Psalm 49:19 kjv
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.
Psalm 49:19 nkjv
He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light.
Psalm 49:19 niv
they will join those who have gone before them, who will never again see the light of life.
Psalm 49:19 esv
his soul will go to the generation of his fathers, who will never again see light.
Psalm 49:19 nlt
But they will die like all before them
and never again see the light of day.
Psalm 49 19 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 49:16-17 | Be not afraid when one becomes rich... For when he dies he will carry nothing away. | Futility of wealth at death |
| Ps 6:5 | For in death there is no remembrance of You; in Sheol who will give You thanks? | Sheol is without light/life |
| Ps 88:12 | Will Your wonders be known in the darkness, and Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? | Sheol is a dark realm |
| Ecc 2:16 | For of the wise man as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance... | All meet the same end |
| Ecc 3:19-20 | For what happens to the children of man... they all go to one place. | Universality of death |
| Ecc 5:15 | As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again... | Nothing taken from earth |
| Job 1:21 | "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there." | Earthly possessions are temporary |
| Job 10:21-22 | Before I go—and I shall not return—to the land of darkness and deep shadow... | Sheol as dark, no return |
| Job 30:23 | For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living. | Inevitable common fate |
| Gen 3:19 | For dust you are, and to dust you shall return. | Mortality of humanity |
| Isa 38:18 | For Sheol cannot thank You; death cannot praise You... | Death ends praise |
| Isa 53:8 | ...He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken. | Cut off from life |
| Jer 13:16 | Give glory to the Lord your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble... | Warning against spiritual darkness |
| Lk 12:19-20 | And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have ample goods stored up..." But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul is required of you..." | Rich fool's demise |
| 1 Tim 6:7 | For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. | Wealth has no eternal value |
| Heb 9:27 | And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. | Inevitable death and judgment |
| Ps 115:17 | The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence. | Sheol lacks praise |
| Jn 1:4-5 | In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness... | Christ is the true Light |
| Jn 8:12 | Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." | Life and light in Christ |
| Rev 21:23 | And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. | Eternal light with God |
| Ps 36:9 | For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light. | Source of true light |
Psalm 49 verses
Psalm 49 19 Meaning
This verse states the inevitable destiny of the rich and foolish individual who trusts in his earthly wealth and standing: he will die and join the assembly of his ancestors in the grave. The stark declaration "they will never again see light" signifies a final and irreversible end to his earthly existence, stripping him of all his former glories, joys, and any semblance of divine favor, relegating him to the dark realm of death.
Psalm 49 19 Context
Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm that functions as a theological reflection on the problem of wealth and suffering, particularly the apparent prosperity of the wicked or arrogant rich (Ps 49:5-6). It challenges the prevailing notion that worldly riches bring lasting security or prevent death, contrasting the destiny of the foolish, wealthy oppressor with that of the righteous (Ps 49:15). The psalmist’s audience would have been familiar with pagan ideas that often associated earthly power or elaborate burial rites with a more favorable afterlife. This psalm directly counters such notions, asserting that no amount of wealth can purchase salvation from the grave or postpone the universal fate of death (Ps 49:7-9). Verses 11-12 describe how the rich think their houses and names will endure, yet they, like animals, ultimately perish. Verse 19 acts as the climactic statement about the fate of these boastful rich, a stark conclusion emphasizing the common, dark end that awaits those who rely on transient earthly things rather than on God.
Psalm 49 19 Word analysis
- He will go (יבוא - yavo): From the Hebrew root בוא (bo), meaning "to come, go, enter." This signifies an inevitable, definitive journey or transition. It is not a choice, but a determined passage into another state or realm.
- to the generation (על דור - ‘al dor):
- דור (dor): Means "generation, age, dwelling, cycle." Here, it points to a collective group of those who have preceded him. It emphasizes that this is a universal, generational path taken by all humanity.
- of his fathers (אבתיו - avotayv):
- אב (av): Means "father, ancestor, forefather." The plural form "fathers" highlights that he joins the ranks of all his deceased ancestors. This phrase powerfully underscores the commonality of death, where all, regardless of status, become part of the undifferentiated lineage of the departed in the grave. It dismisses any thought of special treatment for the rich.
- they will never (לנצח - lanetsach):
- נצח (netsach): Signifies "perpetuity, everlastingness, eternity." Combined with the preposition "ל" (le-, "to, for") and in context, it conveys "forever" or "eternally." This word indicates a permanent, unchangeable state.
- again (עוד - ‘od): Means "still, yet, no longer, again." Its inclusion reinforces the absolute finality of the statement. There will be no possibility of reversal or return to seeing light.
- see (יראו - yir'u): From the Hebrew root ראה (ra'ah), meaning "to see, perceive, behold, discern." It denotes sensory perception, particularly visual. The implication is a complete and utter lack of such perception concerning light.
- light (אור - or):
- אור (or): The literal meaning is "light." Biblically, "light" is a multifaceted symbol for life, blessing, joy, prosperity, understanding, truth, salvation, and the active presence of God. Its absence or withdrawal therefore signifies the antithesis: death, sorrow, despair, ignorance, lack of divine favor, and separation from vitality and divine presence. For the rich fool, losing "light" means losing everything he values and the very essence of life as he knew it.
- "He will go to the generation of his fathers": This phrase articulates the universal truth of mortality and the shared destiny of all humans. It strips away any illusion of enduring personal greatness or special exception from death for the wealthy, placing them alongside all who have ever lived and died. It implies a return to Sheol, the common grave for humanity, devoid of the unique status they enjoyed on earth.
- "they will never again see light": This powerful and sobering statement emphasizes the finality of earthly existence for such a person. It highlights that the cessation of physical life means an end to all earthly pleasures, joys, and opportunities symbolized by light. Within the context of Sheol, often described as a land of darkness and gloom in the Old Testament, "never seeing light again" paints a bleak picture of eternal separation from the vibrancy, activity, and divine presence associated with light in this life and the life to come.
Psalm 49 19 Bonus section
This verse resonates with the broader wisdom tradition in the Bible that constantly emphasizes human mortality and the vanity of trusting in temporal things (e.g., Ecc 1-2). It is a polemic against the worldview prevalent in ancient cultures where a grand funeral or substantial wealth was believed to ensure a better lot in the afterlife. The psalmist asserts that death is absolute in its egalitarianism, reducing all to the same dark silence. The "light" denied in this verse further anticipates New Testament teachings where Jesus declares Himself to be the "light of the world," offering true and eternal life in contrast to the spiritual darkness and ultimate demise faced by those who reject Him and cleave to perishable treasures.
Psalm 49 19 Commentary
Psalm 49:19 delivers a profound, unvarnished truth: despite earthly wealth, power, or fame, the ungodly rich face the same ultimate destiny as all mortals. Their earthly distinctions vanish with their last breath. "He will go to the generation of his fathers" underscores the great equalizer that is death, wherein the proud and the pauper alike are gathered into the universal fraternity of the dead. The grim declaration "they will never again see light" is particularly poignant. It is not merely the absence of physical light, but the irreversible loss of all that light represents: life, joy, prosperity, status, and the very awareness and favor of God on earth. This contrasts sharply with the rich man's previous earthly "light" of privilege and material security, now entirely extinguished. The verse functions as a solemn warning against the futility of investing ultimate trust in transient riches, pointing to a dark, finality that contrasts sharply with the hope for the righteous presented elsewhere in the psalm (Ps 49:15).