Audite haec, omnes gentes.
The folly of worldlings, who live on in sin, without thinking of death
or hell.
48:1. Unto the end, a psalm for the sons of Core.
48:2. Hear these things, all ye nations: give ear, all ye inhabitants
of the world.
48:3. All you that are earthborn, and you sons of men: both rich and
poor together.
48:4. My mouth shall speak wisdom: and the meditation of my heart
understanding.
48:5. I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on
the psaltery.
48:6. Why shall I fear in the evil day? the iniquity of my heel shall
encompass me.
The iniquity of my heel. . .That is, the iniquity of my steps or ways:
or the iniquity of my pride, with which as with the heel, I have
spurned and kicked at my neighbours: or the iniquity of my heel, that
is, the iniquity in which I shall be found in death. The meaning of
this verse is, Why should I now indulge those passions and sinful
affections, or commit now those sins, which will cause me so much fear
and anguish in the evil day; when the sorrows of death shall compass
me, and the perils of hell shall find me?
48:7. They that trust in their own strength, and glory in the multitude
of their riches,
They that trust, etc. . .As much as to say, let them fear that trust in
their strength or riches: for they have great reason to fear: seeing no
brother or other man, how much a friend soever, can by any price or
labour rescue them from death.
48:8. No brother can redeem, nor shall man redeem: he shall not give to
God his ransom,
48:9. Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for
ever,
And shall labour for ever, etc. . .This seems to be a continuation of
the foregoing sentence: as much as to say no man can by any price or
ransom prolong his life, that so he may still continue to labour here,
and live to the end of the world. Others understand it of the eternal
sorrows, and dying life of hell, which is the dreadful consequence of
dying in sin.
48:10. And shall still live unto the end.
48:11. He shall not see destruction, when he shall see the wise dying:
the senseless and the fool shall perish together: And they shall leave
their riches to strangers:
He shall not see destruction, etc. . .Or, shall he not see destruction?
As much as to say, however thoughtless he may be of his death, he must
not expect to escape; when even the wise and the good are not exempt
from dying.
48:12. And their sepulchres shall be their houses for ever. Their
dwelling places to all generations: they have called their lands by
their names.
They have called, etc. . .That is, they have left their names on their
graves, which alone remain of their lands.
48:13. And man when he was in honour did not understand; he is compared
to senseless beasts, and is become like to them.
48:14. This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards
they shall delight in their mouth.
They shall delight in their mouth. . .Notwithstanding the wretched way
in which they walk, they shall applaud themselves with their mouths,
and glory in their doings.
48:15. They are laid in hell like sheep: death shall feed upon them.
And the just shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their
help shall decay in hell from their glory.
In the morning. . .That is, in the resurrection to a new life; when the
just shall judge and condemn the wicked. Ibid. From their
glory. . .That is, when their short-lived glory in this world shall be
past, and be no more.
48:16. But God will redeem my soul from the hand of hell, when he shall
receive me.
48:17. Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rick, and when the
glory of his house shall be increased.
48:18. For when he shall die he shall take nothing away; nor shall his
glory descend with him.
48:19. For in his lifetime his soul will be blessed: and he will praise
thee when thou shalt do well to him.
48:20. He shall go in to the generations of his fathers: and he shall
never see light.
48:21. Man when he was in honour did not understand: he hath been
compared to senseless beasts, and made like to them.