Tree of Life Version
Psalms 49:4
4My mouth speaks wisdom, My heart’s meditation is understanding.
Psalms 49:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.
- New International Version (NIV)I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:
- English Standard Version (ESV)I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the lyre.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.
Context of Psalms 49:4
2Hear this, all you peoples. Give ear, all you inhabitants of the world, 3both low and high, rich and poor together. My mouth speaks wisdom, My heart’s meditation is understanding. 5I will turn my ear to a proverb. I will utter my riddle on the harp: 6Why should I fear in evil days? when the iniquity of my deceivers surrounds me?
Read all of Psalms 49Psalms 49:4 word by word
אַטֶּ֣ה לְמָשָׁ֣ל אָזְנִ֑י אֶפְתַּ֥ח בְּ֝כִנּ֗וֹר חִידָתִֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 49:4
- Psalms 78:2I will open my mouth with a parable. I will utter perplexing sayings from of old,
- Matthew 13:35in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
- Numbers 23:7Then he uttered his oracle and said, “From Aram, Balak brought me, Moab’s king from the mountains of the east: ‘Come! Curse Jacob for me! ‘Come! Denounce Israel!’
- Matthew 13:11And He replied to them, “To you has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
- Proverbs 1:6to understand a proverb and a puzzle, the sayings of the wise and their riddles.
- Daniel 8:23“‘Now toward the end of their reign, when the measure of transgressions is completed, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise.
- Luke 12:3Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
- 2 Corinthians 3:12Therefore, having such a hope, we act with great boldness.
Commentaries on Psalms 49:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4I will incline mine ear to a parable - This was the general method of conveying instruction among the Asiatics. They used much figure and metaphor to induce the reader to study deeply in order to find out the meaning. This had its use; it obliged men to think and reflect deeply; and thus in some measure taught them the use, government, and management of their minds. My dark saying upon the harp - Music was sometimes used to soothe the animal spirits, and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4I will incline mine ear to a parable - The phrase “I will incline mine ear” means that he would listen or attend to - as we incline our ear toward those whom we are anxious to hear, or in the direction from which a sound seems to come. Compare Psalm 5:1; Psalm 17:1; Psalm 39:12; Isaiah 1:2. On the word rendered “parable” here משׁל mâshâl - see the notes at Isaiah 14:4. Compare Job 13:12, note; Job 27:1, note. The word properly means similitude; then, a…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The teacher used proverbs and riddles to teach wisdom (see Proverbs 1:5–6).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. incline--to hear attentively (Psa 17:6; 31:2). parable--In Hebrew and Greek "parable" and "proverb" are translations of the same word. It denotes a comparison, or form of speech, which under one image includes many, and is expressive of a general truth capable of various illustrations. Hence it may be used for the illustration itself. For the former sense, "proverb" (that is, one word for several) is the usual English term, and for the latter, in which…Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 49:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 49
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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