The Eastern Cross/Bible/Psalms/Psalm 48
The Book of Psalms · the Psalter
Psalm 49 in the KJV and most English Bibles
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Hear these words, all ye nations, Hearken, all ye that dwell upon the earth:
Ἀκούσατε ταῦτα πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, ἐνωτίσασθε πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν οἰκουμένην,
Both the sons of mean men, and sons of great men; The rich and poor man together.
οἵ τε γηγενεῖς καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐπιτοαυτὸ πλούσιος καὶ πένης.
And again he says, "both all you earthborn, and sons of men". The expression "earthborn" refers to sinners; the expression "sons of men" to the faithful and righteous. You see then that this distinction is observed. Who are the "earthborn"? The children of the earth. Who are the children of the earth? They who desire…
My mouth shall speak of wisdom; And the meditation of my heart shall bring forth understanding.
Τὸ στόμα μου λαλήσει σοφίαν, καὶ ἡ μελέτη τῆς καρδίας μου σύνεσιν.
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my riddle on the harp.
Κλινῶ εἰς παραβολὴν τὸ οὖς μου, ἀνοίξω ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ τὸ πρόβλημά μου.
"I will incline mine ear to the parable, I will show my proposition upon the harp"....And why "to a parable"? Because "now we see through a glass darkly," [1 Corinthians 13:12] as says the Apostle; "while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." [2 Corinthians 5:6] For our vision is not yet that face…
Wherefore should I fear in the evil day? The iniquity of my heel shall compass me.
Ἱνατί φοβοῦμαι ἐν ἡμέρᾳ πονηρᾷ; ἡ ἀνομία τῆς πτέρνης μου κυκλώσει με.
And what has he said? "And wherefore shall I fear in the evil day? The iniquity of my heel shall compass me". He begins something obscurely. Therefore he ought the rather to fear if the iniquity of his heel shall compass him. Nay, for let not man fear, he says, who has not power to escape. For example, he who fears…
They that trust in their strength, And boast themselves in the multitude of their wealth—
Οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχώμενοι.
But who are they whom the "iniquity of their heel shall compass"? "They who trust in their virtue, and in the abundance of their riches do glory". Therefore such sins will I avoid, and the "iniquity of my heel" shall never compass me. What is avoiding such sins? Let us not trust in our own virtue, let us not glory in…
A brother does not redeem, shall a man redeem? He shall not give to God a ransom for himself,
Ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦται, λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; οὐ δώσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ,
Or the price of the redemption of his soul, Though he labor forever,
καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῆς λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐκοπίασεν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα,
and live to the end, So that he should not see corruption.
καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τέλος· ὅτι οὐκ ὄψεται καταφθορὰν,
And what has he said of such a man? "Yea, he has laboured for ever, and shall live till the end". His labour shall be without end, his life shall have an end. Wherefore says he, "He shall live till the end"? Because such men think life to be nought but daily enjoyments. So when many poor and needy men of our times,…
When he shall see wise men dying, The fool and the senseless one shall perish together; And they shall leave their wealth to strangers.
Ὅταν ἴδῃ σοφοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας, ἐπιτοαυτὸ ἄφρων καὶ ἄνους ἀπολοῦνται, καὶ καταλείψουσιν ἀλλοτρίοις τὸν πλοῦτον αὐτῶν.
And their sepulchers are their houses forever, Even their tabernacles to all generations: They have called their lands after their own names.
Καὶ οἱ τάφοι αὐτῶν οἰκίαι αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, σκηνώματα αὐτῶν εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεὰν, ἐπεκαλέσαντο τὰ ὀνόματα αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῶν γαιῶν αὐτῶν.
And man being in honor, understands not: He is compared to the senseless cattle, and is like to them.
Καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὢν, οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς.
"And man though he was in honour perceived not, he was compared to the beasts without sense, and was made like to them." ...They ought, on the contrary, to have made ready for themselves an eternal house in good works, to have made ready for themselves everlasting life, to have sent before them expenditure, to have…
This their way is an offense to them: Yet afterward men will commend their sayings. Pause.
Αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς αὐτῶν σκάνδαλον αὐτοῖς, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν εὐλογήσουσι· διάψαλμα.
"This their own way is an offense to them". Be it an offense to them, not to you. But when will it be so to you too? If you think such men to be blessed. If you perceive that they be not blessed, their own way will be an offense to themselves; not to Christ, not to His Body, not to His members. "And afterwards they…
They have laid them as sheep in Hades; death shall feed on them; And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, And their help shall fail in Hades from their glory.
Ὡς πρόβατα ἐν ᾅδῃ ἔθεντο, θάνατος ποιμανεῖ αὐτούς· καὶ κατακυριεύσουσιν αὐτῶν οἱ εὐθεῖς τοπρωῒ, καὶ ἡ βοήθεια αὐτῶν παλαιωθήσεται ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ ἐκ τῆς δόξης αὐτῶν.
"Like sheep laid in hell, death is their shepherd." Whose? Of those whose way is a stumbling-block to themselves. Whose? Of those who mind only things present, while they think not of things future: of those who think not of any life, but of that which must be called death. Not without cause, then, like sheep in hell,…
"Nevertheless, God shall redeem my soul." Behold the voice of one hoping in the future: "Nevertheless, God shall redeem my soul." Perhaps it is the voice of one still wishing to be relieved from oppression. Some one is in prison, he saith, "God shall redeem my soul:" some one is in bond, "God shall redeem my soul:"…
...Perchance thy heart saith, Wretch that I am, I suppose to no purpose I have believed, God doth not regard things human. God therefore doth awaken us: and He saith what? "Fear not, though a man have become rich." For why didst thou fear, because a man hath become rich? Thou didst fear that thou hadst believed to no…
"Fear not, though a man be made rich, and though the glory of his house be multiplied." Wherefore "fear not"? "For when he shall die, he shall not receive anything." Thou seest him living, consider him dying. Thou markest what he hath here, mark what he taketh with him. What doth he take with him? He hath store of…
But wherefore this? What he has written in the middle of the Psalm, the same also he has writ at the end: "Man, though he was in honour, understood not, was compared to the beasts without sense, and was made like to them". But you, brethren, consider that you be men made after the image and likeness of God. The image…
Every note is a real passage, quoted word for word from a published English translation, with its source. Nothing here is summarised or written by us. Some verses have many notes and some have none, because the Fathers wrote more on some passages than others.
All of these translations are in the public domain. The passages were matched to their verses by the Historical Christian Commentaries project, which also hosts the full texts we link to. The Fathers are a treasury of the Church's mind, and they are best read alongside the life of the Church: if a passage raises a question, bring it to your priest.