Bible Strands
Psalms 49:14
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.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the congregation concerning the inevitable fate of the foolish who trust in their own wealth and influence. He positions this warning immediately before declaring his personal confidence in God's deliverance from Sheol.
The words — The text uses שַׁתּוּ (shattu, H8371) to state that the wicked "have been appointed" or destined for Sheol. It employs וַיִּרְדּוּ (vayirdu, H7287) to declare that the upright "ruled over" them, explicitly deriving from the root רָדָה rather than יָרַד.
The thread — This pattern of Sheol claiming the wicked appears in Job 24:19, where heat and dust consume sinners. The theme of the righteous exercising authority over the condemned aligns with 1 Corinthians 6:2 and Malachi 4:3.
Why it lands — The passage states that the foolish are destined for Sheol and will be ruled by the upright, while the psalmist asserts God will redeem his own life from that realm. It requires the reader to abandon trust in temporal security and recognize the certainty of divine judgment and deliverance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Malachi 4:3 Then 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 Corinthians 6:2 Do 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 24:19 As drought and heat consume the melting snow, so Sheol steals those who have sinned.
- Job 30:23 Yes, I know that You will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living.
- Daniel 7:22 until 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.
- Psalms 30:5 For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Psalms 39:11 You discipline and correct a man for his iniquity, consuming like a moth what he holds dear; surely each man is but a vapor. Selah
- Jeremiah 12:3 But 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.
- Daniel 7:18 But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
- Luke 22:30 so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.