John Gill Commentary Psalms 49

Hear this
Not the law, as some Jewish writers ^F12 interpret it, which was not desirable to be heard by those that did hear it; it being a voice of wrath and terror, a cursing law, and a ministration of condemnation and death; but rather (ad atywxa) , "this news", as the Targum; the good news of the Gospel; the word of "this" salvation; the voice from heaven; the word not spoken by angels, but by the Lord himself: or (hmkxh taz) , "this wisdom", as Kimchi interprets it; which the psalmist was about to speak of, (Psalms 49:3) ; also the parable and dark saying he should attend unto and open, (Psalms 49:4) ; and indeed it may take in the whole subject matter of the psalm;

all [you] people :
not the people of Israel only, but all the people of the world, as appears from the following clause; from which it is evident that this psalm belongs to Gospel times; in which the middle wall of partition is broken down, and there is no difference of people; God is the God both of Jews and Gentiles; Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of one as well as of the other; the Spirit of God has been poured out upon the latter; the Gospel has been sent into all the world, and all are called upon to hear it;

give ear, all you inhabitants of the world ,
or "of time"; so the word is rendered "age", the age of a man, (Psalms 39:5) . The inhabitants of this world are but for a time; wherefore Ben Melech interprets the phrase by (Nmwh yvna) , "men of time", the inhabitants of time; it is peculiar to the most High to "inhabit eternity", (Isaiah 57:15) . Under the Gospel dispensation there is no distinction of places; the Gospel is not confined to the land of Judea; the sound of it is gone into all the world, and men may worship God, and offer incense to his name, in every place; and whoever fears him in any nation is accepted of him.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: Midrash Tillim in loc. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 106. 2.

Both low and high
Or "both the sons of Adam and the sons of men". By the sons of "Adam" are meant the multitude of the people, as Ben Melech explains it; the common people, the meaner sort, the base things of this world; and such are they, generally speaking, who are called by grace under the Gospel dispensation: and by "the sons of men" are meant the princes, nobles, and great men of the earth; men of high birth and illustrious extraction: so Adam is rendered, "the mean man", and "Ish", the word here used, "the great man", in (Isaiah 2:9) . And though not many, yet some of this sort are called by grace; and all of them have a peculiar concern in many things spoken of in this psalm; see (Psalms 49:12Psalms 49:16Psalms 49:17Psalms 49:20) ;

rich and poor together :
these are called upon to hearken to what is after said, that the one may not be elated with and trust in their riches, and that the other may not be dejected on account of their poverty; and seeing both must die, and meet together at the judgment day; and inasmuch as the Gospel is preached to one as to another; and for the most part the poor hear it, receive it, and are called by it.

My mouth shall speak of wisdom
Or "wisdoms" ^F13 ; of Christ, who is so called, (Proverbs 1:20) (9:1) . He being as a divine Person the wisdom of God, and the only wise God; and having all the treasures of wisdom in him, as man and Mediator: of him the prophet spoke, and of him the apostles and all Gospel ministers speak; of the glories of his Person, of the fulness of his grace, and of his wonderful works; especially of that of redemption and salvation by him, in which there is an abounding of wisdom and prudence.

Or the Gospel may be meant, and all the truths of it, in which there is a glorious display of divine wisdom; it is the wisdom of God in a mystery; hidden and ancient wisdom; and which, when truly understood, makes a man wise unto salvation; see (1 Corinthians 2:6 1 Corinthians 2:7) ;

and the meditation of my heart [shall be] of understanding ;
or "understandings" ^F14 ; and this is in order to the former; what the heart meditates the mouth speaks. If the heart meditates on understanding, the mouth will speak of wisdom; and a man should think before he speaks, especially the ministers of the Gospel: they ought to meditate on the word of God, the Gospel, and the truths of it, that their profiling may appear to all; that they may understand divine things themselves, and deliver them out to the understanding of others: their concern should be, that through meditation they may have a good treasure of wisdom and knowledge in their hearts, that out of it they may bring forth things pleasant and profitable unto others.

FOOTNOTES:

• F13: (twmkx) "sapientias", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
• F14: (twnwbt) "intelligentias", Pagninus, Montanus.

I will incline mine ear to a parable
In which way of speaking the doctrines of the Gospel were delivered out by Christ, (Matthew 13:3Matthew 13:35) . Wherefore the prophet, representing his apostles and disciples, signifies that he would listen thereunto, that he might attain to the knowledge thereof, and communicate it to others;

I will open my dark saying upon the harp ;
the enigmas, riddles, and mysteries of the Gospel, being understood by the ministers of it, are opened and explained in a very pleasant and delightful manner; they are made clear and evident, and are as a lovely song upon a harp; see (Ezekiel 33:32) .

Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil

This is the principal thing that all are before called to hearken to. This is the wisdom and understanding the psalmist had been meditating upon, and was about to utter; this is the parable he inclined his ear to, and the dark saying he would open; namely, that a saint has nothing to fear in the worst of times; which is a riddle to a natural man.

Aben Ezra interprets "the days of evil" of the days of old age, as they are called, (Ecclesiastes 12:1), which bring on diseases, weakness, and death; in which a good man has no reason to fear; as that he should want the necessaries of life, since they that fear the Lord shall want no good thing; or that he should not hold out to the end, seeing God, who is the guide of youth, is the staff of old age, and carries to hoary hairs, and will never leave nor forsake;

and though the wicked man in old age has reason to be afraid of death and eternity at hand, the saint has not; but may sing, on the borders of the grave, "O death! where is your sting?" &c. (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Also days in which iniquity abounds, and error and heresy prevail, are days of evil; and though the good man may fear he shall be led aside by the ill example of some, or by the craft of others; yet he need not, since the foundation of God stands sure, and he knows them that are his, and will take care of them and preserve them.

Moreover, times of affliction and persecution are evil days; see (Ephesians 5:16) (6:13); and such will be the hour of temptation, that shall try the inhabitants of the earth, (Revelation 3:10). Yet the righteous man need not fear, since it is always well with him, let his case and circumstances be what they will.

Yea, the day of death, and the day of judgment are days of evil to wicked men; and therefore they put them away far from them, (Amos 6:3); but believers have reason to rejoice at them, the day of their death being better than the day of their birth; and the day of judgment will be the time of the glorious appearing of Christ to them. It is added,

[when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about

that is, the sins of life and conversation; "heels" denote "steps", and the word is sometimes so rendered, as in (Psalms 56:6); and "iniquity" intends sin committed in walking; and so designs not original sin, as some have thought, but actual sins and transgressions:

and these may be said to "compass [the saints] about", when they are chastised for them, and so are brought to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to be humbled for them; and then they have nothing to fear in a slavish way, since these chastisements are not in wrath, or in a way of vindictive justice, or punishment for sin; but the fruits of love and favour.

Or the sense may be, when death, the fruit of iniquity, the wages of sin, surrounds and seizes upon me; (ypwob), "in my end", as the Targum; in my last days, at the heel or close of them, I will not fear; the saint has no reason to fear, when he walks through death's dark valley; for death is abolished as a penal evil, its sting is took away, and its curse removed.

Some render the words, "when the iniquity of my supplanters shall compass me about" ^F15; meaning his enemies, who either lay in wait for him privately, and endeavoured to supplant him; or that pursued him closely, and pressed upon his heels, just ready to destroy him; yet even then he signifies he should not fear:

and then the sense is the same with (Psalms 27:1–3); to which agree the Syriac and Arabic versions, which render it, "the iniquity of mine enemies"; or, "when my enemies surround me": and it may be literally rendered, when "iniquity surrounds me at my heels" ^F16; that is, when men, who are iniquity itself, encompass me, are at my heels, ready to seize me, I will not fear.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: (ybqe Nwe) "iniquitas supplantatorum meorum", Gejerus; "insidiatorum meorum", some in Vatablus.
• F16: "Iniquitas oppressorum", i.e. "iniquissimi mei oppressores ambiunt me", Gejerus.