לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי קֹרַח מִזְמוֹר

For the chief musician, a psalm by the sons of Korah.

שִׁמְעוּ זֹאת כָּל הָעַמִּים הַאֲזִינוּ כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי חָלֶד

The psalm begins with a call for attention: Hear this, all peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world. The word ḥaled, translated here as “the world,” is usually defined more narrowly as land or soil. Given the similarities of sound, ḥaled also evokes a sense of termination or ending, as in the verb ḥadal, “to cease.” In other words, it alludes to the ultimate return of all humanity to the dust of the earth.

גַּם בְּנֵי אָדָם גַּם בְּנֵי אִישׁ יַחַד עָשִׁיר וְאֶבְיוֹן

As noted in the previous verse, this psalm is directed to people in general, as its subject matter is universal, to people and sons of man as well, rich and poor together. Benei adam, translated here as “people,” apparently refers to the common folk, whereas benei ish, “sons of man,” refers to people of prominence, since ish is often used to indicate men of stature.

פִּי יְדַבֵּר חָכְמוֹת וְהָגוּת לִבִּי תְבוּנוֹת

My mouth will speak wisdom, understanding from my heart’s meditation. This verse indicates that the psalm is introspective in nature.

אַטֶּה לְמָשָׁל אָזְנִי אֶפְתַּח בְּכִנּוֹר חִידָתִי

I incline my ear for an allegory, opening with the lyre to state my sayings. Mashal, translated here as “allegory,” means a pithy or poetic utterance; in biblical Hebrew the word does not refer to a parable, a meaning it began to take on in the talmudic era. Ḥidati, translated here as “my sayings,” refers to a kind of eloquent, clever statement, derived from the root ḥad, sharp. It does not necessarily denote a riddle or enigma, as it does elsewhere.

לָמָּה אִירָא בִּימֵי רָע עֲוֹן עֲקֵבַי יְסוּבֵּנִי

Why should I fear in days of evil, since all adversity eventually comes to an end, though the iniquity of my feet surrounds me? “Iniquity of my feet,” literally, “iniquity of my heels,” refers to sins committed as one walks along the path of life; alternatively, these are sins committed intentionally. I may be punished for my sins, but ultimately everything ceases.

הַבֹּטְחִים עַל חֵילָם וּבְרֹב עָשְׁרָם יִתְהַלָּלוּ

The same may be said of those who are tranquil and comfortable in life, who trust in their wealth and boast about their great riches. In the end, death claims these people as well.

אָח לֹא פָדֹה יִפְדֶּה אִישׁ לֹא יִתֵּן לֵאלֹהִים כָּפְרוֹ

A man can neither redeem his brother from death nor give God a ransom for him to save him from that fate, nor can anyone else. When death calls, there is no escape.

וְיֵקַר פִּדְיוֹן נַפְשָׁם וְחָדַל לְעוֹלָם

The redemption of their lives is too costly. Even if it were possible to speak of a ransom from death, the price would be far too high, and it can never be attained, as it would exceed the value of everything in existence.

וִיחִי עוֹד לָנֶצַח לֹא יִרְאֶה הַשָּׁחַת

Can one live forever, never seeing the grave? Most people have illusions of immortality. They go about their daily lives, deluding themselves that they will live forever.

כִּי יִרְאֶה חֲכָמִים יָמוּתוּ יַחַד כְּסִיל וָבַעַר יֹאבֵדוּ וְעָזְבוּ לַאֲחֵרִים חֵילָם

A man should realize that death is inevitable, for he sees that even the wise men die. The foolish and the simpleminded as well all perish and leave behind their wealth to others.

קִרְבָּם בָּתֵּימוֹ לְעוֹלָם מִשְׁכְּנֹתָם לְדוֹר וָדֹר קָרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹתָם עֲלֵי אֲדָמוֹת

Deep within them, in their minds, their houses will endure in their possession forever; they imagine their dwelling places will remain theirs for all generations. They name their lands after themselves, expecting that their legacy will endure along with them.

ואָדָם בִּיקָר בַּל יָלִין נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּ

Yet man cannot abide indefinitely in his splendor. In the end, all individuals are taken from this world. Worldly possessions, no matter how splendid, cannot save them from this fate. He is like the beasts that perish, dying just as animals do.

זֶה דַרְכָּם כֵּסֶל לָמוֹ וְאַחֲרֵיהֶם בְּפִיהֶם יִרְצוּ סֶלָה

This is their way of folly, building their hopes and dreams on what they possess in this world, even though possessions are ephemeral and annulled by death. So, too, those who follow, subsequent generations, speak the same desires about indefinite continuation of life in this world, Selah.

כַּצֹּאן לִשְׁאוֹל שַׁתּוּ מָוֶת יִרְעֵם יִּרְדּוּ בָם יְשָׁרִים לַבֹּקֶר וְצוּרָם לְבַלּוֹת שְׁאוֹל מִזְּבֻל לוֹ

Like sheep, they are destined for the grave; death will shepherd them [yirem]. All of humanity is like a flock of sheep being led by a shepherd to inevitable death. Some commentators interpret yirem as “will consume them” rather than “will shepherd them.” The upright will rule over them and take control of their property in the morning, in the future, after their death, while their form, their bodies, will be consumed in the abode of the grave.

אַךְ אֱלֹהִים יִפְדֶּה נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל כִּי יִקָּחֵנִי סֶלָה

In one of the few places in the Bible in which the continuing existence of the soul after death is mentioned, the psalmist now inserts a verse on a more positive note: But God will redeem my soul from the grip of Sheol. Usually sheol is translated as “the grave,” a place one goes to after death. As such, elsewhere (55:16) this word is translated as “the netherworld.” But sometimes, as here, it refers to a place of suffering and misery after death, a hell, where the souls of those who dedicated their lives exclusively to worldly matters go. The righteous, by contrast, will be redeemed from this fate by God. He will take me in, Selah. True redemption, real deliverance from Sheol, occurs when a soul reaches a level in which it is bound to God, a situation referred to in I Samuel 25:29 as the “bond of life with the Lord your God.”

אַל תִּירָא כִּי יַעֲשִׁר אִישׁ כִּי יִרְבֶּה כְּבוֹד בֵּיתוֹ

The psalmist turns to those people who choose to walk a righteous path but feel that the world does not value their choice: Do not fear, do not be concerned, when a man becomes wealthy and powerful, increasing the honor of his house. All this is ultimately of no consequence,

כִּי לֹא בְמוֹתוֹ יִקַּח הַכֹּל לֹא יֵרֵד אַחֲרָיו כְּבוֹדוֹ

for he will take nothing when he dies; his honor will not descend to the grave with him. Wealth and honor have no meaning in the grave.

כִּי נַפְשׁוֹ בְּחַיָּיו יְבָרֵךְ וְיוֹדֻךָ כִּי תֵיטִיב לָךְ

Rather than a person seeking out riches, he should bring blessing upon himself during his life, by doing good deeds that are seen as a blessing. Turning to such a person, the psalmist declares: Thereupon, people will praise you for your upright behavior, and you yourself will benefit from this. Righteous deeds are of benefit to the soul. People who are kind to others also help themselves thereby, and indeed, all that remains with one’s soul in eternity is the good that it has done.

תָּבוֹא עַד דּוֹר אֲבוֹתָיו עַד נֵצַח לֹא יִרְאוּ אוֹר

Or if not, it, man’s soul, will return to the generations of his fathers. It will experience the same fate as the souls of his ancestors who did not follow this advice and who forever will not behold the light. All their material accomplishments will dim and fade after death.

אָדָם בִּיקָר וְלֹא יָבִין נִמְשַׁל כַּבְּהֵמוֹת נִדְמוּ

The psalmist concludes with a summary of man’s attitude toward his life: A man who is preoccupied with material life and basks in his splendor does not understand which things in life are truly meaningful and beneficial for his soul; he is like the beasts that perish. In life he is like an animal, devoid of understanding, and in death as well he is like a beast, in that there remains no memory of him and there is no hope for his soul.