Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—
Parallel translations
- WEB Though while he lived he blessed his soul — and men praise you when you do well for yourself —
- KJV Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
- NKJV Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
- NASB Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself—
- NLT In this life they consider themselves fortunate and are applauded for their success.
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
Though the rich congratulate themselves in life and others praise their success, this counts for nothing at death. Worldly applause is fleeting.
Overview
During life the wealthy man pronounces himself blessed and receives the admiration of others who flatter the successful. Yet this self-satisfaction and praise prove worthless when death comes. The verse exposes how the world's measures of a 'good life' collapse before eternity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Luke 12:19Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
- Deut 29:19because when such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself, saying, ‘I will have peace, even though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart.’ This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry.
- Ps 10:3For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
- Hos 12:8And Ephraim boasts: “How rich I have become! I have found wealth for myself. In all my labors, they can find in me no iniquity that is sinful.”
- Esth 3:2All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.
- Rev 13:3–4One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
- Acts 12:20–22Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
- 1 Sam 25:6and say to him, ‘Long life to you, and peace to you and your house and to all that belongs to you.
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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 49:18 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.