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But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.
Psalms 49:15 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah.
  • BSB But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah
  • NKJV But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah
  • NASB But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah
  • NLT But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave. Interlude

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

In contrast to the wealthy, the psalmist trusts that God will redeem his soul from the power of death and receive him. This is the believer's hope.

Overview

This is the psalm's turning point: what no riches could buy (vv. 7-9), God Himself freely gives—redemption from Sheol and reception into His presence. 'He will receive me' echoes language elsewhere associated with Enoch's being taken by God, hinting at life beyond death. The verse anticipates the resurrection and the redemption accomplished by Christ, who conquered the grave.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Ps 73:24Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
  • Ps 56:13For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?
  • Ps 86:13For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.
  • Ps 89:48What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.
  • Hos 13:14I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
  • Rev 5:9And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
  • Ps 16:10–11For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
  • Gen 5:24And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
  • Rev 14:13And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
  • Ps 31:5Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
  • Luke 23:46And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
  • Acts 7:59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
  • John 14:3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

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 49:15YouTube · 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 49:15 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.