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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible

Psalms 49:16

Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich, When the splendor of his house is increased;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Envy;   Rich, the;   Worldliness;   The Topic Concordance - Trust;   Wealth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ambition;  

Dictionaries:

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

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Glory;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Death, Views and Customs Concerning;   Demonology;   Immortality of the Soul;   Sheol;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Do not be afraid when a person gets rich,when the wealth of his house increases.
Hebrew Names Version
Don't be afraid when a man is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.
King James Version
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
English Standard Version
Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
New Century Version
Don't be afraid of rich people because their houses are more beautiful.
New English Translation
Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies!
Amplified Bible
Be not afraid when [an ungodly] man becomes rich, When the wealth and glory of his house are increased;
World English Bible
Don't be afraid when a man is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Be not thou afrayd when one is made rich, and when the glory of his house is increased.
Legacy Standard Bible
Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich,When the glory of his house increases;
Berean Standard Bible
Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
Contemporary English Version
Don't let it bother you when others get rich and live in luxury.
Complete Jewish Bible
But God will redeem me from Sh'ol's control, because he will receive me. (Selah)
Darby Translation
Be not afraid when a man becometh rich, when the glory of his house is increased:
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't be afraid of people just because they are rich. Don't be afraid of people just because they have big, fancy houses.
George Lamsa Translation
Be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
Good News Translation
Don't be upset when someone becomes rich, when his wealth grows even greater;
Lexham English Bible
Do not fear when a man becomes rich, when the wealth of his house increases,
Literal Translation
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Sela. O be not thou afrayed, whan one is made riche, & the glory of his house increased.
American Standard Version
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased:
Bible in Basic English
Have no fear when wealth comes to a man, and the glory of his house is increased;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the nether-world; for He shall receive me. Selah
King James Version (1611)
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be not thou afrayde though one be made riche: or yf the glorie of his house be encreased.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Fear not when a man is enriched, and when the glory of his house is increased.
English Revised Version
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Drede thou not, whanne a man is maad riche; and the glorie of his hows is multiplied.
Update Bible Version
Don't be afraid when one is made rich, When the glory of his house is increased.
Webster's Bible Translation
Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;
New King James Version
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;
New Living Translation
So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.
New Life Bible
Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and when his house grows in greatness.
New Revised Standard
Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not fear, When a man becometh rich, When the glory of his house increaseth;
Douay-Rheims Bible
(48-17) Be not thou afraid, when a man shall be made rick, and when the glory of his house shall be increased.
Revised Standard Version
Be not afraid when one becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases.
Young's Literal Translation
Fear not, when one maketh wealth, When the honour of his house is abundant,
THE MESSAGE
So don't be impressed with those who get rich and pile up fame and fortune. They can't take it with them; fame and fortune all get left behind. Just when they think they've arrived and folks praise them because they've made good, They enter the family burial plot where they'll never see sunshine again.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased;

Contextual Overview

15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah 16 Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich, When the splendor of his house is increased;17 For when he dies, he will take nothing with him; His wealth will not descend after him. 18 Though while he lives he congratulates himself— And though people praise you when you do well for yourself— 19 He will go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. 20 Mankind in its splendor, yet without understanding, Is like the animals that perish.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Be not: Psalms 49:5, Psalms 37:1, Psalms 37:7, Esther 3:1-6, Proverbs 28:12

glory: Genesis 31:1, Esther 5:11, Revelation 21:24, Revelation 21:26

Reciprocal: Job 15:29 - neither shall Job 19:9 - stripped Psalms 4:6 - many Proverbs 4:7 - with Isaiah 10:3 - where Jeremiah 9:23 - wise Matthew 4:8 - and showeth Matthew 19:23 - That Luke 6:24 - woe Luke 16:22 - the rich

Cross-References

Genesis 30:6
Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me, and has indeed heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she named him Dan.
Genesis 49:1
Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, "Assemble yourselves, so that I may tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.
Genesis 49:2
"Gather together and listen, sons of Jacob; Yes, listen to Israel your father.
Genesis 49:24
But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
Genesis 49:25
From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
Genesis 49:26
"The blessings of your father Have surpassed the blessings of my ancestors Up to the furthest boundary of the everlasting hills; May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the top of the head of the one distinguished among his brothers.
Genesis 49:27
"Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; In the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoils."
Numbers 10:25
Then the flag of the camp of the sons of Dan, by their armies, which formed the rear guard for all the camps, set out, with Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai over its army,
Deuteronomy 33:22
Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's cub; He leaps out from Bashan."
Judges 13:2
And there was a man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was infertile and had not given birth to any children.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be not thou afraid when one is made rich,.... Who before was poor, or not so rich; but now become so, either by inheritance, or by his own diligence and industry, through the permission of Providence. This is to be understood, not of a good man, from whom oppression is not to be feared; but it may be hoped he will do good with his riches, by relieving the poor, and ministering to the support of the interest of religion, and using what power and authority he may have in defence of it: but it is to be interpreted of a wicked man; of one who neither fears God, nor regards man; who makes an ill use of his riches, power, and authority, to the oppression of the poor, and the persecution of the saints, and who seeks to be feared when he is not loved; see

Proverbs 28:12; but the people of God should not be afraid when this is the case, since God is their strength, their light, and their salvation; and since wicked men can go no further than permitted, and at most can do no more than kill the body; see Psalms 27:1; these words are an apostrophe of the psalmist, either to his own soul, or to the saints, and every particular believer;

when the glory of his house is increased; either the same with riches, so called, Genesis 31:1; because men are apt to glory in them, and for the most part obtain honour and glory from men by them; or children, and an increase of them, and especially when they come to honour; as also the advancement of themselves to high places of honour and trust; as well as additional buildings, large stately edifices, to make them look great, and perpetuate their names.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be not thou afraid when one is made rich - Do not dread the power derived from wealth; do not fear anything which a man can do merely because he is rich. The original is, “when a “man” becomes rich.” The allusion is not necessarily to a bad man, though that is implied in the whole passage, since there is no reason for fearing a “good” man, whether he is rich or poor. The only thing that seems to have been apprehended in the mind of the psalmist was that power of doing injury to others, or of employing means to injure others, which wealth confers on a bad man. The psalmist here changes the form of the expression, no longer referring to himself, and to his own feelings, as in the former part of the psalm, but making an application of the whole course of thought to others, showing them, as the result of his own reflection and observation, that no man had any real cause for dread and alarm when riches increased in the hands of the wicked. The reasons why this power should not be feared are stated in the following verses.

When the glory of his house is increased - Rich people often lavish much of their wealth on their dwellings; on the dwelling itself; on the furniture; on the grounds and appendages of their habitation. This is evidently referred to here as “the “glory” of their house;” as that which would be adapted to make an impression of the power and rank of its possessor.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 49:16. Be not thou afraid when one is made rich — Do not be envious; do not grieve: it will do you no harm; it will do him no good. All he gets will be left behind; he can carry nothing with him. Even his glory must stay behind; he shall mingle with the common earth.


 
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