Psalms 94:8

94:8 Take notice of this, ¹  you ignorant people! ² 

You fools, when will you ever understand?

Psalms 49:10

49:10 Surely ³  one sees ⁴  that even wise people die; ⁵ 

fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away ⁶ 

and leave their wealth to others. ⁷ 

Psalms 92:6

92:6 The spiritually insensitive do not recognize this;

the fool does not understand this. ⁸ 

[94:8]  ¹ tn Heb “understand.” The verb used in v. 7 is repeated here for rhetorical effect. The people referred to here claim God is ignorant of their actions, but the psalmist corrects their faulty viewpoint.

[94:8]  ² tn Heb “[you] brutish among the people.”

[49:10]  ³ tn The particle כִּי (ki) is understood here as asseverative (emphatic).

[49:10]  ⁴ tn The subject of the verb is probably the typical “man” mentioned in v. 7. The imperfect can be taken here as generalizing or as indicating potential (“surely he/one can see”).

[49:10]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal forms here and in the next line draw attention to what is characteristically true. The vav (ו) consecutive with perfect in the third line carries the same force.

[49:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “together a fool and a brutish [man] perish.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 73:22; 92:6; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).

[49:10]  ⁷ sn Death shows no respect for anyone. No matter how wise or foolish an individual happens to be, all pass away.

[92:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the brutish man does not know, and the fool does not understand this.” The adjective בַּעַר (ba’ar, “brutish”) refers to spiritual insensitivity, not mere lack of intelligence or reasoning ability (see Pss 49:10; 73:22; Prov 12:1; 30:2, as well as the use of the related verb in Ps 94:8).