Psalm 49:8
New International Version
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—

New Living Translation
Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough

English Standard Version
for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,

Berean Standard Bible
For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

King James Bible
(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

New King James Version
For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever—

New American Standard Bible
For the redemption of his soul is priceless, And he should cease imagining forever—

NASB 1995
For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever—

NASB 1977
For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever—

Legacy Standard Bible
For the redemption price for their soul is costly, And it ceases forever—

Amplified Bible
For the ransom of his soul is too costly, And he should cease trying forever—

Christian Standard Bible
since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying —

Holman Christian Standard Bible
since the price of redeeming him is too costly, one should forever stop trying—

American Standard Version
(For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever),

Contemporary English Version
It costs far too much to buy back your life. You can never pay God enough

English Revised Version
(For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be let alone for ever:)

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The price to be paid for his soul is too costly. He must always give up

Good News Translation
because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough

International Standard Version
for it would cost too much to redeem his life, and the payments would go on forever—

Majority Standard Bible
For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

NET Bible
(the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final destiny),

New Heart English Bible
For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,

Webster's Bible Translation
(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

World English Bible
For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And precious [is] the redemption of their soul, "" And it has ceased for all time.

Young's Literal Translation
And precious is the redemption of their soul, And it hath ceased -- to the age.

Smith's Literal Translation
(And the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceased forever:)
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever,

Catholic Public Domain Version
nor the price for the redemption of his soul. And he will labor continuously,

New American Bible
The redemption of his soul is costly; and he will pass away forever.

New Revised Standard Version
For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For the redemption of their souls is precious:

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The salvation of their souls is precious; it labors for eternity,
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For too costly is the redemption of their soul, And must be let alone for ever--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
or the price of the redemption of his soul, though he labour for ever,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Evanescence of Wealth
7No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God. 8For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice, 9that he should live on forever and not see decay.…

Cross References
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?

Mark 8:36-37
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? / Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

1 Peter 1:18-19
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, / but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, / who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.

Hebrews 9:12
He did not enter by the blood of goats and calves, but He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by His own blood, thus securing eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:15
Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace

Colossians 1:14
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Revelation 5:9
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

Proverbs 11:4
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

Job 36:18-19
Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray. / Can your wealth or all your mighty effort keep you from distress?

Isaiah 52:3
For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”

Isaiah 55:1-2
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! / Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

Micah 6:6-7
With what shall I come before the LORD when I bow before the God on high? Should I come to Him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? / Would the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?


Treasury of Scripture

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases for ever:)

Job 36:18,19
Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee…

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Able Age Alone Cease Ceased Ceaseth Costly Death Enough Faileth Forever Great Life Payment Precious Price Ransom Redemption Soul Suffice Trying
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Able Age Alone Cease Ceased Ceaseth Costly Death Enough Faileth Forever Great Life Payment Precious Price Ransom Redemption Soul Suffice Trying
Psalm 49
1. An earnest persuasion to build the faith of resurrection
16. Worldly prosperity is not to be admired














For the redemption
The Hebrew word for "redemption" is "פְּד֣וּת" (pedut), which signifies a release or a ransom. In the ancient Near Eastern context, redemption often involved a price paid to free someone from bondage or debt. Spiritually, this term points to the profound truth that humanity is in need of redemption from sin and death. Theologically, it foreshadows the ultimate redemption through Christ, who paid the price for our souls with His own life.

of his soul
The Hebrew word for "soul" is "נֶפֶשׁ" (nephesh), which encompasses the entire being of a person, including life, breath, and vitality. In the biblical worldview, the soul is the essence of a person, created in the image of God and eternal in nature. This highlights the intrinsic value and worth of each individual, emphasizing that the soul's redemption is of utmost importance and cannot be taken lightly.

is costly
The term "costly" in Hebrew is "יָקָר" (yaqar), meaning precious or valuable. This word underscores the immense value and price of redemption. In the historical context, the cost of redeeming a life was often beyond human means, pointing to the insufficiency of material wealth to secure eternal life. This sets the stage for understanding the sacrificial love of Christ, whose blood was the only sufficient payment for our redemption.

and never can payment suffice
The phrase "never can payment suffice" reflects the Hebrew "וְחָדַל לְעוֹלָם" (ve-chadal le-olam), indicating that no amount of human effort or wealth can achieve the redemption of a soul. This is a humbling reminder of human limitations and the futility of relying on earthly riches for eternal security. It points to the necessity of divine intervention, fulfilled in the New Testament through Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice is the only sufficient payment for sin. This truth calls believers to trust solely in God's provision for salvation, rather than in their own resources or abilities.

(8) For.--This verse is rightly placed in a parenthesis. "Soul" is the animal life, as generally, and here necessarily from the context. There is no anticipation of the Christian scheme of redemption from sin. A ransom which could buy a man from death, as one redeems a debtor or prisoner, would be beyond the means of the wealthiest, even if nature allowed such a bargain.

It ceaseth for ever.--This is obscure. It may mean, either the ransom utterly fails, or the life utterly perishes, and so cannot be ransomed. Or, as in the Prayer Book version, the verb may be taken transitively, "he lets that alone for ever." The first of these is the simplest, and most agreeable to the context.

Verse 8. - For the redemption of their soul is precious; or, costly - too costly, i.e., for them, however rich they may be, to be able to effect it (comp. Job 36:18, 19). And it ceaseth for ever; rather, and one must let that aloes for ever (Cheyne, Kay, Hengstenberg, Revised Version).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For the redemption
פִּדְי֥וֹן (piḏ·yō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6306: Ransom, that were redeemed, redemption

of his soul
נַפְשָׁ֗ם (nap̄·šām)
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

is costly,
וְ֭יֵקַר (wə·yê·qar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3365: To be heavy, valuable, to make rare

and never
לְעוֹלָֽם׃ (lə·‘ō·w·lām)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5769: Concealed, eternity, frequentatively, always

can payment suffice,
וְחָדַ֥ל (wə·ḥā·ḏal)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2308: To be flabby, desist, be lacking, idle


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OT Poetry: Psalm 49:8 For the redemption of their life (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 49:7
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