The Meaning of Psalms 49:15 Explained

Psalms 49:15

KJV: But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

YLT: Only, God doth ransom my soul from the hand of Sheol, For He doth receive me. Selah.

Darby: But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol: for he will receive me. Selah.

ASV: But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; For he will receive me. Selah

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But God  will redeem  my soul  from the power  of the grave:  for he shall receive  me. Selah. 

What does Psalms 49:15 Mean?

Study Notes

redeem (See Scofield " Isaiah 59:20 ") See Scofield " Exodus 14:30 "
grave Heb. "Sheol," .
hell
Sheol is, in the O.T., the place to which the dead go.
(1) Often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, merely, where all human activities cease; the terminus toward which all human life moves (e.g. Genesis 42:38 grave Job 14:13 grave Psalms 88:3 grave
(2) To the man "under the sun," the natural man, who of necessity judges from appearances, sheol seems no more than the grave-- the end and total cessation, not only of the activities of life, but of life itself. Ecclesiastes 9:5 ; Ecclesiastes 9:10
(3) But Scripture reveals sheol as a place of sorrow 2 Samuel 22:6 ; Psalms 18:5 ; Psalms 116:3 ; in which the wicked are turned Psalms 9:17 and where they are fully conscious; Isaiah 14:9-17 ; Ezekiel 32:21 see, especially, Jonah 2:2 what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah that sheol is to those who are therein). The sheol of the O.T. and hades of the N.T. (See Scofield " Luke 16:23 ") are identical.

Verse Meaning

God will free the righteous from the power of the grave and will receive them on the other side of the grave. This is one of the Old Testament passages that reveal that believers living when the psalmist did had hope of life after death (cf. Job 19:25; Hebrews 11:10; et al.). [1] Revelation of the bodily resurrection, however, was obscure until Jesus Christ"s resurrection and His apostles" revelations on that subject ( 1 Thessalonians 4; 1 Corinthians 15).
"It is possible that the psalmist is looking at ultimate eschatological realities, anticipating his own resurrection and a time when the righteous, not the rich, will rule on earth. However, it is more likely that the ascendancy of the righteous refers to their vindication in this life, a well-attested theme in the Psalter, especially in the wisdom psalms (see, e.g, Psalm 1 , 34 , 37 , , 112 , as well as the discussion above). In this case Psalm 49:15 refers to God"s preserving the psalmist through "evil days" (cf. Psalm 49:5) by keeping him from premature, violent death at the hands of the oppressive rich and from the calamity that overtakes them. "Morning" ( Psalm 49:14), which brings to mind the dawning of a new day after a night of darkness, aptly symbolizes the cessation of these "evil days."" [2]

Context Summary

Psalm 49:1-20 - The Folly Of Trusting In Riches
Here is a proclamation worthy of the hearing of all the world. The psalmist is listening to voices unheard by ordinary ears. Be sure to listen to God's voice, and then unfold His dark sayings in music. However dark they may seem in their mystery and awe, they may be uttered in song. See Revelation 15:3-4.
The burden of the psalm is the impotence of wealth. The millionaire cannot prolong the life of his sick child. And even if, like Queen Elizabeth, he cries on his dying bed: "A million of money for a moment of time!" the sand passes unheeding through the hour-glass. He must leave stocks and shares, jewels and gold, at the summons of Death, described in Psalms 49:14 as the shepherd who calls his flock to fold it in Sheol, R.V. How different the lot of the righteous! As eternity dawns, they are redeemed from the power of the grave and pass to the bosom of God. What are the riches and glory of this world compared with the sense of God's presence in the humble and contrite heart! To have that is to have the essence of all! "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee," Psalms 73:25. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 49

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

What do the individual words in Psalms 49:15 mean?

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for He shall receive me Selah
אַךְ־ אֱלֹהִ֗ים יִפְדֶּ֣ה נַ֭פְשִׁי מִֽיַּד־ שְׁא֑וֹל כִּ֖י יִקָּחֵ֣נִי סֶֽלָה

אֱלֹהִ֗ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִפְדֶּ֣ה  will  redeem 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: פָּדָה  
Sense: to ransom, redeem, rescue, deliver.
נַ֭פְשִׁי  my  soul 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
מִֽיַּד־  from  the  power 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
שְׁא֑וֹל  of  the  grave 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: שְׁאֹול  
Sense: sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit.
יִקָּחֵ֣נִי  He  shall  receive  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
סֶֽלָה  Selah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: סֶלָה  
Sense: to lift up, exalt.