Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 49:16

"Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased." — Psalms 49:16 (ASV)

Do not be afraid when one is made rich - Do not dread the power derived from wealth; do not fear anything which a man can do merely because he is rich. The original is, “when a ‘man’ becomes rich.” The allusion is not necessarily to a bad man, though that is implied in the whole passage, since there is no reason for fearing a ‘good’ man, whether he is rich or poor.

The only thing that seems to have been perceived in the mind of the psalmist was that power of doing injury to others, or of employing means to injure others, which wealth confers on a bad man.

The psalmist here changes the form of the expression. He no longer refers to himself and his own feelings, as in the former part of the psalm. Instead, he applies the whole course of thought to others, showing them—as the result of his own reflection and observation—that no one had any real cause for dread and alarm when riches increased in the hands of the wicked.

The reasons why this power should not be feared are stated in the following verses.

When the glory of his house is increased - Rich people often lavish much of their wealth on their dwellings: on the dwelling itself, on the furniture, and on the grounds and features of their property. This is evidently referred to here as “the ‘glory’ of their house”—as that which would be suited to create an impression of the power and rank of its possessor.