Psalms 49:17-19

49:17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;

his wealth will not follow him down into the grave. ¹ 

49:18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:

“May men praise you, for you have done well!”

49:19 But he will join his ancestors; ² 

they will never again see the light of day. ³ 

Psalms 73:12

73:12 Take a good look! This is what the wicked are like, ⁴ 

those who always have it so easy and get richer and richer. ⁵ 

Luke 12:19-21

12:19 And I will say to myself, ⁶  “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ⁷  will be demanded back from ⁸  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ⁹  12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, ¹⁰  but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 16:25

16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, ¹¹  remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ¹² 

James 5:5

5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ¹³ 

[49:17]  ¹ tn Heb “his glory will not go down after him.”

[49:19]  ² tn Verses 18-19a are one long sentence in the Hebrew text, which reads: “Though he blesses his soul in his life, [saying], ‘And let them praise you, for you do well for yourself,’ it [that is, his soul] will go to the generation of his fathers.” This has been divided into two sentences in the translation for clarity, in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.

[49:19]  ³ tn Heb “light.” The words “of day” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[73:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “Look, these [are] the wicked.”

[73:12]  ⁵ tn Heb “the ones who are always at ease [who] increase wealth.”

[12:19]  ⁶ tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

[12:20]  ⁷ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ⁸ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:21]  ¹⁰ sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.

[16:25]  ¹¹ tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.

[16:25]  ¹² tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.

[5:5]  ¹³ sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).