Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
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.
- BSB Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul—and men praise you when you prosper—
- 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 12:19I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’
- Deut 29:19and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, “I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.”
- Ps 10:3For the wicked boasts of his heart’s cravings. He blesses the greedy, and condemns Yahweh.
- Hos 12:8Ephraim said, “Surely I have become rich, I have found myself wealth. In all my wealth they won’t find in me any iniquity that is sin.”
- Esth 3:2All the king’s servants who were in the king’s gate bowed down, and paid homage to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai didn’t bow down or pay him homage.
- Rev 13:3–4One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at the beast.
- Acts 12:20–22Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food.
- 1 Sam 25:6Tell him, ‘Long life to you! Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
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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.