Psalms 49:6
in Psalms 49They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
KJV
They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;
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This verse in Psalms 49
Commentary
12 notes on this verseThey that trust in their wealth,.... In their outward force, power, and strength; their horses, chariots, and armies; see Psa 33:16; or in their worldly goods and substance; which seems to be the sense of the word here, as appears from Psa 49:10. To "trust" in them is to set the eye and heart upon them; or to take up rest in them, to depend on them, to the neglect of divine Providence, with respect to future living in this world; and to expect eternal happiness hereafter, because favoured with many earthly enjoyments here: so to do is evil.
This site's exposition
Why should I fear
on Psalms 49:5-9
Why should I fear opens the singer's own answer. Those he fears trust in their wealth, and redeeming a brother is beyond any man. A soul's redemption is costly, and the life that does not see decay stands at Psalm 16:10, quoted of Christ at Acts 2:27.
This site's exposition
boast in their great riches
Wealth is their trust and their boast. Barnes saw the first answer to the singer's fear: riches have no power to keep a man from death. Henry set this trust beside Mark 10:24, on how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
But who are they whom the "iniquity of their heel shall compass"? "They who trust in their virtue, and in the abundance of their riches do glory" [Psalm 49:6]. Therefore such sins will I avoid, and the "iniquity of my heel" shall never compass me. What is avoiding such sins? Let us not trust in our own virtue, let us not glory in the abundance of our own riches, but let us glory in Him who has promised to us, being humble, exaltation, and has threatened condemnation to men exalted; and then iniquity of our heel shall never compass us.
But who are they whom the "iniquity of their heel shall compass"? "They who trust in their virtue, and in the abundance of their riches do glory" [Psalm 49:6]. Therefore such sins will I avoid, and the "iniquity of my heel" shall never compass me. What is avoiding such sins? Let us not trust in our own virtue, let us not glory in the abundance of our own riches, but let us glory in Him who has promised to us, being humble, exaltation, and has threatened condemnation to men exalted; and then iniquity of our heel shall never compass us.
Even if he seems to be one of the very powerful people in this life, even if he is surrounded with a great number of possessions, these words teach him to descend from such a notion and to humble himself under the mighty hand of God. … Not even the soul is complete in itself for salvation.… Every human soul has bowed down under the evil yoke of slavery imposed by the common enemy of all and, being deprived of the very freedom that it received from the Creator, has been led captive through sin.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"Those who trust in their own strength." Here is set forth the reason why there is cause for fear, namely on account of sin. And there is a twofold reason why sin should be feared. First, on account of the impossibility of escaping the punishment …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
"Wherefore should I be afraid like them?" The days of old age and death are the days of evil, Eccl. xii. In the day of judgment the iniquity of our heels (or of our steps, our past sins) will compass us about, will be set in order before us. Every work will be brought into judgment, with every secret thing; and every one of us must give account of himself.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
24 ), and so it becomes their God. Thus our Saviour explains the difficulty of the salvation of rich people ( Mark x. 24 ): How hard is it for those that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
What if the good man's foes be among the great ones of the earth! yet he need not fear them. They that trust in their wealth. Poor fools, to be content with such a rotten confidence. When we set our rock in contrast with theirs, it would be folly to be afraid of them. Even though they are loud in their brags, we can afford to smile. What if they glory and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches? yet while we glory in our God we are not dismayed by their proud threatenings. Great strength, position, and estate, make wicked men very lofty in their own esteem, and tyrannical towards others; but the heir of heaven is not overawed by their dignity, nor cowed by their haughtiness. He sees the small value of riches, and the helplessness of their owners in the hour of death, and therefore he is not so mean as to be afraid of an ephemera, a moth, a bubble.
What if the good man's foes be among the great ones of the earth! yet he need not fear them. They that trust in their wealth. Poor fools, to be content with such a rotten confidence. When we set our rock in contrast with theirs, it would be folly to be afraid of them. Even though they are loud in their brags, we can afford to smile. What if they glory and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches? yet while we glory in our God we are not dismayed by their proud threatenings.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They that trust in their wealth - The first reason why there was no cause of alarm is drawn Psa 49:6-10 from the “powerlessness” of wealth, as illustrated by the fact that it can do nothing to save life or to prevent death. He refers to those who possess it as “trusting” in their wealth, or “relying on” that as the source of their power. And boast themselves - Pride themselves; or feel conscious of safety and strength because they are rich. It is the “power” which wealth is supposed to confer, that is alluded to here. In the multitude of their riches - The abundance of their wealth.
The words behind it
6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַבֹּטְחִ֥ים | habotechim | those relying | H982 → | 120 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| חֵילָ֑ם | cheilam | wealth their | H2428 → | 246 times |
| וּבְרֹ֥ב | uvero | and in [the] greatness of | H7230 → | 149 times |
| עָ֝שְׁרָ֗ם | ʾasheram | rich[es] their | H6239 → | 37 times |
| יִתְהַלָּֽלוּ׃ | yithalalu | they boast | H1984 → | 165 times |
הַבֹּטְחִ֥יםthose relying
habotechimH982 →120 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
חֵילָ֑םwealth their
cheilamH2428 →246 times
וּבְרֹ֥בand in [the] greatness of
uveroH7230 →149 times
עָ֝שְׁרָ֗םrich[es] their
ʾasheramH6239 →37 times
יִתְהַלָּֽלוּ׃they boast
yithalaluH1984 →165 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
Jeremiah 9:23This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 1:27–29
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
- Isaiah 5:21
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor…
- Romans 1:22
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
- 1 Corinthians 3:18–20
Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
- 1 Corinthians 1:27–29
Through
1 Timothy 6:17Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us…
it leads to
- Proverbs 11:28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.
- Acts 14:17
Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
- Matthew 19:23
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
- Proverbs 11:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Psalms
This page draws on 10 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); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 49; Basil of Caesarea, HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 19:3 (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.