Psalms 49:17
in Psalms 49For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him.
KJV
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.
⋯
This verse in Psalms 49
Commentary
13 notes on this verseFor when he dieth he shall carry nothing away. He has but a leasehold of his acres, and death ends his tenure. Through the river of death man must pass naked. Not a rag of all his raiment, not a coin of all his treasure, not a joy of all his honour, can the dying worldling carry with him. Why then fret ourselves about so fleeting a prosperity? His glory shall not descend after him. As he goes down, down, down for ever, none of his honours or possessions will follow him. Patents of nobility are invalid in the sepulchre.
This site's exposition
Do not be amazed
on Psalms 49:16-20
Do not be amazed when a man's wealth grows. He will carry nothing away when he dies, his abundance will not follow him down, and he joins the generation of his fathers. A man with riches and no understanding is like the beasts that perish, the refrain of verse 12.
This site's exposition
he will carry nothing away
When he dies, his splendor and abundance stay behind. Barnes thought Paul had this verse in mind when he wrote that a man can carry nothing out of the world. Henry said grace is glory that goes up with a man, while no earthly glory goes down after him.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
A commentator
Ambrose of MilanCommentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms, On Psalm 49 · Written before 397.
proposed
Do not be troubled when you hear that the glory of someone's house has increased. Think deeply about it, and you will see that a house is empty if it is not filled with faith.… Adam, by his ruin, left us void and empty, but Christ's grace has filled the void. Christ emptied himself so that the fullness of virtue might live in human flesh.
"Fear not, though a man be made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied." Wherefore "fear not"? "For when he shall die, he shall not receive anything." Thou seest him living, consider him dying. Thou markest what he hath here, mark what he taketh with him. What doth he take with him? He hath store of gold, he hath store of silver, numerous estates, slaves: he dieth, these remain, he knoweth not for whom. For though he leaveth them for whom he will, he keepeth them not for whom he will. For many have gained even what was not left them, and many have lost what was left them. All these things then remain, and he taketh with him what? Perhaps some one saith, He taketh that with him in which he is wound, and that which is expended upon him for a costly and marble tomb. to erect a monument, this he taketh with him. I say, not even this. For these things are presented to him without his feeling them. If thou deckest a man sleeping and not awake, he hath the decorations with him on the couch perhaps the decorations are resting upon the body of him as he lieth, and perhaps he seeth himself in tatters during sleep. What he feeleth is more to him than what he feeleth not Though even this when he shall have awaked will not be: yet to him sleeping, that which he saw in sleep was more than that which he felt not. Why then, brethren, should men say to themselves, Let money be spent at my death: why do I leave my heirs rich? Many things will they have of mine, let me too have something of my own for my body. What shall a dead body have? what shall rotting flesh have? what shall flesh not feeling have? If that rich man had anything, whose tongue was dry, then man hath something of his own. My brethren, do we read in the Gospel, that this rich man appeared in the fire with all-silken and fine-linen coverings? Was he of such sort in hell as he was in feastings at table? […]
Even if rich in this life, he will not for this reason prove to be blessed after death as well. On the contrary, then, he will leave it all behind and thus present himself naked at the judge's tribunal.
He did not say, note, "when their glory is increased," but "the glory of their house." All these things that I enumerated, after all—fountains, walkways and baths, gold and silver, horses and mules, carpets and clothes—are the glory of the house, not of the person living in the house. A person's glory, in fact, is virtue, which takes the journey from here with its possessor. A house's glory, by contrast, itself remains here, or rather, far even from remaining, it disappears along with the house, doing no good to the one who lived in it. It did not belong to him, after all.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"For when he shall die." Here the reason is assigned why the wicked are not to be feared if they become rich. First, because at some point they shall be deprived of all exterior goods; second, they shall also fail in all interior goods. The …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
They shall descend, but their glory, that which they called and counted their glory, and gloried in, shall not descend after them to lessen the disgrace of death and the grave, to bring them off in the judgment, or abate the torments of hell. Grace is glory that will ascend with us, but no earthly glory will descend after us.
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away,....
This is the psalmist's preface to his discourse concerning the vanity of the world and its insufficiency to make us happy; and we seldom meet with an introduction more solemn than this is; for there is no truth of more undoubted certainty, nor of greater weight and importance, and the consideration of which will be of more advantage to us.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away. He has but a leasehold of his acres, and death ends his tenure. Through the river of death man must pass naked. Not a rag of all his raiment, not a coin of all his treasure, not a joy of all his honour, can the dying worldling carry with him. Why then fret ourselves about so fleeting a prosperity? His glory shall not descend after him. As he goes down, down, down for ever, none of his honours or possessions will follow him. Patents of nobility are invalid in the sepulchre. His worship, his honour, his lordship, and his grace, will alike find their titles ridiculous in the tomb. Hell knows no aristocracy. Your dainty and delicate sinners shall find that eternal burnings have no respect for their affectations and refinements.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For when he dieth - He must die. His wealth cannot save him from the grave. It is always to be “assumed” of rich people, as of all other men, that they “will” have to die. The point is not one which is to be argued; not one about which there can be any doubt. Of all people, whatever else may be said of them, it may always be affirmed that they must die, and important inferences may be always drawn from that fact. He shall carry nothing away - It is not improbable that the apostle Paul had this passage in his eye in what he says in 1Ti 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.” See the notes at that passage. Compare Job 27:16-19. His glory shall not descend after him - His wealth, and those things which have been procured by wealth, as indicating station and rank, cannot accompany him to the other world. This is said to show that he is not to be “feared” on account of his wealth. The argument is, that whatever there is in wealth that seems to give power, and to afford the means of doing injury, must soon be separated from him. In respect to wealth, and to all the power derived from wealth, he will be like the most poor and penniless of mortals. All that he possesses will pass into other hands, and whether for good or for evil, it will no longer be in his power to use it. As this “must” occur soon - as it “may” occur in a moment - there is no reason to “fear” such a man, or to suppose that he can do permanent injury by any power derived from wealth. Compare the notes at Isa 14:6-7, notes at Isa 14:10-11.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בְ֭מוֹתוֹ | vemoto | in death his | H4194 → | 156 times |
| יִקַּ֣ח | yikach | he will take | H3947 → | 966 times |
| הַכֹּ֑ל | hakol | <the> anything | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יֵרֵ֖ד | yered | it will go down | H3381 → | 381 times |
| אַחֲרָ֣יו | ʾacharav | after him | H310 → | 715 times |
| כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃ | kevodo | honor his | H3519 → | 200 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
בְ֭מוֹתוֹin death his
vemotoH4194 →156 times
יִקַּ֣חhe will take
yikachH3947 →966 times
הַכֹּ֑ל<the> anything
hakolH3605 →5413 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יֵרֵ֖דit will go down
yeredH3381 →381 times
אַחֲרָ֣יוafter him
ʾacharavH310 →715 times
כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃honor his
kevodoH3519 →200 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
1 Timothy 6:7For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.
it leads to
- Job 1:21
saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Luke 12:20–21
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
- Ecclesiastes 5:15–16
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
- Proverbs 27:24
for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.
- Job 1:21
Through
Luke 16:24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
it leads to
- Revelation 22:1
Then the angel showed me a river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
- John 4:10
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
- John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
- Revelation 7:16–17
‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’
- Revelation 22:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; 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; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 49; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; Diodorus of Tarsus, COMMENTARY ON PSALM 49; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 49:11; 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.