And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared to senseless beasts, and is become like to them.

“Humankind, then, having been advanced above other created things in honor, did not understand and neglected to follow God and to become like the Creator. Becoming a slave of the passions of the flesh, "he is compared with senseless beasts and is become like them": now he is like an amorous horse that neighs after his neighbor's wife, now like a ravenous wolf, lying in wait for strangers, but at another time, because of his deceit toward his brother, he makes himself like the villainous fox. Truly, there is excessive folly and beast-like lack of reason, that he, made according to the image of the Creator, neither perceives his own constitution from the beginning, nor even wishes to understand such great dispensations that were made for his sake, at least, to learn his own dignity from them, but that he is unmindful of the fact that, throwing aside the image of the heavenly, he has taken up the image of the earthly. In order that he might not remain in sin, for his sake "The Word was made flesh and dwelled among us," and he humbled himself to such an extent as to become "obedient to death, even to death on a cross."”

“With regard, however, to the passage in the inspired psalm, "Man, being in honour, understandeth not; he is compared to the senseless cattle, and is like unto them;" read and understand these words, that you may rather with a humble spirit guard against the opprobrium yourself, than arrogantly throw it out against another person. The passage applies to those who regard only that as a life worth living which they live in the flesh-having no hope after death-just like "cattle;" it has no reference to those who never deny their knowledge of what they actually know, and always acknowledge their ignorance of what they really do not know; who, in point of fact, are aware of their weakness, rather than confident of their strength.”

“Above, the Psalmist invited the nations to joy and thanksgiving for the benefits given to the people of God; but here he admonishes them to trust in God. And concerning this he does two things. First, he arouses attention. Second, he pursues his proposal. The title is not new. Now according to the title, a man is rendered attentive in two ways. In one way, someone is said to be rendered attentive on the part of the hearers; in another way, on the part of the things to be said, when one promises that he will say great things: Proverbs 8: "Hear me, for I am about to speak of great things." And it is in this way that he speaks here. First, then, he renders them attentive on the part of those to whom he was speaking. Second, on the part of the things to be said, at the words "my mouth." He says, therefore, that the things he is about to say pertain to every difference of men and to all. And he touches on four differences among men. One arises from the diversity of peoples, since the people of the Jews was one thing, and that of the Gentiles another. Another arises on the part of places. Another on the part of origin, for some were noble and distinguished, some not. Another on the part of fortune, since some were rich, some not. He sets down the first when he says, "Hear this, all ye nations," not only of the Jews, because this pertains to all to hear, and this is necessary: Proverbs 1: "a wise man hearing," etc. He sets down the second when he says, "give ear, all ye that inhabit the world," that is, whatever part of the world, and he says "give ear" because it is necessary both to hear and to perceive: Matthew 13: "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear," that is, let him attend. Jerome has "the inhabitants of the west." As though it were a kind of prophecy, because the faith of Christ flourishes especially among the people of the west, since in the northern regions there are still many pagans, and in the eastern regions there are many schismatics and unbelievers. Or, "hear this, all ye nations" refers to the wicked, while "ye that inhabit the world" refers to the good who have dominion over the earth. He sets down the third when he says, "both earth-born" (terrigenae), that is, the ignoble, "and the sons of men" (filii hominum), that is, the noble. Jerome has "both the sons of Adam and the sons of each man" (singulorum), because some have nothing distinguished from their parents. Mystically, sinners are called "earth-born," because they cleave to the earth through affection; hence they are compared to the serpent: Isaiah 65: "to the serpent" (that is, to earthly things) "the dust is his bread." The sons of men are called good, who bear the image of God and of Christ, who is the Son of Man. He sets down the fourth when he says, "rich and poor together" (simul in unum dives et pauper); as if to say: let all of you hear these teachings, because they are useful to all. And what are they? Matthew 5: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven": Ecclesiasticus 31: "Blessed is the rich man that is found without blemish," etc. Yet someone may be rich in act but not in affection, and this man can be a saint, as Abraham and Louis, king of France. Another is rich both in act and in affection, and this man is not a saint. Of this it is said Matthew 19: "it is easier for a camel to enter," etc., because just as it is against nature for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle, so it is against divine justice for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. And such men are the "earth-born"; but the former are the "sons of men." "My mouth." Here he renders them attentive by the promise of what is to be said. Whoever teaches, either teaches things or teaches words. When we preach faith and morals, we teach things; when we expound Scripture, we teach words. First, therefore, he speaks of the first teaching; second, of the second, at the words "I will incline." Now the knowledge of things is necessary for two purposes: namely, for the knowledge of truth, and for the use of action. Therefore all knowledge of truth which is necessary for us concerning other things must be referred to the knowledge of the truth of divine things. Hence Augustine says: "he who examines these things without referring them to the eternal is idle." And therefore all knowledge of truth pertains to wisdom; and therefore he says, "my mouth shall speak wisdom": 1 Corinthians 2: "we speak wisdom among the perfect." But that which is necessary as regards the use of action pertains to prudence, by which the direction of human affairs is had; and therefore he says, "and the meditation of my heart," namely, shall speak, "understanding" (prudentia): Proverbs 10: "wisdom is prudence to a man," because wisdom, when compared to human and material things, is prudence. "I will incline." Here he deals with the second teaching, namely of obscure words; and concerning these two things are necessary. First, that he strive to understand them. Second, that he strive to expound them to others. As to the first he says, "I will incline my ear to a parable." A parable is a certain saying, when it has an obscure likeness; as if to say: I will apply study to understand the sayings of others: Proverbs 1: "he will understand a parable and its interpretation, the words of the wise and their riddles." Or, "I will incline my ear to a parable" which God speaks, because he speaks enigmatically; as if to say: I will incline my understanding to the voice of the Lord, who speaks in parables. "I will open my proposition upon the psaltery." "Proposition" (propositio) is said in two ways. In one way, it is that which one chooses above other things, and it is that which one desires the most; and this he "opens upon the psaltery," that is, in my action, because this is the best way of disclosing one's proposal — for if you propose to enter into eternal life, you do not manifest your proposal unless you have good action. Or "proposition" is an obscure saying, or one proposed for the sake of a trial; thus Samson, Judges 14, proposed a riddle (problema), whence he says: "if you had not ploughed with my heifer" — and it is in this sense that "proposition" is taken here. And therefore Jerome says that it is an obscure saying. The Hebrews have "my divination," which is the same thing. "Why shall I fear." Having proposed the proem of the psalm in which he aroused the attention of the peoples, he now proceeds to his principal purpose, which is to lead men not to fear present evils, lest they trust in present goods, but that their fear and their confidence be in God alone; and concerning this he does two things. First, he shows what is to be feared. Second, he shows what they ought not to fear, at the words "thou shalt not fear." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets forth his intention. Second, he proves his proposal, at the words "who trust." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he proposes the question. Second, he sets down the conclusion. The question is: "Why shall I fear in the evil day?" Here it must first be seen what this "evil day" is, since all days are from God. But they are called evil on account of the evils which occur in them: Ephesians 5: "redeeming the time, because the days are evil." A day, then, can be called evil in which some danger occurs; and especially one in which the danger of eternal damnation is imminent, and this is the day of judgment: Zephaniah 1: "the voice of the day of the Lord is bitter: the mighty man shall be in tribulation there." Therefore, "why shall I fear in the evil day?" — that is, what will make me fear on that day? And he answers: "the iniquity of my heel shall surround me." For nothing is to be feared except sin, because no adversity will do harm if no iniquity holds dominion: Proverbs 28: "the wicked man fleeth when no man pursueth": Ecclesiasticus 34: "he that feareth God shall not tremble"; and therefore he says, "the iniquity of my heel." By "heel" three things can be understood. First, because it is the extreme part of the body. And so "the iniquity of my heel" is the iniquity which perseveres to the end of life; and it is in this way that "heel" is taken: Genesis 3: "she" (namely, the woman) "shall crush thy head," namely, the higher reason; but she shall crush the serpent's head, "and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel," that is, thou shalt lie in wait for her until the end of life. Again, by "heel" can be understood the weakness of the flesh, because when a man fails, the heel slips. And thus "the iniquity of the heel," that is, sin proceeding from the weakness of the flesh, "shall surround me." Third, the unjust persecution which someone stirs up against another, according to that word of John 13: "he that eateth my bread shall lift up his heel against me." And thus "the iniquity of the heel," that is, unjust persecution, is turned back against the persecutor: Proverbs 5: "his own iniquities catch the wicked man." "Who trust in their own strength." Here the reason is set down why it is to be feared — namely, on account of sin. And there is a twofold reason why sin is to be feared. First, on account of the impossibility of escaping the punishment of sin: Job 11: "their refuge shall perish from them, and their hope the abomination of the soul." The other reason is on account of the evils which threaten the wicked. First, therefore, he sets down the impossibility of escaping punishment. Second, he shows the evils threatening the wicked, at the words "he shall not see." Someone escapes punishments, first, through outward help; second, through his own diligence; third, on account of a defect in the subject, as when he dies. And he shows that he can escape by none of these ways. First, on account of help; second, that he cannot escape by any remedy furnished by himself; third, that he cannot escape through a defect in the subject. He who wishes to be freed through help is sometimes freed by the power of his own army: John 18: "if my kingdom were of this world, my servants," etc. Sometimes through riches: Proverbs 6: "he shall give all the substance of his house, and shall deliver himself." Sometimes through friends. And he shows that none of these can free him from the punishment of sin. And although according to the Gloss it is read otherwise, yet according to the Hebrews it is read that God frees those who trust in him. "A brother doth not redeem" — as if to say: a brother does not redeem those who trust in him. And therefore he first shows that one is not helped from the punishment of sin by the help of friends, because the power of friends is slight. And therefore one ought not to trust in the bodily strength of friends. Hence he says, "who trust in their own strength," namely, of their friends, or in their own particular strength: because, "there is a way which seemeth to a man right, but the ends thereof lead to death," Proverbs 14. Likewise, those who trust in the strength of their riches are not freed by all these things from the punishment of sin, because Proverbs 11: "they that trust in their riches shall fall." For one ought not to trust in bodily or spiritual riches, but a man should seek his salvation as best he can: Jeremiah 9: "let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory in his riches." Nor can a person joined to him, however closely, redeem him — that is, free him from sin or from punishment: Ezekiel 14: "if there be in the midst of it three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, they by their own justice shall deliver their own souls." But since a brother cannot redeem, however near he be to him, shall man redeem? No, because man cannot snatch anyone out of the hand of God, but God alone shall redeem them. And "man" — namely, Christ: man, so that the price, that is, death, might have a place in him; and God, so that he might have the power of redeeming. Or otherwise: "brother," that is, Christ, who is our true brother: Psalm 21: "I will declare thy name to my brethren": Song of Songs 8: "who shall give thee to me for my brother," etc. If this one does not redeem, who else shall redeem? As if to say, no one. "He shall not give to God his ransom." Here he shows that they do not escape punishment on account of anything they do while they are in sin, because sinners need a twofold remedy on account of the twofold evil they incur, namely, the offense against God and the guilt of punishment. And so they need to appease God, which they themselves cannot do, because since they do not please God and are enemies of God, he does not accept their gifts; hence he says, "he shall not give to God his ransom," because outward things do not please God unless there be inward grace, which a mere man cannot give. Likewise, they need to be absolved from punishment, and this too man cannot do; hence he says, "nor the price of the redemption of his soul" — namely, a mere man can give — and therefore he cannot free from punishment: Psalm 88: "who is the man that shall live and not see death, that shall deliver his soul from the hand of hell?" But Christ, who is God and man, gave the appeasement for us: Romans 5: "when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God," etc. Likewise, he alone is the price of redemption: 1 Peter 1: "you were redeemed from your vain conversation," etc. Or, "he shall not give," that is, he shall not trouble to give appeasement and the price of the redemption of his soul — namely, he who trusts in riches. And according to this the other reading can be continued, which says, "a brother" — namely Christ — "doth not redeem," because they do not care to appease God through penance, since Christ does not help those who are unwilling to help themselves. "And he shall labor." Here he shows that he will not escape through a defect in himself, because he is punished forever; hence he says, "he shall labor forever," that is, he shall be punished with everlasting torment: Matthew 25: "these shall go into everlasting punishment," because they were unwilling to labor here: Psalm 72: "they are not in the labor of men." And because, as far as it was in them, they sinned unto eternity, since they preferred sin to the law of God; and therefore they do not fear punishment, but would always wish to commit sin. "And he shall still live unto the end," that is, his life shall not fail amid his punishments: Job 20: "he shall pay for all that he has done, and yet he shall not be consumed." "He shall not see." Above the Psalmist showed that sin is to be feared because there is no remedy for escaping punishment; but here he deals with the evils which threaten them on account of their own lack of foresight; and concerning this he does three things. First, he recalls their lack of foresight regarding future evils. Second, he recalls the evils that threaten them, at the words "they shall leave to strangers." Third, he sets down the hope in God by which he hopes to be freed from these evils, at the word "but yet." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he shows their lack of foresight. Second, the cause of their ignorance, at the words "when he shall see." He says, then, that such a man, upon whom so many evils are imminent, "shall not see," that is, shall not consider his ruin, that is, his own damnation. For it belongs to the just to remember the last things, Ecclesiasticus 7. But of these it is said, Deuteronomy 32: "a nation without prudence and without counsel." And why do the unjust not foresee for themselves? The reason is given, Ecclesiastes 9: "this is the worst among all things that are done under the sun, that the same things happen to all." And therefore they do not consider what may befall them in the future. And therefore, "when he shall see even wise men dying" — but seeing bodily death, they do not consider their glory: Wisdom 4: "they shall see the end of the wise man, and shall not understand what God hath designed for him." There is a difference between the "foolish" (insipiens) and the "senseless" (stultus). The foolish man is one who has human knowledge and does not consider eternal things; the senseless man is one who does not even consider present things. Or, the foolish man is one who does not attend to present evils but to future ones; the senseless man is one who attends to them and does not avoid them; hence he says, "the foolish and the senseless shall perish together." According to Jerome, there is a twofold cause of the contempt of the unjust: the length of life, and the fact that they see the wise and the foolish die together. "And they shall leave." Here he sets down the evils that befall sinners. And first he sets down the evils that occur in the present. Second, he sets down the evils that will occur in the future, at the words "like sheep." Concerning the first he does two things. First, he sets down the evils that occur in the present as regards external goods. Second, as regards internal goods, at the words "when man was in honor." And first he shows what the wicked man loses through death. He says that he loses his riches; hence he says, "they shall leave their riches to strangers": Jeremiah 17: "he hath made riches, and not by right; in the midst of his days he shall leave them." And he says "their own" (suas), as though possessed by themselves, or because he did not use them for the benefit of others: Philippians 2: "all seek the things that are their own." And he says "to strangers," because often strangers — that is, those unrelated by blood — receive their riches: Psalm 38: "he layeth up treasures, and knoweth not for whom he shall gather them." And even if he sometimes leaves his riches to his own children, they are nevertheless strangers, as is said, Luke 10: "he that showed mercy to him was a neighbor." And it happens that children and grandchildren do nothing good for the dead; but two things remain to them of the things of this world: a tomb and the fame of men. The second, at the word "tabernacles" (habitations). As to the first he says: they had houses and vineyards and chariots and many precious things. But what shall they have in death? In place of a palace they shall have a tomb, and this "forever," that is, they shall dwell in tombs until the day of judgment. Or, because they build elaborate tombs, they believe they will dwell in them forever; but they are deceived, because even tombs shall be destroyed. Hence, although according to their own opinion those tombs are their houses forever, yet it is not so. Jerome, however, has it otherwise: "their inward parts are their houses forever," because man has a twofold house: an exterior one, and this does not remain forever; and an interior one, namely his conscience, and this does remain: Isaiah 38: "set thy house in order." Whether good or evil, it always remains. "Tabernacles." Here he shows that fame, or the memory of a man, does not remain after death. The memorable things of men are strong buildings; therefore he says, "their houses" (tabernacles) "shall endure from generation to generation" — as if to say, they are built as though they were to endure to the end; but they are deceived, because they are destroyed: Job 21: "where is the house of the prince, and where are the tabernacles of the wicked?" Mark 13: "seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left," etc. And he says "tabernacles" (tents), because they do not remain long in them. "They have called their lands by their names" — as if to say: this is the purpose of this building, that they might be named after their lands: Genesis 11: "come, let us build a city and a tower, and let us make ourselves renowned," etc. Ecclesiasticus 40: "the building of a city establisheth a name"; hence they call cities after their own names; and he says "their own" (suis), because someone's name does not extend very far beyond his own land. And therefore it is foolish that a man should celebrate his name in the earth. Or, "they shall call upon their names" — that is, of the dead — "in their lands," by carrying food to the tombs. "And man." Above, the Psalmist set forth the evils that threaten the wicked as regards the loss of external things; but here he sets down the evils that threaten them from the corruption of internal goods; and concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth the evil of internal corruption. Second, he shows what follows from this evil, at the words "this way of theirs." Now it must be known that man is composed of a rational and a sensitive nature. According to his rational nature, man has a likeness to God and the angels: Genesis 1: "let us make man to our image and likeness": Psalm 8: "thou hast made him a little less than the angels." But according to his sensitive nature he has communication with beasts. First, therefore, he sets down the honor of man as regards his having a likeness with the angels; hence he says, "when man was in honor." According to the Philosopher, honor is something more excellent than praise, because praise is ordered to something else, whereas honor is through itself and in itself. And he says "was" (esset), namely, like unto God. And from the fact that man has this, he sets forth three things beforehand: for he sets forth first that man does not consider this, namely, that he is like unto God. Second, that he declines into ignorance and bestial ignobility. Third, that a bestial act follows. As to the first he says, "he did not understand" — namely, that he was made to the image of God, and that he was fit to possess heavenly things: Wisdom 2: "neither did they hope for the wages of justice, nor did they esteem the honor of holy souls." As to the second he says, "he is compared to beasts of burden." Brute animals act from passion; and this is evident, because a dog, as soon as it becomes angry, barks, and a horse, when it lusts, neighs; but this is not imputed to them, because they lack reason. If, then, a man, as soon as he lusts, follows passion, and, being angry, strikes, he is compared in his acting to senseless beasts of burden: Psalm 31: "be not like the horse and the mule," etc. As to the third he says, "and he is become like to them," for when the nature of brutes is inclined to something, it thus makes use of passion, and habit turns into nature. When, therefore, a man becomes accustomed to living according to passion, it now turns into nature; and therefore, "he is become like to them," through a habit weighed down by evil works: Jeremiah 5: "they are become as amorous horses and stallions"; and therefore the Philosopher says that a wicked man is worse than a wicked beast, because along with malice he has intellect, so that he may devise various evils. "This way of theirs." Here he shows what follows from this evil which they incur, namely, that they have become bestial; for someone might say that no evil follows from this. But it is not so. Rather, something else follows. And first he shows what follows as regards themselves. Second, as regards others. As regards themselves he says, "this way of theirs" — because, namely, it follows the passions — "is a stumbling-block (scandal) to them," because they are inwardly disturbed: Psalm 68: "let their table become a stumbling-block before them." Likewise they are also disturbed outwardly, because they are punished and disgraced. The Philosopher: "the wicked are filled with regret." As regards others it follows that "afterward they shall be well pleased in their mouth." And this is explained in two ways. In one way thus: after they are inwardly scandalized and do evil deeds, they wish that others would follow them. And therefore they strive to please others, in order to draw them into sin: Proverbs 1: "if sinners shall entice thee," etc. In another way, thus he reproaches their pretense: as if to say, after they are already thus disturbed and follow evil deeds, "they shall be well pleased in their mouth," that is, they strive to speak holy and pleasing words: Matthew 23: "woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who are like to whited sepulchres," etc., down to "and iniquity." The Gloss: "those who feign are worse than those who are openly wicked." But is this indeed true? It seems not. Isaiah 3: "they have proclaimed their sin as Sodom." The Gloss of Jerome: "the second tablet is to sin secretly." It must be said that it is one thing not to publish one's sin, and another to feign innocence; for to publish one's sin is an evil, because it scandalizes others; but to feign innocence, so as to draw others into sin, is a greater evil. And it is of these that he speaks here. Another reading has, "and in his mouth he shall bless God." And it is explained thus: although inwardly they are beasts, yet outwardly with their lips they shall bless God. Isaiah 29: "this people honoreth me with their lips," etc. Or otherwise: they shall bless God for the evils they have done. Jerome has: "after them their own righteousnesses (justitiae) shall run" — as if to say: he did not understand, and he is become like the beasts, and from this they are scandalized, and this happens because they wished to be beasts. Therefore, "after them," that is, in the end, they shall be devoured by beasts, that is, by demons — as if to say: they shall run after the demons into hell. "Like sheep." Here he sets down the evils that shall befall sinners after this life. And whereas he has already spoken of three evils — namely, that they are like beasts, that they despise wisdom, and third, that they trust in strength — against the first he says: because these men are like beasts, it is fitting that they be punished like beasts; hence he says, "like sheep they are laid in hell." Sheep have no help from nature to defend themselves, and therefore they are exposed to slaughter. Psalm 43: "we are esteemed as sheep for the slaughter." Because, then, the wicked in hell are wholly exposed to punishments, they are therefore like sheep. Jeremiah 12: "gather them together like a flock for a victim." Likewise, sheep are shorn, and once shorn are slain: so first they are shorn of the wool of evil, and are deprived or despoiled of their external goods, and afterward are slain in hell, "death shall feed on them": Revelation 21: "their portion is brimstone." Here "he shall feed on them"; and he says "feed" (depascet), because although death inflicts punishment, it does not take everything away entirely, but always keeps something in reserve for punishment. Or, "death," that is, the Devil: Revelation 6: "his name was Death: he shall feed on them," that is, he shall lead them from pasture to pasture, that is, from punishments to punishments. Job 24: "he shall pass from the snow waters to excessive heat." Another reading has, "death shall be their shepherd." And it speaks thus: in this life they are like sheep destined for hell, and the Devil is their shepherd. "And the just shall have dominion." This is contrary to what he said above, that the wise seem to die together with the foolish; here he says that the just shall have dominion over them, namely, over the wicked. Or, "the wise," who are called just, "in the morning," that is, on the day of judgment, when they shall receive judicial power. Malachi 4: "you shall tread down the wicked, when they shall be ashes under the sole of your feet." "And their help." This is what he said, "and in the multitude of his riches," etc. — as if to say: their help, which was from their friends and their riches, "shall grow old," that is, shall perish in hell. Isaiah 10: "to whom will you flee for help?" Job 6: "behold, there is no help for me in myself." "From their glory," that is, according to their glory. Revelation 18: "as much as she hath glorified herself," etc. "But yet God shall redeem my soul" — as if to say: the wicked have this; but I shall be freed from these things. And by what? By the shedding of the blood of Christ. "He shall redeem" from the hand of hell, that is, from the hand of the Devil, under whom men were before the coming of Christ. Hosea 13: "I will redeem them from death." "When he shall receive me," that is, when he shall receive my soul. Hebrews 2: "nowhere doth he take hold of the angels, but of the seed of Abraham." "Fear thou not." Above, the Psalmist showed what a man ought to fear in the world; here he shows what is not to be feared, namely, the prosperity of the wicked. And first he warns us not to fear on account of the prosperity of the wicked; second, he assigns the reason, at the words "for when he shall die." The prosperity of the wicked has two aspects: namely, an abundance of riches, and a sublimity of glory. As to the first he says, "fear thou not when a man shall be made rich." As to the second, "and when the glory of his house shall be increased." And he says "man." Man consists of a twofold nature: namely, animal and rational. And sometimes he is taken for the one, sometimes for the other. Here he is taken for animality; as if to say: if the animal man shall be made rich — for such men are often enriched. Job 21: "why do the wicked live, are they advanced, and strengthened with riches?" Likewise, in the same place, 12: "the tabernacles of robbers abound"; if you see these things, fear thou not. There can be a twofold cause of fear. One, lest they rage against men; the other, lest the good be scandalized on this account, and lose hope, according to that word of Psalm 72: "but my feet were almost moved... And I said: therefore have I in vain justified my heart" — as if to say: since God does so many good things for the wicked, it seems that he does not care for us, according to that word of Malachi 3: "he is vain that serveth God, and what profit is it that we have kept his commandments?" As to the second he says, "and when the glory of his house shall be increased." Ecclesiastes 9: "envy not the glory and the work of the sinner." Psalm 36: "I have seen the wicked," etc. "For when he shall die." Here the reason is assigned why the wicked are not to be feared if they become rich. First, because at some point they will be deprived of all external goods; second, because they will also lack all internal goods. The second is at the words "because his soul." Therefore he says, they are not to be feared, because God reserves greater things for you. But these things which are given to them are transitory. And first he shows that riches pass away, saying, "for when he shall die," namely, the rich man, "he shall take nothing with him" — that is, of all that he had he will be able to keep nothing. Job 27: "when the rich man shall sleep, he shall carry nothing away with him." 1 Timothy, last chapter: "we brought nothing into this world" — no doubt because we shall not be able to carry anything out either. Second, he shows the failure of the glory of the sinful man, "nor shall his glory descend with him"; because then his glory ends with his flesh, and disgrace is reserved for him in hell. Hosea 4: "I will change their glory into shame." Revelation 18: "she hath glorified herself," etc. "For his soul shall be blessed in his lifetime; he shall praise thee when thou shalt do well to him." Here he sets down, first, the failure of internal things pertaining to the body; second, of those pertaining to the soul, at the words "he shall enter in." First, therefore, he shows that after this life the good of the body fails them; second, he shows that the good of virtue, if they had any, comes to an end. He says, therefore, "because his soul." Just as "man" is sometimes taken for the animal nature, sometimes for the rational, so "soul" is taken in two ways. Sometimes for the rational life, as Deuteronomy 6: "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, with thy whole soul." Sometimes for the animal life. Luke 12: "my soul, thou hast goods," etc. According to this, then, he says that "his soul" — that is, his animal life — "shall be blessed in his lifetime" — as if to say: whatever he has of riches and glory is entirely in this life; and when this life ceases, his glory fails; and therefore he cannot bless his life except while he lives. Likewise, sinners sometimes praise God, or perform works of the kind of good works; but if adversity threatens, their praise, or their good action, ceases. And therefore he turns to God, saying: O God, such a man — namely, the sinner, or someone existing in prosperity — "shall praise thee," that is, shall extol thee, "when thou shalt do well to him," that is, when thou shalt give him the temporal goods which he loves. Proverbs 10: "the blessing of the Lord maketh men rich." Jerome: "they shall praise thee when it goeth well with them" — that is, men praise and serve the rich as long as they have plenty and prosper in their riches; but if fortune should change, they too change, and no longer praise them, but rather speak ill of them. "He shall enter in." Here he sets down the failure of spiritual things. And first he shows the failure; second, he sets down the order by which one arrives at this very failure, at the word "man." And first he sets down the failure of guilt; second, of punishment. As to the first he says, "he shall enter in" — namely, this sinner, so rich, and whom all praise while things go well with him — "he shall enter in," I say, "even unto the generations of his fathers," namely, through imitation, since he performs all the evils that his whole line of descent commits. Matthew 23: "and you fill up the measure of your fathers." Jeremiah 11: "they are returned to the former iniquities of their fathers." Or, "he shall enter in," etc., because his fathers, being wicked, are in hell, and he too shall go there. As to the second he says: "and he shall never see light"; because since here, as it were, in his own everlasting — that is, in his life — he refused to follow the light of reason, therefore "he shall never see light." Job 15: "he believeth not that he may return from darkness to light." Matthew 25: "cast the unprofitable servant into the exterior darkness," etc. And in what order does this happen? Because, although he was endowed with the light of reason, being a man constituted in honor, he refused to be ruled by that light; he was made like unto the senseless beasts of burden, and therefore he acts as beasts of burden do, and must be destined for slaughter.”

“This their way is their folly,.... This their last end becoming like the beasts that perish, which is the issue and event of all their confidence, ambition, and honour, shows the folly of their lives and conduct: or this their course of life, in trusting to their riches; boasting of their wealth; pleasing themselves with the thoughts of the continuance of their houses and dwelling places to all generations; and calling their lands after their own names; all proclaim their folly. Or, as some render the words, "this their way is their hope" or "confidence" (b); they place all their hope and confidence in their riches and honour, which is but a vain hope and a foolish confidence; yet their posterity approve their sayings; they are of the same sentiments with their fathers; they say the same things, and do the same actions; tread in their steps, and follow the same track; though there have been such innumerable instances of the vanity and inconstancy of all worldly riches and grandeur. Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psa 3:2. (b) "est fiducia ipsorum", Cocceius, Gejerus; "stolida fiducia vel spes", Michaelis.”

“Compared. Hebrew, “he is like dumb, or perishable beasts.” (Haydock) — So much is man degraded by his attachment to riches and pleasures. (Theodoret) (Calmet) — Some explain this of Adam, (St. Chrysostom) reduced to the necessity of labouring, and dying, like brutes, ver. 21., and Ecclesiastes iii. 18. (Calmet) — This is a very serious reflection, to think that man should so far neglect the gifts of reason, as to strive for temporal advantages only, like irrational creatures. (Worthington)”

“II. P. " Nevertheless, man being in honor abideth not." The Syriac interpreter, as well as the Septuagint, had a reading slightly different p?^ ^3^, which is followed by Ewald, and is found in the last verse. This ascribes man's downfall to his want of intelligence, and consequent depravity. The text represents him as subject, like the beasts, to the necessity of death, however honored and wealthy he may be.”

“(Heb.: 49:14-21) Second part of the discourse, of equal compass with the first. Those who are thought to be immortal are laid low in Hades; whilst, on the other hand, those who cleave to God can hope to be redeemed by Him out of Hades. Olshausen complains on this passage that the expression is abrupt, rugged, and in part altogether obscure. The fault, however, lies not, as he thinks, in a serious corruption of the text, but in the style, designedly adopted, of Psalms like this of a gloomy turn. זה דרכּם refers back to Psa 49:13, which is the proper mashal of the Psalm: this is their way or walk (דּרך as in Psa 37:5, cf. Hag 1:5). Close upon this follows כּסל למו (their way), of those (cf. Psa 69:4) who possess self-confidence; כּסל signifies confidence both in a good and bad sense, self-confidence, impudence, and even (Ecc 7:25) in general, folly. The attributive clause is continued in Psa 49:14: and of those who after them (i.e., when they have spoken, as Hitzig takes it), or in a more universal sense: after or behind them (i.e., treading in their footsteps), have pleasure in their mouth, i.e., their haughty, insolent, rash words (cf. Jdg 9:38). If the meaning were "and after them go those who," etc., then one would expect to find a verb in connection with אחריהם (cf. Job 21:33). As a collateral definition, "after them = after their death," it would, however, without any reason, exclude the idea of the assent given by their contemporaries. It is therefore to be explained according to Job 29:22, or more universally according to Deu 12:30. It may seem remarkable that the music here strikes in forte; but music can on its part, in mournfully shrill tones, also bewail the folly of the world. Psa 49:14, so full of eschatological meaning, now describes what becomes of the departed. The subject of שׁתּוּ (as in Psa 73:9, where it is Milra, for שׁתוּ) is not, as perhaps in the case of ἀπαιτοῦσιν, Luk 12:20, higher powers that are not named; but שׁוּת (here שׁתת), as in Psa 3:7, Hos 6:11; Isa 22:7, is used in a semi-passive sense: like a herd of sheep they lay themselves down or they are made to lie down לשׁאול (thus it is pointed by Ben-Asher; whereas Ben-Naphtali points לשׁאול, with a silent Sheb), to Hades = down into Hades (cf. Psa 88:7), so that they are shut up in it like sheep in their fold. And who is the shepherd there who rules these sheep with his rod? מות ירעם. Not the good Shepherd (Psa 23:1), whose pasture is the land of the living, but Death, into whose power they have fallen irrecoverably, shall pasture them. Death is personified, as in Job 18:14, as the king of terrors. The modus consecutivus, ויּרדּוּ, now expresses the fact that will be realized in the future, which is the reverse side of that other fact. After the night of affliction has swiftly passed away, there breaks forth, for the upright, a morning; and in this morning they find themselves to be lords over these their oppressors, like conquerors, who put their feet upon the necks of the vanquished (the lxx well renders it by κατακυριεύσουσιν). Thus shall it be with the upright, whilst the rich at their feet beneath, in the ground, are utterly destroyed. לבּקר has Rebia magnum, ישׁרים has Asla-Legarme; accordingly the former word does not belong to what follows (in the morning, then vanishes...), but to what precedes. צוּר or ציר (as in Isa 45:16) signifies a form or image, just as צוּרה (Arab. tsûrat) is generally used; properly, that which is pressed in or pressed out, i.e., primarily something moulded or fashioned by the pressure of the hand (as in the case of the potter, יצר) or by means of some instrument that impresses and cuts the material. Here the word is used to denote materiality or corporeity, including the whole outward appearance (φαντασία, Act 25:23). The לו which refers to this, shows that וצוּרם is not a contraction of וצוּרתם (vid., on Psa 27:5). Their materiality, their whole outward form belonging to this present state of being, becomes (falls away) לבלּות שׁאול. The Lamed is used in the same way as in היה לבער, Isa 6:13; and שׁאול is subject, like, e.g., the noun that follows the infinitive in Psa 68:19; Job 34:22. The same idea is obtained if it is rendered: and their form Hades is ready to consume (consumturus est); but the order of the words, though not making this rendering impossible (cf. Psa 32:9, so far as עדיו there means "its cheek"), is, however, less favourable to it (cf. Pro 19:8; Est 3:11). בּלּה was the most appropriate word for the slow, but sure and entire, consuming away (Job 13:28) of the dead body which is gnawed or destroyed in the grave, this gate of the lower world. To this is added מזּבל לו as a negative definition of the effect: so that there no longer remains to it, i.e., to the pompous external nature of the ungodly, any dwelling-place, and in general any place whatever; for whatever they had in and about themselves is destroyed, so that they wander to and fro as bare shadows in the dreary waste of Hades. To them, who thought to have built houses for eternity and called great districts of country after their own names, there remains no longer any זבל of this corporeal nature, inasmuch as Hades gradually and surely destroys it; it is for ever freed from its solid and dazzling shell, it wastes away lonesome in the grave, it perishes leaving no trace behind. Hupfeld's interpretation is substantially the same, and that of Jerome even is similar: et figura eorum conteretur in infero post habitaculum suum; and Symmachus: τὸ δὲ κρατερὸν αὐτῶν παλαιώσει ᾴδης ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκήσεως τῆς ἐντίμου αὐτῶν. Other expositors, it is true, solve the riddle of the half-verse in a totally different way. Mendelssohn refers צוּרם to the upright: whose being lasts longer than the grave (survives it), hence it cannot be a habitation (eternal dwelling) to it; and adds, "the poet could not speak more clearly of the resurrection (immortality)." (Note: In the fragments of a commentary to his translation of Psalms, contributed by David Friedlnder.) A modern Jewish Christian, Isr. Pick, looked upon in Jerusalem as dead, sees here a prediction of the breaking through of the realm of the dead by the risen One: "Their Rock is there, to break through the realm of the dead, that it may no longer serve Him as an abode." (Note: In a fugitive paper of the so-called Amen Congregation, which noo unhappily exists no longer, in Mnchen-Gladbach.) Von Hofmann's interpretation (last of all in his Schriftbeweis ii. 2, 499, 2nd edition) lays claim to a more detailed consideration, because it has been sought to maintain it against all objections. By the morning he understands the end of the state or condition of death both of the righteous and of the ungodly. "In the state of death have they both alike found themselves: but now the dominion of death is at an end, and the dominion of the righteous beings." But those who have, according to Psa 49:15, died are only the ungodly, not the righteous as well. Hofmann then goes on to explain: their bodily form succumbs to the destruction of the lower world, so that it no longer has any abode; which is said to convey the thought, that the ungodly, "by means of the destruction of the lower world, to which their corporeal nature in common with themselves becomes subject, lose its last gloomy abode, but thereby lose their corporeal nature itself, which has now no longer any continuance:" "their existence becomes henceforth one absolutely devoid of possessions and of space, ["the exact opposite of the time when they possessed houses built for eternity, and broad tracts of country bore their name."] But even according to the teaching of the Old Testament concerning the last things, in the period after the Exile, the resurrection includes the righteous and the unrighteous (Dan 12:2); and according to the teaching of the New Testament, the damned, after Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, receive another זבול, viz., Gehenna, which stands in just the same relation to Hades as the transformed world does to the old heavens and the old earth. The thought discovered in Psa 49:15, therefore, will not bear being put to the proof. There is, however, this further consideration, that nothing whatever is known in any other part of the Old Testament of such a destruction of Shel; and לבלּות found in the Psalm before us would be a most inappropriate word to express it, instead of which it ought to have been לכלּות; for the figurative language in Psa 102:27; Isa 51:6, is worthless as a justification of this word, which signifies a gradual wearing out and using up or consuming, and must not, in opposition to the usage of the language, be explained according to עב and בּלי. For this reason we refrain from making this passage a locus classicus in favour of an eschatological conception which cannot be supported by any other passage in the Old Testament. On the other side, however, the meaning of לבּקר is limited if it be understood only of the morning which dawns upon the righteous one after the night of affliction, as Kurtz does. What is, in fact, meant is a morning which not merely for individuals, but for all the upright, will be the end of oppression and the dawn of dominion: the ungodly are totally destroyed, and they (the upright) now triumph above their graves. In these words is expressed, in the manner of the Old Testament, the end of all time. Even according to Old Testament conception human history closes with the victory of good over evil. So far Psa 49:15 is really a "riddle" of the last great day; expressed in New Testament language, of the resurrection morn, in which οἱ ἅγιοι τὸν κόσμον κρινοῦσι (Co1 6:2). With אך, in Psa 49:16 (used here adversatively, as e.g., in Job 13:15, and as אכן is more frequently used), the poet contrasts the totally different lot that awaits him with the lot of the rich who are satisfied in themselves and unmindful of God. אך belongs logically to נפשׁי, but (as is moreover frequently the case with רק, גּם, and אף) is, notwithstanding this relation to the following member of the sentence, placed at the head of the sentence: yet Elohim will redeem my soul out of the hand of Shel (Psa 89:49; Hos 13:14). In what sense the poet means this redemption to be understood is shown by the allusion to the history of Enoch (Gen 5:24) contained in כּי יקּחני. Bttcher shrewdly remarks, that this line of the verse is all the more expressive by reason of its relative shortness. Its meaning cannot be: He will take me under His protection; for לקח does not mean this. The true parallels are Psa 73:24, Gen 5:24. The removals of Enoch and Elijah were, as it were, fingerposts which pointed forward beyond the cheerless idea they possessed of the way of all men, into the depth of Hades. Glancing at these, the poet, who here speaks in the name of all upright sufferers, gives expression to the hope, that God will wrest him out of the power of Sheפl and take him to Himself. It is a hope that possesses not direct word of God upon which it could rest; it is not until later on that it receives the support of divine promise, and is for the present only a "bold flight" of faith. Now can we, for this very reason, attempt to define in what way the poet conceived of this redemption and this taking to Himself. In this matter he himself has no fully developed knowledge; the substance of his hope is only a dim inkling of what may be. This dimness that is only gradually lighted up, which lies over the last things in the Old Testament, is the result of a divine plan of education, in accordance with which the hope of eternal life was gradually to mature, and to be born as it were out of this wrestling faith itself. This faith is expressed in Psa 49:16; and the music accompanies his confidence in cheerful and rejoicing strains. After this, in Psa 49:17, there is a return from the lyric strain to the gnomic and didactic. It must not, with Mendelssohn, be rendered: let it (my soul) not be afraid; but, since the psalmist begins after the manner of a discourse: fear thou not. The increasing כבוד, i.e., might, abundance, and outward show (all these combined, from כּבד, grave esse), of the prosperous oppressor is not to make the saint afraid: he must after all die, and cannot take hence with him הכּל, the all = anything whatever (cf. לכּל, for anything whatever, Jer 13:7). כּי, Psa 49:17, like ἐάν, puts a supposable case; כּי, Psa 49:18, is confirmatory; and כּי, Psa 49:19, is concessive, in the sense of גּם־כּי, according to Ew. 362, b: even though he blessed his soul during his life, i.e., called it fortunate, and flattered it by cherished voluptuousness (cf. Deu 29:18, התבּרך בּנפשׁו, and the soliloquy of the rich man in Luk 12:19), and though they praise thee, O rich man, because thou dost enjoy thyself (Luk 16:25), wishing themselves equally fortunate, still it (the soul of such an one) will be obliged to come or pass עד־דּור אבותיו. There is no necessity for taking the noun דּור here in the rare signification dwelling (Arabic dâr, synonym of Menzı̂l), and it appears the most natural way to supply נפשׁו as the subject to תּבוא (Hofmann, Kurtz, and others), seeing that one would expect to find אבותיך in the case of תבוא being a form of address. And there is then no need, in order to support the synallage, which is at any rate inelegant, to suppose that the suffix יו-takes its rise from the formula אל־אבתיו (נאסף) בּוא, and is, in spite of the unsuitable grammatical connection, retained, just as יחדּו and כּלּם, without regard to the suffixes, signify "together" and "all together" (Bttcher). Certainly the poet delights in difficulties of style, of which quite sufficient remain to him without adding this to the list. It is also not clear whether Psa 49:20 is intended to be taken as a relative clause intimately attached to אבותיו, or as an independent clause. The latter is admissible, and therefore to be preferred: there are the proud rich men together with their fathers buried in darkness for ever, without ever again seeing the light of a life which is not a mere shadowy life. The didactic discourse now closes with the same proverb as the first part, Psa 49:13. But instead of בּל־ילין the expression here used is ולא יבין, which is co-ordinate with בּיקר as a second attributive definition of the subject (Ew. 351, b): a man in glory and who has no understanding, viz., does not distinguish between that which is perishable and that which is imperishable, between time and eternity. The proverb is here more precisely expressed. The gloomy prospect of the future does not belong to the rich man as such, but to the worldly and carnally minded rich man.”