Passage

Psalms 49.7

Book: Psalms · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, When iniquity at my heels compasseth me about? 6. They that trust in their wealth, And boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him

(For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever), 9. That he should still live alway, That he should not see corruption. (Psalms 49:5-9, ASV)

WEB

5. Why should I fear in the days of evil, when iniquity at my heels surrounds me? 6. Those who trust in their wealth, and boast in the multitude of their riches,

7. none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough, 9. that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption. (Psalms 49:5-9, WEB)

KJV

5. Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? 6. They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7. None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9. That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. (Psalms 49:5-9, KJV)

YLT

5. Why do I fear in days of evil? The iniquity of my supplanters doth compass me. 6. Those trusting on their wealth, And in the multitude of their riches, Do shew themselves foolish.

7. A brother doth no one at all ransom, He doth not give to God his atonement.

And precious [is] the redemption of their soul, And it hath ceased, to the age. 9. And still he liveth for ever, He seeth not the pit. (Psalms 49:5-9, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: The sons of Korah, a family of Levitical singers, according to the title "For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah"
Audience: Everyone: "Hear this, all ye peoples; Give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world" (49:1), "Low and high, Rich and poor together" (49:2)
Location: Not stated
Time period: Not stated; the psalm cannot be dated with confidence

Theological reading

"None of them can by any means redeem his brother, Nor give to God a ransom for him."

A wisdom psalm about wealth and death. Psalm 49 is addressed to rich and poor alike. "They that trust in their wealth" (49:6) cannot buy their way out of death: "For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever" (49:8). Wise men and fools die alike, and "leave their wealth to others" (49:10).

The words. The Hebrew doubles the verb "redeem" (Strong's H6299) for emphasis, which the ASV renders "can by any means redeem." "Ransom" (H3724) is the payment that buys back a life, the word used when the law requires "a ransom for his soul unto Jehovah" (Exodus 30:12, ASV). Some scholars emend the first Hebrew word, "brother," to a similar word meaning "surely," so that the line means no man can ransom even himself; either way, no human payment buys a life from God.

God's answer. The psalm's hope is not human but divine: "But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me" (49:15, ASV).

The ransom of Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus, a perfect man and not God, paid a ransom exactly corresponding to the perfect life Adam lost. The Jehovah's Witnesses vs the Christian God comparison sets this verse against that view. Christians agree that Jesus was fully a man and that he came "to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45, ASV). They reply that the psalm says no one can ransom his brother, and that its hope is God himself redeeming. On the Christian reading, the ransom is paid by one who is truly a man and also God, so it is God's own redemption, given in love. The psalm does not speak of Christ directly; it sets out the need that, in Christian belief, only God could meet. See Atonement.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

H3724 - kopher, kopher, Strong's H3724
H0430 - elohim, elohim, Strong's H0430

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Lexicon:

Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.