Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

King James Version

Psalms 49:13

This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambition;   Flattery;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Folly;   Wisdom-Folly;   The Topic Concordance - Folly;   Trust;   Uprightness;   Wealth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ambition;   Beasts;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Korah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Wealth;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Eschatology;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Hope;   Korah, Korahites;   Psalms;   Sin;   Wealth;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Korah;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Approve;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - God;   Golem;   Masorah;   Strophic Forms in the Old Testament;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
This is the way of those who are arrogant,and of their followers,who approve of their words.Selah
Hebrew Names Version
This is the destiny of those who are foolish, And of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
English Standard Version
This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah
New Century Version
This is what will happen to those who trust in themselves and to their followers who believe them. Selah
New English Translation
This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah)
Amplified Bible
This is the fate of those who are foolishly confident, And of those after them who approve [and are influenced by] their words. Selah.
New American Standard Bible
This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah
World English Bible
This is the destiny of those who are foolish, And of those who approve their sayings. Selah.
Geneva Bible (1587)
This their way vttereth their foolishnes: yet their posteritie delite in their talke. Selah.
Legacy Standard Bible
This is the way of those who are foolish,And of those after them who are pleased with their words. Selah.
Berean Standard Bible
This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah
Contemporary English Version
Here is what happens to fools and to those who trust the words of fools:
Complete Jewish Bible
But people, even rich ones, will live only briefly; then, like animals, they will die.
Darby Translation
This their way is their folly, yet they that come after them delight in their sayings. Selah.
Easy-to-Read Version
That is what happens to all who trust in themselves and to anyone who accepts their way of life. Selah
George Lamsa Translation
This their way is their folly; in the end, demented, they will graze like cattle.
Good News Translation
See what happens to those who trust in themselves, the fate of those who are satisfied with their wealth—
Lexham English Bible
This is the journey of those who have foolish confidence, and those after them who accept their sayings. Selah
Literal Translation
This way of theirs is folly to them, yet their followers shall be pleased by their mouth. Selah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This waie of theirs is very foolishnesse, & yet their posterite prayse it wt their mouth.
American Standard Version
This their way is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah
Bible in Basic English
This is the way of the foolish; their silver is for those who come after them, and their children get the pleasure of their gold. (Selah.)
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But man abideth not in honour; he is like the beasts that perish.
King James Version (1611)
This their way is their follie; yet their posteritie approue their sayings. Selah.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
This their way is their foolishnesse: yet their posteritie prayse their saying. Selah.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
This their way is an offence to them: yet afterwards men will commend their sayings. Pause.
English Revised Version
This their way is their folly: yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
This weie of hem is sclaundir to hem; and aftirward thei schulen plese togidere in her mouth.
Update Bible Version
This way of theirs is their folly: Yet after them men approve their sayings. Selah.
Webster's Bible Translation
This their way [is] their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah.
New King James Version
This is the way of those who are foolish, And of their posterity who approve their sayings.Selah
New Living Translation
This is the fate of fools, though they are remembered as being wise. Interlude
New Life Bible
This is the way of the foolish, and of those after them who believe in their words.
New Revised Standard
Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
This, their way, is a folly to them, And yet, their followers, with their mouth, approve. Selah.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(48-14) This way of theirs is a stumblingblock to them: and afterwards they shall delight in their mouth.
Revised Standard Version
This is the fate of those who have foolish confidence, the end of those who are pleased with their portion. [Selah]
Young's Literal Translation
This their way [is] folly for them, And their posterity with their sayings are pleased. Selah.
THE MESSAGE
This is what happens to those who live for the moment, who only look out for themselves: Death herds them like sheep straight to hell; they disappear down the gullet of the grave; They waste away to nothing— nothing left but a marker in a cemetery. But me? God snatches me from the clutch of death, he reaches down and grabs me.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
This is the way of those who are foolish, And of those after them who approve their words. Selah.

Contextual Overview

6 They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption. 10 For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. 12 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This their way is their folly: yet their posterity approve their sayings. Selah. 14 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.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

folly: Luke 12:20, 1 Corinthians 3:19

approve their sayings: Heb. delight in their mouth, Jeremiah 44:17, Luke 11:47, Luke 11:48, Luke 16:27, Luke 16:28

Reciprocal: Luke 16:15 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 30:20
And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun.
Genesis 49:10
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
Genesis 49:16
Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Genesis 49:18
I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord .
Genesis 49:19
Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This their way [is] their folly,.... This their last end becoming like the beasts that perish, which is the issue and event of all their confidence, ambition, and honour, shows the folly of their lives and conduct: or this their course of life, in trusting to their riches; boasting of their wealth; pleasing themselves with the thoughts of the continuance of their houses and dwelling places to all generations; and calling their lands after their own names; all proclaim their folly. Or, as some render the words, "this their way [is] their hope" or "confidence" b; they place all their hope and confidence in their riches and honour, which is but a vain hope and a foolish confidence;

yet their posterity approve their sayings; they are of the same sentiments with their fathers; they say the same things, and do the same actions; tread in their steps, and follow the same track; though there have been such innumerable instances of the vanity and inconstancy of all worldly riches and grandeur.

Selah; on this word, :-.

b כסל למו "est fiducia ipsorum", Cocceius, Gejerus; "stolida fiducia vel spes", Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This their way is their folly - This might be rendered, “This is their way or course of life. It is their folly;” or, such is their folly. On the word “way,” see the notes at Psalms 1:6. The idea is, that it is folly for a man to cherish these hopes; to feel that wealth is of so much importance; to imagine that it can deliver from the grave; to suppose that he can perpetuate his own name, and secure his possessions in his own family upon the earth. And yet the world is still full of people as foolish as were those in the time of the psalmist; people who will not be admonished by the suggestions of reason, or by the experience of 6,000 years in the past. This is one thing in which the world makes no progress - in which it learns nothing from the experience of the past; and as the beaver under the influence of instinct builds his house and his home now in the same way that the first beaver did his, and as the brutes all act in the same manner from generation to generation, accumulating no knowledge, and making no advances from the experience of the past, so it is with people in their desire to grow rich. On other points the world accumulates knowledge, and profits from experience, garnering up the lessons taught by past experiment and observation, and thus becoming wiser in all other respects; but in regard to the desire of wealth, it makes no progress, gains no knowledge, derives no advantage, from the generations of fools that have lived and died in past ages. They now engage in the pursuit of gold with the same zeal, and the same expectation and hope which were evinced in the first ages of the world, and “as if” their own superior skill and wisdom could set at nought all the lessons taught by the past.

Yet their posterity - The coming generation is as confident and as foolish as the one that went before.

Approve their sayings - Margin, “delight in their mouth.” That is, they delight or take pleasure in what proceeds from their mouth; in what they say; in their views of things. They adopt “their” principles, and act on “their” maxims; and, attaching the same importance to wealth which “they” did, seek as “they” sought to perpetuate their names upon the earth.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 49:13. Their posterity approve their sayings. — Go the same way; adopt their maxims.


 
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