Bible Strands
Psalms 49:5
Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to the assembly while pivoting from a declared proverb and riddle into a direct rhetorical inquiry about impending distress. The question is positioned immediately after the introduction of a wisdom teaching and directly precedes a critique of those who trust in material wealth.
The words — The phrase עֲוֹן עֲקֵבַי ('a.Von 'a.ke.Va/i) literally renders "iniquity of my heels," using heel as a metonym for the person walking ahead. The verb אִירָא ('I.ra) translates directly as "will I fear," establishing the rhetorical challenge against panic.
The thread — The motif of unwavering resolve during crisis appears in Proverbs 24:10, which questions the strength of those who faint in distress, and Acts 27:24, where fear is displaced by divine guarantee. Romans 8:33 extends the pattern by replacing human accusation with divine justification.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to identify the actual foundation of their response when facing imminent threat. It demands a clear assessment of whether courage derives from circumstance, wealth, or a stated divine position before any conclusion is drawn.
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
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?
Cross-references
- Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength!
- Acts 27:24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
- Romans 8:33 Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
- Philippians 1:28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a clear sign of their destruction but of your salvation, and it is from God.
- Genesis 49:17 He will be a snake by the road, a viper in the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
- 1 Samuel 26:20 So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
- Psalms 22:16 For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
- Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
- Psalms 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 38:4 For my iniquities have overwhelmed me; they are a burden too heavy to bear.