pardon, they cannot be called back.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Above, the Psalmist invited the nations to joy and thanksgiving for the benefits given to the people of God; here, however, he admonishes them to trust in God. And concerning this he does two things. First, he arouses attention. Second, he pursues his purpose. The …
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Hear this,....
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
Hear this, all ye people. All men are concerned in the subject, it is of them, and therefore to them that the psalmist would speak. It is not a topic which men delight to consider, and therefore he who would instruct them must press them to give ear. Where, as in this case, the theme claims to be wisdom and understanding, attention is very properly demanded; and when the style combines the sententiousness of the proverb with the sweetness of poesy, interest is readily excited. Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world. "He that hath ears to hear let him hear." Men dwelling in all climes are equally concerned in the subject, for the laws of providence are the same in all lands. It is wise for each one to feel I am a man, and therefore everything which concerns mortals has a personal interest to me. We must all appear before the judgment seat, and therefore we all should give earnest heed to holy admonition which may help us to prepare for that dread event. He who refuses to receive instruction by the ear, will not be able to escape receiving destruction by it when the Judge shall say, "Depart, ye cursed."
In these four verses the poet prophet calls universal humanity to listen to his didactic hymn.
Hear this, all ye people. All men are concerned in the subject, it is of them, and therefore to them that the psalmist would speak. It is not a topic which men delight to consider, and therefore he who would instruct them must press them to give ear. Where, as in this case, the theme claims to be wisdom and understanding, attention is very properly demanded; and when the style combines the sententiousness of the proverb with the sweetness of poesy, interest is readily excited. Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world.
Hear this, all ye people - The four first verses contain the author’s exordium or introduction, delivered in a very pompous style and promising the deepest lessons of wisdom and instruction. But what was rare then is common-place now.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Hear this, all ye people - That is, What I am about; to utter is worthy of universal attention; it pertains equally to all mankind. The psalmist; therefore calls on all the nations to attend to what he is about to say. Compare the notes at Isa 1:2. Give ear - Incline your ear; attend. Compare the notes at Psa 17:6. See also Isa 37:17; Isa 55:3; Dan 9:18; Pro 2:2. All ye inhabitants of the world - The truth to be declared does not pertain exclusively to any one nation, or any one class of people. All are interested in it. The term here rendered “world” - חלד cheled, - means properly “duration of life, lifetime;” then, “life, time, age;” and then it comes to denote the world, considered as made up of the living, or the passing generations.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁמְעוּ־ | shimu- | hear | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| זֹ֭את | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | O all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָֽעַמִּ֑ים | haamim | the peoples | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| הַ֝אֲזִ֗ינוּ | haazinu | give ear | H238 → | 41 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | O all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יֹ֥שְׁבֵי | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| חָֽלֶד׃ | chaled | [the] world | H2465 → | 5 times |
שִׁמְעוּ־hear
shimu-H8085 →1159 times
זֹ֭אתthis
zotH2063 →603 times
כָּל־O all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָֽעַמִּ֑יםthe peoples
haamimH5971 →1873 times
הַ֝אֲזִ֗ינוּgive ear
haazinuH238 →41 times
כָּל־O all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יֹ֥שְׁבֵי[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
חָֽלֶד׃[the] world
chaledH2465 →5 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 2:17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone…
it leads to
- Isaiah 62:2
Nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
- Isaiah 65:15
You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.
- Revelation 19:12–13
He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
- Revelation 3:12–13
The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the…
- Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the…
- Isaiah 62:2
Through
Matthew 11:15He who has ears, let him hear.
it leads to
- Matthew 13:9
He who has ears, let him hear.”
- Luke 8:8
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Mark 4:23
If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
- Matthew 13:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 49; Arnobius the Younger, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 49; Augustine of Hippo, On the Psalms, Psalm 49; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 19:1 (PS 49); Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.