
Text -- Psalms 49:5 (NET)




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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Wesley: Psa 49:5 - -- In times of great distress and calamity, when wicked men flourish, and good men are oppressed.
In times of great distress and calamity, when wicked men flourish, and good men are oppressed.

Wesley: Psa 49:5 - -- This character fitly agrees to David's enemies, who were not only malicious, but deceitful and treacherous.
This character fitly agrees to David's enemies, who were not only malicious, but deceitful and treacherous.
Clarke -> Psa 49:5
Clarke: Psa 49:5 - -- The iniquity of my heels - Perhaps עקבי akebai , which we translate my heels, should be considered the contracted plural of עקבים akebim ...
The iniquity of my heels - Perhaps
Calvin -> Psa 49:5
Calvin: Psa 49:5 - -- 5.Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil? The Psalmist now enters upon the point on which he proposed to discourse, That the people of God must ...
5.Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil? The Psalmist now enters upon the point on which he proposed to discourse, That the people of God must not yield to despondency even in the most distressing circumstances, when their enemies may seem to have enclosed them on every side, but must rest assured that God, although he connives for a time, is awake to their condition, and only watches the best opportunity of executing his judgments. This manner of introducing the subject by interrogation is much more emphatic than if he had simply asserted his resolution to preserve his mind undisturbed in the midst of adversity. In the second clause of the verse he particularises the heaviest and most bitter of all afflictions, those which are experienced by the righteous when their enemies triumph in the unrestrained indulgence of their wickedness. When, the adverb of time, must therefore be understood — When the iniquity of my heel shall compass me about There is a different meaning which some interpreters have attached to the words, namely, If I should fear in the days of evil, and be guilty of the excessive anxieties of the unbeliever, — in that case, when the hour of my death came, my iniquity would compass me about. The heel they take to be the end of life. But this interpretation is to be dismissed at once as most unnatural. Nor do I see what reason others have for referring this word to the thoughts, for I believe that in no other part of Scripture can such a metaphor or similitude be found. Others, with more plausibility, have rendered the original word liers in wait, 217 because the Hebrew verb
TSK -> Psa 49:5
TSK: Psa 49:5 - -- Wherefore : Psa 27:1, Psa 27:2, Psa 46:1, Psa 46:2; Isa 41:10, Isa 41:11; Act 27:24; Rom 8:33, Rom 8:34; Phi 1:28
days : Pro 24:10; Amo 5:13; Eph 5:16...

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Psa 49:5
Barnes: Psa 49:5 - -- Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil - This verse is designed evidently to state the main subject of the psalm; the result of the reflec...
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil - This verse is designed evidently to state the main subject of the psalm; the result of the reflections of the author on what had been to him a source of perplexity; on what had seemed to him to be a dark problem. He "had"evidently felt that there was occasion to dread the power of wicked rich men; but he now felt that he had no ground for that fear and alarm. He saw that their power was short-lived; that all the ability to injure, arising from their station and wealth, must soon cease; that his own highest interests could not be affected by anything which they could do. The "days of evil"here spoken of are the times which are referred to in the following phrase, "when the iniquity of my heels,"etc.
When the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about - It would be difficult to make any sense out of this expression, though it is substantially the same rendering which is found in the Vulgate and the Septuagint. Luther renders it "when the iniquity of my oppressors encompasses me."The Chaldee Paraphrase renders it, "why should I fear in the days of evil, unless it be when the guilt of my sin compasses me about?"The Syriac renders it, "the iniquity of "my enemies."The Arabic, "when my enemies surround me."DeWette renders it as Luther does. Rosenmuller, "when the iniquity of those who lay snares against me shall compass me around."Prof. Alexander, "when the iniquity of my oppressors (or supplanters) shall surround me."The word rendered "heels"here -
Perhaps there is in the word the idea of craft; of lying in wait; of taking the advantages - from the verb
Poole -> Psa 49:5
Poole: Psa 49:5 - -- He speaks in his own person, because he had now said that he would incline his ear , Psa 49:4 , i.e. learn and practise what he was teaching others...
He speaks in his own person, because he had now said that he would incline his ear , Psa 49:4 , i.e. learn and practise what he was teaching others; but his meaning is more general, that there is no sufficient cause why he or any good man should fear ; which is to be understood of excessive or immoderate and prevailing fear, causing dejection or despondency, or distrust of God’ s providence and goodness, or discontent with his condition; in which sense men are bid not to fear, Gen 1:19 Mat 28:5 , compared with Mar 16:6 . Thus Gen 45:5 , Be not grieved , to wit, inordinately; for otherwise they ought, and he would have had them to grieve for their sin. Thus to lead a man into temptation , Mat 6:13 , is to suffer him to be overcome by it, by comparing 1Co 10:13 . And the object or cause of this forbidden fear is double; the one, the afflictions of good men, here following; the other, the prosperity of the ungodly, as it is declared Psa 49:16 , and of which he begins to treat in the very next verse, and continues the discourse of it to the end of the Psalm.
In the days of evil either,
1. Of sin; when iniquity of all sorts abounds; which is many ways grievous and vexatious to every good man. Or,
2. Of misery; in times of great distress and calamity, either public or private, when wicked men flourish, (of which he speaks in all the rest of the Psalm,) and good men are oppressed and persecuted.
The iniquity of my heels by which he understands either,
1. His afflictions; which he might justly call the punishment of his sinful actions; for iniquity is commonly put for the punishment of it, and the heels are put for a man’ s footsteps, and metaphorically for one’ s ways or actions, as Psa 56:6 89:51 . Or,
2.
The iniquity i.e. the violent and injurious designs and practices of his ungodly and malicious enemies, who, as he here saith,
did compass him about whereby he notes their prosperous success against him, and his being endangered and vexed by them, as this phrase implies, Job 16:13 Psa 17:9,11 22:12 140:9 Hab 1:4 ; and withal their intention and endeavour to vex and persecute and destroy him, as this phrase is used, Psa 17:9 22:12,16 , and in many other places. This sense is favoured both by the Syriac and Arabic interpreters; whereof the former renders the words thus, the iniquity of mine enemies hath compassed me , and the latter thus, when mine enemies shall compass me about ; and by the main scope of the Psalm, which is to comfort himself and other good men against that great scandal of the prosperity of the wicked, and the oppressions and miseries of the righteous. But all the difficulty is why or how he calls this the iniquity of his heels . For the clearing whereof, it is humbly proposed to consideration, that this genitive case, of my heels , seems to note not the efficient or meritorious cause of this iniquity, or punishment of it, but the object about which this iniquity is exercised; as nouns in the genitive case are frequently taken. Thus the spoil of the poor , Isa 3:14 , is not that spoil which was made by them, but upon them; and the violence of the children of Judah , as it is in the Hebrew text, Joe 3:19 , is that which was done against them, as we truly translate it. See also Dan 4:27 Mat 10:1 Act 4:9 . In like manner here,
the iniquity of my heels is the iniquity wherewith they compass and seek to trip up my heels; for we shall find David oft speaking of the malicious practices of his enemies, with respect to his heels , feet , or steps . So he tells us they pierced his hands and feet , Psa 22:16 , they compassed , and marked , and prepared a net for his steps , Psa 17:11 56:6 57:6 ; as Jeremiah also complains of his enemies, that they hid snare for his feet , Jer 18:22 . And therefore it is not strange that the iniquity of his enemies is here noted to be exercised about his heels or footsteps as this word signifies; either because they did malignantly observe all his steps or ways, that they might find occasion to load him with reproaches in order to his ruin; or because they purposed to trip up his heels, or to overthrow his goings , as he complains, Psa 140:4 . Besides, the words may be rendered, the iniquity of my supplanters ; for the Hebrew word rendered heels may be, and is by some learned interpreters taken for a particle of that verb, which signifies to supplant or trip up the heels, or circumvent, from whence Jacob had his name And this character fitly agrees to David’ s enemies, who were not only most malicious, but also very deceitful and treacherous, as he every where complains.
Haydock -> Psa 49:5
Haydock: Psa 49:5 - -- His saints. Hebrew, "my merciful ones," (Haydock) the chosen people, (Calmet) particularly priests, (Theodoret) who might have too high an opinion o...
His saints. Hebrew, "my merciful ones," (Haydock) the chosen people, (Calmet) particularly priests, (Theodoret) who might have too high an opinion of the legal sacrifices, (St. Chrysostom) or all the elect are meant, Matthew xxiv. 30. (Eusebius) ---
The Hebrews were the only nation which then offered sacrifices to the true God, though some individuals might do it among the Gentiles. (Calmet) ---
Before, super, or, "who make a covenant with him respecting sacrifices." ---
Protestants, "those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice," Malachias i. 12. (Haydock) ---
The Septuagint seem to have read v for i, more accurately, as the prophet speaks till ver. 7. (Berthier) ---
Judgment should begin at the house of God. And if first at us, what shall be the end of them that believe not the gospel of God? (1 Peter iv. 17., and Romans ii. 9.) (Haydock) ---
Those who believe not, are already judged, John iii. ---
Sacrifice generally precedes a covenant, Genesis xv. 17. (Menochius)
Gill -> Psa 49:5
Gill: Psa 49:5 - -- 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 understa...
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, Ecc 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 thy sting?" &c. 1Co 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 Eph 5:16; and such will be the hour of temptation, that shall try the inhabitants of the earth, Rev 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, Amo 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 Psa 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;

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Psa 49:5 The MT has, “the iniquity of my heels surrounds me.” The clause is best understood as temporal and as elaborating on the preceding phrase ...
Geneva Bible -> Psa 49:5
Geneva Bible: Psa 49:5 Wherefore should I ( b ) fear in the days of evil, [when] the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
( b ) Though wickedness reigns and enemies...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 49:1-20
TSK Synopsis: Psa 49:1-20 - --1 An earnest persuasion to build the faith of resurrection, not on worldly power, but on God.16 Worldly prosperity is not to be admired.
MHCC -> Psa 49:1-5
MHCC: Psa 49:1-5 - --We seldom meet with a more solemn introduction: there is no truth of greater importance. Let all hear this with application to ourselves. The poor are...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 49:1-5
Matthew Henry: Psa 49:1-5 - -- This is the psalmist's preface to his discourse concerning the vanity of the world and its insufficiency to make us happy; and we seldom meet with a...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 49:5-12
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 49:5-12 - --
(Heb.: 49:6-13) First division of the sermon. Those who have to endure suffering from rich sinners have no need to fear, for the might and splendou...
Constable: Psa 42:1--72:20 - --II. Book 2: chs. 42--72
In Book 1 we saw that all the psalms except 1, 2, 10, and 33 claimed David as their writ...

Constable: Psa 49:1-20 - --Psalm 49
The writer reflected on the problem that the prosperity of the wicked poses in this wisdom psal...
