Psalm 49:12
New International Version
People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.

New Living Translation
but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals.

English Standard Version
Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish.

Berean Standard Bible
But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

King James Bible
Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

New King James Version
Nevertheless man, though in honor, does not remain; He is like the beasts that perish.

New American Standard Bible
But man in his splendor will not endure; He is like the animals that perish.

NASB 1995
But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

NASB 1977
But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

Legacy Standard Bible
But man in his honor will not endure; He is like the animals that perish.

Amplified Bible
But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.

Christian Standard Bible
But despite his assets, mankind will not last; he is like the animals that perish.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But despite his assets, man will not last; he is like the animals that perish.

American Standard Version
But man being in honor abideth not: He is like the beasts that perish.

Contemporary English Version
Our human glory disappears, and, like animals, we die.

English Revised Version
But man abideth not in honour: he is like the beasts that perish.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But mortals will not continue here with what they treasure. They are like animals that die.

Good News Translation
Our greatness cannot keep us from death; we will still die like the animals.

International Standard Version
But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit; it will pass away just like the animals.

Majority Standard Bible
But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

NET Bible
but, despite their wealth, people do not last, they are like animals that perish.

New Heart English Bible
But man, despite his riches, doesn't endure. He is like the animals that perish.

Webster's Bible Translation
Nevertheless man being in honor abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.

World English Bible
But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And man does not remain in honor, "" He has been like the beasts, they have been cut off.

Young's Literal Translation
And man in honour doth not remain, He hath been like the beasts, they have been cut off.

Smith's Literal Translation
And man shall not abide in honor, being like as the beasts they perished.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And man, when he was held in honor, did not understand. He has been compared to the senseless beasts, and he has become like them.

New American Bible
—but man does not abide in splendor. He is like the beasts—they perish.

New Revised Standard Version
Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Nevertheless, such a man is not sustained by his honour; his end will be as the beasts, and he will perish.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A man is not sustained in his honor, but ends up an animal, and resembles one.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But man abideth not in honour; He is like the beasts that perish.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And man being in honour, understands not: he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is like to them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Evanescence of Wealth
11Their graves are their eternal homes—their dwellings for endless generations—even though their lands were their namesakes. 12But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish. 13This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20
For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. / All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

Ecclesiastes 2:16
For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!

Ecclesiastes 5:15
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.

Job 14:2
Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Job 21:26
But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.

Psalm 39:5-6
You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah / Surely every man goes about like a phantom; surely he bustles in vain; he heaps up riches not knowing who will haul them away.

Psalm 82:7
But like mortals you will die, and like rulers you will fall.”

Isaiah 40:6-8
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Isaiah 51:12
“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

James 1:10-11
But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field. / For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

1 Timothy 6:7
For we brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of it.

Luke 12:20-21
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’ / This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. / But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. / For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 16:26
What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?


Treasury of Scripture

Nevertheless man being in honor stays not: he is like the beasts that perish.

in honour

Psalm 49:20
Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 39:5
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.

Psalm 82:7
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

abideth.

beasts

Ecclesiastes 3:18-21
I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts…

Ecclesiastes 9:12
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

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Psalm 49
1. An earnest persuasion to build the faith of resurrection
16. Worldly prosperity is not to be admired














But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure
But a man
The Hebrew word for "man" here is "אָדָם" (adam), which is often used to denote humanity in general, reflecting the creation of man from the dust of the earth. This term reminds us of the universal nature of the human condition, emphasizing that the message of this verse applies to all people, regardless of status or background. It is a humbling reminder of our shared origin and mortality.

despite his wealth
The Hebrew word for "wealth" is "יָקָר" (yaqar), which can also mean "precious" or "valuable." This highlights the transient nature of material possessions. In the historical context of ancient Israel, wealth was often seen as a sign of God's blessing, yet this verse challenges that notion by asserting that wealth cannot alter the fundamental truths of human existence. It serves as a caution against placing trust in material riches, which are fleeting and ultimately powerless to change one's fate.

cannot endure
The phrase "cannot endure" is derived from the Hebrew "לֹא יָלִין" (lo yalin), which literally means "does not remain overnight." This imagery evokes the idea of impermanence, akin to the fleeting nature of a shadow or a vapor. In the broader scriptural context, this reflects the biblical theme of the brevity of life, as seen in James 4:14, which compares life to a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. It is a call to focus on eternal values rather than temporal gains, urging believers to seek treasures in heaven where they will last forever.

(12) Abideth not.--This verse gives the kernel and the thought of, as it also serves as a refrain to, the poem, thus vindicating the claim of a lyric tone for this didactic psalm. The reading of the LXX. and Vulg. ("without understanding" instead of "abideth not"), which brings Psalm 49:12 into exact correspondence with Psalm 49:20, is unquestionably to be adopted. The present text could not really express permanence, the Hebrew verb meaning to lodge temporarily.

The next verse, too, is hardly intelligible, unless we read here--

"Man, though in honour, without understanding,

Is like the beasts; they perish."

Verse 12. - Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not. Against these" inward thoughts" and outward actions, the psalmist simply maintains the ground already taken (ver. 10): "Man, in whatever honour he may be, abideth not" - has but a short time to live. He is like the beasts that perish. He has no more continuance than many of the beasts; like them, he passes from earth.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But a man,
וְאָדָ֣ם (wə·’ā·ḏām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

despite his wealth,
בִּ֭יקָר (bî·qār)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3366: Value, wealth, costliness, dignity

cannot
בַּל־ (bal-)
Adverb
Strong's 1077: A failure, nothing, not at all, lest

endure;
יָלִ֑ין (yā·lîn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3885: To stop, to stay permanently, to be obstinate

he is like
נִמְשַׁ֖ל (nim·šal)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4911: To liken, to use, language, in, to resemble

the beasts
כַּבְּהֵמ֣וֹת (kab·bə·hê·mō·wṯ)
Preposition-k, Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

that perish.
נִדְמֽוּ׃ (niḏ·mū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1820: To be dumb, silent, to fail, perish, trans, to destroy


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OT Poetry: Psalm 49:12 But man despite his riches doesn't endure (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 49:11
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