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King James Version

Psalms 49:8

(For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Boasting;   Immortality;   Ransom;   Works;   The Topic Concordance - Folly;   Trust;   Uprightness;   Wealth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Redemption;   Riches;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Korah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Death, Mortality;   Life;   Redeem, Redemption;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hope;   Redeem, Redemption, Redeemer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Eschatology;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Korah, Korahites;   Psalms;   Sin;   Wealth;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Atonement (2);   Eschatology (2);   Ransom (2);   Redemption;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Ransom;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Korah;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fail;   Ransom;   Soul;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Atonement;   God;   Yiẓḥaḳ ben Parnak;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
since the price of redeeming him is too costly,one should forever stop trying—
Hebrew Names Version
For the redemption of their life is costly, No payment is ever enough,
English Standard Version
for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,
New Century Version
because the price of a life is high. No payment is ever enough.
New English Translation
(the ransom price for a human life is too high, and people go to their final destiny),
Amplified Bible
For the ransom of his soul is too costly, And he should cease trying forever—
New American Standard Bible
For the redemption of his soul is priceless, And he should cease imagining forever—
World English Bible
For the redemption of their life is costly, No payment is ever enough,
Geneva Bible (1587)
(So precious is the redemption of their soules, and the continuance for euer)
Legacy Standard Bible
For the redemption price for their soul is costly,And it ceases forever—
Berean Standard Bible
For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,
Contemporary English Version
It costs far too much to buy back your life. You can never pay God enough
Complete Jewish Bible
No one can ever redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him ,
Darby Translation
(For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be given up for ever,)
Easy-to-Read Version
You will never get enough money to pay for your own life.
George Lamsa Translation
For the redemption of their souls is precious:
Good News Translation
because the payment for a human life is too great. What we could pay would never be enough
Lexham English Bible
(since the redemption price for their life is costly and it always fails),
Literal Translation
for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceases forever,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For it costeth more to redeme their soules, so that he must let that alone for euer.
American Standard Version
(For the redemption of their life is costly, And it faileth for ever),
Bible in Basic English
(Because it takes a great price to keep his soul from death, and man is not able to give it.)
JPS Old Testament (1917)
No man can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him--
King James Version (1611)
(For the redemption of their soule is precious, and it ceaseth for euer.)
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the redemption of their soule is very costly, and must be let alone for euer:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
or the price of the redemption of his soul, though he labour for ever,
English Revised Version
(For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be let alone for ever:)
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he schal not yyue the prijs of raunsum of his soule; and he schal trauele with outen ende,
Update Bible Version
(For the redemption of their life is costly, And it fails forever;)
Webster's Bible Translation
(For the redemption of their soul [is] precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)
New King James Version
For the redemption of their souls is costly, And it shall cease forever--
New Living Translation
Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough
New Life Bible
The cost is much for his soul to be saved. Man should stop trying
New Revised Standard
For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So costly, is the redemption of their soul, That it faileth unto times age-abiding;
Douay-Rheims Bible
(48-9) Nor the price of the redemption of his soul: and shall labour for ever,
Revised Standard Version
for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice,
Young's Literal Translation
And precious [is] the redemption of their soul, And it hath ceased -- to the age.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For the redemption of his soul is costly, And he should cease trying forever—

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

Job 36:18, Job 36:19

Reciprocal: Leviticus 25:31 - they may be redeemed 1 Samuel 26:21 - my soul 2 Kings 1:14 - let my life Job 6:23 - Redeem Job 33:24 - I Matthew 16:26 - or Mark 8:37 - General Luke 7:42 - when 1 Corinthians 15:55 - is thy victory 1 Peter 1:18 - ye

Cross-References

Genesis 27:29
Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.
Genesis 29:35
And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord : therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.
Genesis 42:6
And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Genesis 46:12
And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
Genesis 49:1
And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.
Genesis 49:2
Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Genesis 49:7
Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
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 49:11
Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:
Genesis 49:12
His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the redemption of their soul [is] precious,.... Or "heavy" s; it is, as Jarchi observes, "heavier than their substance": it is too weighty a matter for the richest man in the world to engage in; he is not equal to it; his riches are not an equivalent to the redemption of a soul which has sinned, and which is of more worth than the whole world: "what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" or another for him? all the substance of his house would be utterly despised. It requires a greater price for the redemption of it than gold and silver, and therefore it is impossible to be obtained by any such means; and which may be the sense of the word here, as Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it; and so it is used for that which is "rare", "difficult", yea, "impossible", not to be found or come at, in 1 Samuel 3:1. The only price of redemption of the soul is the precious blood of Christ; his life is the ransom price, yea, he himself, 1 Peter 1:18 1 Timothy 2:6; nor is the redemption of the soul possible upon any other ground;

and it ceaseth for ever; that is, the redemption of the soul; it must have ceased, it could never have been accomplished, had not Christ undertook it and performed it; he has obtained eternal redemption, and in him we have it, and in no other. Or the words may be rendered, "and he ceaseth for ever"; the brother, whose soul or life is to be redeemed, he dies; see Psalms 12:1; and dies the second and eternal death, for aught his brother can do for him, with all his riches: or he that attempts to redeem him, "he leaves off for ever" t; see Psalms 36:3; whether he will or not, as Jarchi observes; he ceases from redeeming his brother; he finds he cannot do it; his endeavours are vain and fruitless. Some join and connect these words with the following, "and it ceaseth for ever, that he should still live for ever", c. that is, it is impossible that such an one by such means should live for ever. Gussetius u renders and interprets the words quite to another sense, "but the redemption of their soul shall come": the true redemption price by Christ and which, being once paid and perfectly done, "ceaseth for ever", and shall never be required more; so that he for whom it is made "shall live for ever", as in Psalms 49:9, which is a truly evangelic sense.

s יקר "gravis", De Dieu, Michaelis. t חדל "definet", Montanus, Vatablus. u Ebr. Comment. p. 345.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the redemption of their soul is precious - The word “soul” here means “life,” and not the immortal part. The only question which the psalmist here considers is the value of wealth in preserving “life,” or in saving man from the grave. The phrase, ““their” soul,” refers doubtless to the man and his brother, as alluded to in the previous verse. The idea is that neither can the man of wealth ransom his own life from the grave, nor the life of his brother. Wealth can save neither of them. The word “precious” means “costly,” “valuable.” The word is applied 1 Kings 10:2, 1 Kings 10:10-11 to gems, and then to the costlier kinds of stones employed in building, as marble and hewn-stones, 2 Chronicles 3:6. Compare the notes at Psalms 36:7. The idea here is, that the rescue of the life, or the saving from the grave, would be too “costly;” it would be beyond the power of all wealth to purchase it; no amount of silver or gold, or raiment, or precious stones, could “constitute” a sufficient “price” to secure it.

And it ceaseth for ever - That is, Wealth forever comes short of the power necessary to accomplish this. It has always been insufficient; it always “will” be. There is no hope that it “ever” will be sufficient; that by any increase in the amount - or by any change in the conditions of the bargain - property or riches can avail for this. The whole matter is perfectly “hopeless” as to the power of wealth in saving one human being from the grave. It must always “fail” in saving a man from death. The word rendered “ceaseth” - חדל châdal - means “to leave off, to desist, to fail,” Genesis 11:8; Exodus 9:34; Isaiah 2:22. As there is no allusion here to the redemption of the “soul” - the immortal part - this passage affirms nothing in regard to the fact that the work of redemption by the Saviour is completed or finished, and that an atonement cannot be made again, which is true; nor to the fact that when salvation through that atonement is rejected, all hope of redemption is at an end, which is also true. But though there is, originally, no such reference here, the “language” is such as is “adapted” to express that idea. In a much higher and more important sense than any which pertains to the power of wealth in saving from the grave, it is true tint the work of the atonement ceased for ever when the Redeemer expired on the cross, and that all hope of salvation ceases forever when the atonement is rejected, and when man refuses to be saved by his blood; nothing then can save the soul. No other sacrifice will be made, and when a man has finally rejected the Saviour, it may be said in the highest sense of the term, that the redemption of the soul is too costly to be effected by any other means, and that all hope of its salvation “has ceased” forever.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 49:8. For the redemption of their soul is precious — It is of too high a price to be redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver or gold, and has required the sacrificial death of Christ.

And it ceaseth for ever — This is very obscure, and may apply to the ransom which riches could produce. That ransom must be for ever unavailable, because of the value of the soul. Or this clause should be added to the following verse, and read thus: "And though he cease to be, (וחדל vechadal,) during the hidden time, (לעולם leolam;) yet he shall live on through eternity, (ויחי עוד לנצח vichi od lanetsach,) and not see corruption." This is probably the dark saying which it was the design of the author to utter in a parable, and leave it to the ingenuity of posterity to find it out. The verb חדל chadal signifies a cessation of being or action, and עולם olam often signifies hidden time, that which is not defined, and the end of which is not ascertained, though it is frequently used to express endless duration. This translation requires no alteration of the original text, and conveys a precise and consistent meaning.


 
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