the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Contemporary English Version
Psalms 49:4
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
I turn my ear to a proverb;I explain my riddle with a lyre.
I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
I will pay attention to a wise saying; I will explain my riddle on the harp.
I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.
I will incline my ear and consent to a proverb; On the lyre I will unfold my riddle.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb. I will open my riddle on the harp.
I will incline mine eare to a parable, and vtter my graue matter vpon the harpe.
I will incline my ear to a proverb;I will express my riddle on the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:
My mouth is about to speak wisdom; my heart's deepest thoughts will give understanding.
I will incline mine ear to a parable, I will open my riddle upon the harp.
I listened to these sayings. And now, with my harp, I will sing and make the hidden meaning clear.
I will incline my ear to parables; I will chant my proverbs upon the harp.
I will turn my attention to proverbs and explain their meaning as I play the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will propound my riddle on a lyre.
I will bow down my ear to a parable; I will open my dark saying on the harp.
I wil encline myne eare to the parable, & shewe my darcke speach vpon the harpe.
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
I will put my teaching into a story; I will make my dark sayings clear with music.
My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
I will incline mine eare to a parable; I will open my darke saying vpon the harpe.
I wyll encline myne eare to a parable: I wyll open my darke sentence vpon a harpe.
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my riddle on the harp.
I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
I schal bouwe doun myn eere in to a parable; Y schal opene my resoun set forth in a sautree.
I will incline my ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying on the harp.
I will incline my ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
I will turn my ear to a wise saying. With a harp, I will tell what is hard to understand.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
I will bend, to a by-word, mine ear, I will open, on the lyre, mine enigma.
(48-5) I will incline my ear to a parable; I will open my proposition on the psaltery.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
I incline to a simile mine ear, I open with a harp my riddle:
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.
Contextual Overview
(A psalm for the people of Korah and for the music leader.)
Everyone on this earth, now listen to what I say! 2 Listen, no matter who you are, rich or poor. 3 I speak words of wisdom, and my thoughts make sense. 4 I have in mind a mystery that I will explain while playing my harp. 5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when I am surrounded by vicious enemies?Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
incline: Psalms 78:2, Matthew 13:35
parable: Numbers 23:7, Ezekiel 20:49, Matthew 13:11-15
dark: Proverbs 1:6, Daniel 8:23, Luke 12:3, 2 Corinthians 3:12
Reciprocal: Numbers 12:8 - dark speeches Judges 14:12 - a riddle 1 Samuel 10:5 - a psaltery 1 Kings 10:1 - prove him 2 Chronicles 9:1 - questions Job 27:1 - Job Job 28:21 - hid Mark 3:23 - in parables Mark 4:2 - by parables John 16:25 - proverbs 1 Corinthians 14:2 - howbeit
Cross-References
During their time there, Jacob's oldest son Reuben slept with Bilhah, who was one of Jacob's other wives. And Jacob found out about it.
When Jacob went to Egypt, his children who were born in northern Syria also went along with their families. Jacob and his wife Leah had a total of thirty-three children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but two of their grandchildren had died in Canaan. Their oldest son Reuben took his sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their son Simeon took his sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite. Their son Levi took his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Their son Judah took his sons Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan. Judah's son Perez took his sons Hezron and Hamul. Their son Issachar took his sons Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron. Their son Zebulun took his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. Their daughter Dinah also went.
Jacob called his sons together and said: My sons, I am Jacob, your father Israel.
I never want to take part in your plans or deeds. You slaughtered people in your anger, and you crippled cattle for no reason.
Judah, you will be praised by your brothers; they will bow down to you, as you defeat your enemies.
Do not want anything that belongs to someone else. Don't want anyone's wife or husband, house, land, slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else.
Tribe of Reuben, you will live, even though your tribe will always be small.
Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob, but he lost his rights as the first-born son because he slept with one of his father's wives. The honor of the first-born son was then given to Joseph, even though it was the Judah tribe that became the most powerful and produced a leader. Reuben had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The descendants of Joel included Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, Micah, Reaiah, Baal, and Beerah, a leader of the Reuben tribe. Later, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria took Beerah away as prisoner. The family records also include Jeiel, who was a clan leader, Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz and grandson of Shema of the Joel clan. They lived in the territory around the town of Aroer, as far north as Nebo and Baal-Meon, and as far east as the desert just west of the Euphrates River. They needed this much land because they owned too many cattle to keep them all in Gilead. When Saul was king, the Reuben tribe attacked and defeated the Hagrites, then took over their land east of Gilead. The tribe of Gad lived in the region of Bashan, north of the Reuben tribe. Gad's territory extended all the way to the town of Salecah. Some of the clan leaders were Joel, Shapham, Janai, and Shaphat. Their relatives included Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. They were all descendants of Abihail, whose family line went back through Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, and Buz. Ahi, the son of Abdiel and the grandson of Guni, was the leader of their clan. The people of Gad lived in the towns in the regions of Bashan and Gilead, as well as in the pastureland of Sharon. Their family records were written when Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers trained to fight in battle with shields, swords, bows, and arrows. They fought against the Hagrites and the tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. Whenever these soldiers went to war against their enemies, they prayed to God and trusted him to help. That's why the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh defeated the Hagrites and their allies. These Israelite tribes captured fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand people. Many of the Hagrites died in battle, because God was fighting this battle against them. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh lived in that territory until they were taken as prisoners to Assyria. East Manasseh was a large tribe, so its people settled in the northern region of Bashan, as far north as Baal-Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel were their clan leaders; they were well-known leaders and brave soldiers. The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh were unfaithful to the God their ancestors had worshiped, and they started worshiping the gods of the nations that God had forced out of Canaan. So God sent King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria to attack these Israelite tribes. The king led them away as prisoners to Assyria, and from then on, he forced them to live in Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River.
I have heard terrible things about some of you. In fact, you are behaving worse than the Gentiles. A man is even sleeping with his own stepmother.
All they think about is having sex with someone else's husband or wife. There is no end to their wicked deeds. They trick people who are easily fooled, and their minds are filled with greedy thoughts. But they are headed for trouble!
Gill's Notes on the Bible
I will incline mine ear to a parable,.... In which way of speaking the doctrines of the Gospel were delivered out by Christ,
Matthew 13:3. Wherefore the prophet, representing his apostles and disciples, signifies that he would listen thereunto, that he might attain to the knowledge thereof, and communicate it to others;
I will open my dark saying upon the harp; the enigmas, riddles, and mysteries of the Gospel, being understood by the ministers of it, are opened and explained in a very pleasant and delightful manner; they are made clear and evident, and are as a lovely song upon a harp; see
Ezekiel 33:32.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
I will incline mine ear to a parable - The phrase “I will incline mine ear” means that he would listen or attend to - as we incline our ear toward those whom we are anxious to hear, or in the direction from which a sound seems to come. Compare Psalms 5:1; Psalms 17:1; Psalms 39:12; Isaiah 1:2. On the word rendered “parable” here משׁל mâshâl - see the notes at Isaiah 14:4. Compare Job 13:12, note; Job 27:1, note. The word properly means similitude; then, a sentence, sententious saying, apophthegm; then, a proverb; then, a song or poem. There is usually found in the word some idea of “comparison,” and hence, usually something that is to be illustrated “by” a comparison or a story. The reference here would seem to be to some dark or obscure subject which needed to be illustrated; which it was not easy to understand; which had given the writer, as well as others, perplexity and difficulty. He proposed now, with a view to understand and explain it, to place his ear, as it were, “close to the matter,” that he might clearly comprehend it. The matter was difficult, but he felt assured he could explain it - as when one unfolds the meaning of an enigma. The “problem” - the “parable” - the difficult point - related to the right use, or the proper value, of wealth, or the estimate in which it should be held by those who possessed it, and by those who did not. It was very evident to the author of the psalm that the views of people were not right on the subject; he therefore proposed to examine the matter carefully, and to state the exact truth.
I will open - I will explain; I will communicate the result of my careful inquiries.
My dark saying - The word used here - חידה chı̂ydâh - is rendered “dark speeches” in Numbers 12:8; “riddle,” in Judges 14:12-19; Ezekiel 17:2; “hard questions” in 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Chronicles 9:1; “dark saying” (as here) in Psalms 78:2; Proverbs 1:6; “dark sentences,” in Daniel 8:23; and “proverb” in Habakkuk 2:6. It does not elsewhere occur. It means properly “something entangled, intricate;” then, a trick or stratagem; then art intricate speech, a riddle; then, a sententious saying, a maxim; then a parable, a poem, a song, a proverb. The idea here is, that the point was intricate or obscure; it was not well understood, and he purposed “to lay it open,” and to make it plain.
Upon the harp - On the meaning of the word used here, see the notes at Isaiah 5:12. The idea here is, that he would accompany the explanation with music, or would so express it that it might be accompanied with music; that is, he would give it a poetic form - a form such that the sentiment might be used in public worship, and might be impressed upon the mind by all the force and power which music would impart. Sentiments of purity and truth, and sentiments of pollution and falsehood also, are always most deeply imbedded in the minds of people, and are made most enduring and effective, when they are connected with music. Thus the sentiments of patriotism are perpetuated and impressed in song; and thus sentiments of sensuality and pollution owe much of their permanence and power to the fact that they are expressed in corrupt verse, and that they are perpetuated in exquisite poetry, and are accompanied with song. Scenes of revelry, as well as acts of devotion, are kept up by song. Religion proposes to take advantage of this principle in our nature by connecting the sentiments of piety with the sweetness of verse, and by impressing and perpetuating those sentiments through associating them with all that is tender, pure, and inspiriting in music. Hence, music, both vocal and that which is produced by instruments, has always been found to be an invaluable auxiliary in securing the proper impression of truth on the minds of people, as well as in giving utterance to the sentiments of piety in devotion.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Psalms 49:4. I will incline mine ear to a parable — This was the general method of conveying instruction among the Asiatics. They used much figure and metaphor to induce the reader to study deeply in order to find out the meaning. This had its use; it obliged men to think and reflect deeply; and thus in some measure taught them the use, government, and management of their minds.
My dark saying upon the harp. — Music was sometimes used to soothe the animal spirits, and thus prepare the mind for the prophetic influx.
