The Meaning of Psalms 49:14 Explained

Psalms 49:14

KJV: Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

YLT: As sheep for Sheol they have set themselves, Death doth afflict them, And the upright rule over them in the morning, And their form is for consumption. Sheol is a dwelling for him.

Darby: Like sheep are they laid in Sheol: Death feedeth on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their comeliness shall be for Sheol to consume, that there be no habitation for them.

ASV: They are appointed as a flock for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume, That there be no habitation for it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Like sheep  they are laid  in the grave;  death  shall feed  on them; and the upright  shall have dominion  over them in the morning;  and their beauty  shall consume  in the grave  from their dwelling. 

What does Psalms 49:14 Mean?

Study Notes

grave
Heb. "Sheol," .
hell
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Context Summary

Psalms 49:1-20 - The Folly Of Trusting In Riches
Here is a proclamation worthy of the hearing of all the world. The psalmist is listening to voices unheard by ordinary ears. Be sure to listen to God's voice, and then unfold His dark sayings in music. However dark they may seem in their mystery and awe, they may be uttered in song. See Revelation 15:3-4.
The burden of the psalm is the impotence of wealth. The millionaire cannot prolong the life of his sick child. And even if, like Queen Elizabeth, he cries on his dying bed: "A million of money for a moment of time!" the sand passes unheeding through the hour-glass. He must leave stocks and shares, jewels and gold, at the summons of Death, described in Psalms 49:14 as the shepherd who calls his flock to fold it in Sheol, R.V. How different the lot of the righteous! As eternity dawns, they are redeemed from the power of the grave and pass to the bosom of God. What are the riches and glory of this world compared with the sense of God's presence in the humble and contrite heart! To have that is to have the essence of all! "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee," Psalms 73:25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 49

1  An earnest persuasion to build the faith of resurrection
16  Worldly prosperity is not to be admired

What do the individual words in Psalms 49:14 mean?

Like sheep in the grave they are laid Death shall feed on them and shall have dominion over them the upright in the morning - and their beauty shall be consumed in the grave far from dwelling their
כַּצֹּ֤אן ׀ לִֽשְׁא֣וֹל שַׁתּוּ֮ מָ֤וֶת יִ֫רְעֵ֥ם וַיִּרְדּ֘וּ בָ֤ם יְשָׁרִ֨ים ׀ לַבֹּ֗קֶר וצירם [וְ֭צוּרָם] (לְבַלּ֥וֹת) שְׁא֗וֹל מִזְּבֻ֥ל לֽוֹ

כַּצֹּ֤אן ׀  Like  sheep 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
לִֽשְׁא֣וֹל  in  the  grave 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
שַׁתּוּ֮  they  are  laid 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שָׁתַת  
Sense: (Qal) to set, appoint.
מָ֤וֶת  Death 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
יִ֫רְעֵ֥ם  shall  feed  on  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: רָעָה 
Sense: to pasture, tend, graze, feed.
וַיִּרְדּ֘וּ  and  shall  have  dominion 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רָדָה 
Sense: to rule, have dominion, dominate, tread down.
בָ֤ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
יְשָׁרִ֨ים ׀  the  upright 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: יָשָׁר 
Sense: straight, upright, correct, right.
לַבֹּ֗קֶר  in  the  morning 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
וצירם  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
[וְ֭צוּרָם]  and  their  beauty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: צִיר  
Sense: image, idol.
(לְבַלּ֥וֹת)  shall  be  consumed 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּלָה  
Sense: to wear out, become old.
שְׁא֗וֹל  in  the  grave 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
מִזְּבֻ֥ל  far  from  dwelling 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זְבֻל 
Sense: exalted, residence, elevation, lofty abode, height, habitation.