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Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.
Psalms 49:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB They are appointed as a flock for Sheol. Death shall be their shepherd. The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning. Their beauty shall decay in Sheol, far from their mansion.
  • KJV Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
  • NKJV Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them; The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling.
  • NASB Like sheep they sink down to Sheol; Death will be their shepherd; And the upright will rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no lofty home.
  • NLT Like sheep, they are led to the grave, where death will be their shepherd. In the morning the godly will rule over them. Their bodies will rot in the grave, far from their grand estates.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Those who trust riches are headed for the grave with death as their shepherd, while the upright will ultimately triumph. The roles will be reversed.

Overview

In vivid imagery, the self-secure rich are pictured as a flock driven to Sheol, shepherded by Death itself, their splendor decaying away from their fine houses. Meanwhile the upright 'shall have dominion in the morning,' anticipating a future vindication. This foreshadows the resurrection hope where the righteous, kept by God, inherit lasting life while godless pride perishes.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 23

  • Mal 4:3Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.
  • 1 Cor 6:2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
  • Job 30:23Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
  • Job 24:19–20As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.
  • Dan 7:22until the Ancient of Days arrived and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for them to possess the kingdom.
  • Dan 7:18But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
  • Rom 8:36As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
  • Luke 22:30so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
  • Jer 12:3But You know me, O LORD; You see me and test my heart toward You. Drag away the wicked like sheep to the slaughter and set them apart for the day of carnage.
  • Ps 39:11You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. Selah
  • Ps 30:5For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
  • Hos 6:3So let us know—let us press on to know the LORD. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the earth.
  • Job 17:13–14If I look for Sheol as my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness,
  • Isa 38:10–11I said, “In the prime of my life I must go through the gates of Sheol and be deprived of the remainder of my years.”
  • Ps 44:11You have given us up as sheep to be devoured; You have scattered us among the nations.
  • Job 21:26But together they lie down in the dust, and worms cover them both.
  • Ps 47:3He subdues nations beneath us, and peoples under our feet.
  • Rev 20:4–5Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
  • Rev 2:26–27And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.
  • Ps 9:17The wicked will return to Sheol—all the nations who forget God.
  • Eccl 12:7before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
  • Job 21:13They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.
  • Job 4:21Are not their tent cords pulled up, so that they die without wisdom?’

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 49:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 49:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.