Psa 49:20 | NETfull | STEP | Wealthy people do not understand; they are like animals that perish. A psalm by Asaph.

Psalms 49:20

Wealthy people do not understand; ^{▼▼ Heb “mankind in honor does not understand.” The Hebrew term יְקָר (y^eqar, “honor”) probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context. The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some emend יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) to יָלִין (yalin, “remains”), but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 12.}
they are like animals ^{▼▼ Or “cattle.”} that perish. ^{▼▼ The Hebrew verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease, destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (damah, “be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [I דָּמַה, “be silent,” and II דָּמַה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense here, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.}

Psalm 50

^{▼▼ Psalm 50. This psalm takes the form of a covenant lawsuit in which the Lord comes to confront his people in a formal manner (as in Isa 1:2–20). The Lord emphasizes that he places priority on obedience and genuine worship, not empty ritual.}