Psalm 49:4
I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle with the harp:
I will incline my ear to a proverb
The phrase "I will incline my ear" suggests a deliberate act of listening and paying attention. In the Hebrew context, the word for "incline" (הַטּוּ) implies a bending or turning towards something with intent and purpose. This reflects a posture of humility and readiness to receive wisdom. In the ancient Near Eastern culture, listening was a critical component of learning and understanding, especially in the transmission of oral traditions and teachings. The psalmist's commitment to incline his ear indicates a desire to gain insight and understanding, which is a foundational principle in the pursuit of godly wisdom. The term "to a proverb" refers to a wise saying or parable. In Hebrew, the word "proverb" (מָשָׁל) often denotes a short, pithy statement that conveys moral or practical truths. Proverbs were a common method of teaching in ancient Israel, encapsulating complex ideas in memorable and thought-provoking ways. The use of proverbs in the Bible, particularly in the Book of Proverbs, highlights the importance of wisdom literature in guiding ethical and spiritual conduct. The psalmist's intention to listen to a proverb underscores the value placed on wisdom and understanding as divine gifts that lead to righteous living.

I will disclose my riddle with the harp
The phrase "I will disclose" indicates a revelation or unveiling of something hidden. In Hebrew, the word used here (אֶפְתַּח) can mean to open or reveal. This suggests that the psalmist is about to share insights or truths that are not immediately apparent, requiring contemplation and discernment. The act of disclosing a riddle implies a deeper level of engagement with the audience, inviting them to ponder and seek understanding beyond the surface. The term "my riddle" refers to a puzzling question or enigmatic saying. In Hebrew, the word "riddle" (חִידָה) often involves a challenge to the listener to think critically and seek deeper meaning. Riddles were a common pedagogical tool in ancient cultures, used to stimulate thought and convey hidden truths. The psalmist's use of a riddle suggests that the message being conveyed is not straightforward and requires reflection and insight to grasp fully. The phrase "with the harp" indicates the use of music as a medium for communication. The harp (נֵבֶל) was a stringed instrument commonly used in ancient Israelite worship and storytelling. Music was an integral part of Hebrew culture, often accompanying psalms, hymns, and teachings. The use of the harp in disclosing the riddle suggests that the message is not only intellectual but also emotional and spiritual, engaging the whole person in the process of understanding. The combination of music and wisdom reflects the holistic approach to worship and learning in the biblical tradition, where truth is experienced through both mind and heart.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Sons of Korah
The authors of Psalm 49, a group of Levitical singers and musicians in the temple, known for their wisdom and musical contributions to the Psalms.

2. Israel
The primary audience of the Psalms, representing God's chosen people who are called to live according to His wisdom and commandments.

3. The Psalmist
The individual voice within the Sons of Korah who is expressing wisdom through music and poetry.

4. The Harp
A musical instrument used in ancient Israelite worship, symbolizing the blending of music and wisdom in the expression of divine truths.

5. Proverb and Riddle
Literary forms used in Hebrew wisdom literature to convey deeper spiritual truths and insights.
Teaching Points
The Pursuit of Wisdom
As believers, we are called to actively seek and listen to wisdom, much like the Psalmist inclines his ear to a proverb.

The Role of Music in Worship
Music is a powerful tool for expressing and understanding spiritual truths, as demonstrated by the Psalmist's use of the harp.

Understanding Through Riddles
Spiritual truths are often conveyed in ways that require deep reflection and discernment, encouraging us to seek God's wisdom in understanding them.

The Importance of Reflection
Taking time to meditate on God's word and its deeper meanings is crucial for spiritual growth and understanding.

Wisdom as a Communal Experience
The sharing of wisdom through proverbs and music highlights the communal aspect of learning and growing in faith together.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the use of proverbs and riddles in Psalm 49:4 enhance our understanding of God's wisdom?

2. In what ways can music be used in your personal worship to deepen your understanding of spiritual truths?

3. How can we apply the practice of inclining our ear to wisdom in our daily lives?

4. What are some modern-day "riddles" or parables that challenge us to seek deeper spiritual understanding?

5. How can we encourage a communal pursuit of wisdom within our church or small group settings?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 1:6
This verse speaks of understanding proverbs and riddles, similar to Psalm 49:4, emphasizing the importance of wisdom and discernment.

1 Kings 4:32-34
Describes Solomon's wisdom, including his use of proverbs and songs, paralleling the Psalmist's use of music and proverbs to convey wisdom.

Matthew 13:34-35
Jesus spoke in parables, fulfilling the prophecy of speaking in riddles and hidden things, connecting to the Psalmist's expression of wisdom through riddles.

James 1:5
Encourages believers to seek wisdom from God, aligning with the Psalmist's pursuit of understanding through divine insight.
Dark SayingsHenry J. Swallow.Psalm 49:4
Dark Sayings on a HarpE. Paxton Hood.Psalm 49:4
Mysteries Set to MusicT. S. Knowlson.Psalm 49:4
Mysteries Set to MusicR. Munro, B. D.Psalm 49:4
The Harp of the GodlyW. Wheeler.Psalm 49:4
A Contrast: Unseen WealthC. Clemance Psalm 49:1-20
A Dark Saying: Wealth in Bad HandsC. Clemance Psalm 49:1-20
Be not AfraidW. Forsyth Psalm 49:1-20
The Inequalities of SocietyG. C. Lorimer, D. D.Psalm 49:1-20
The Issues of LifeC. Short Psalm 49:1-20
People
Asaph, Korah, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Clear, Dark, Ear, Expound, Express, Harp, Incline, Lyre, Music, Open, Parable, Proverb, Riddle, Saying, Sayings, Simile, Solve, Story, Teaching
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 49:4

     5332   harp

Psalm 49:1-4

     5481   proverb

Psalm 49:3-4

     5935   riddles

Library
Two Shepherds and Two Flocks
'Like sheep they are laid in the grave; Death shall feed on them.' --PSALM xlix. 14. 'The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them.' --REV. vii. 17. These two verses have a much closer parallelism in expression than appears in our Authorised Version. If you turn to the Revised Version you will find that it rightly renders the former of my texts, 'Death shall be their shepherd,' and the latter, 'The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their Shepherd.' The Old Testament
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Wesley's Hymns Reconsidered
Bernard Manning A paper read before the Cambridge University Methodist Society on February 9, 1939. SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE, sometime Scholar of Jesus College in the University of Cambridge, once wrote some ingenious verses {Metrical Feet: Lesson for a Boy.} to help his sons to remember the chief sorts of metre. If Coleridge had been a Methodist instead of a pilgrim from Anglicanism to Unitarianism and back again, he would have needed to do no such thing: he would have needed only to advise his boys
Bernard L. Manning—The Hymns of Wesley and Watts: Five Papers

The Lapse of Time.
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."--Eccles. ix. 10. Solomon's advice that we should do whatever our hand findeth to do with our might, naturally directs our thoughts to that great work in which all others are included, which will outlive all other works, and for which alone we really are placed here below--the salvation of our souls. And the consideration of this great work,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

The Care of the Soul Urged as the one Thing Needful
Luke 10:42 -- "But one thing is needful." It was the amiable character of our blessed Redeemer, that "he went about doing good," this great motive, which animated all his actions, brought him to the house of his friend Lazarus, at Bethany, and directed his behavior there. Though it was a season of recess from public labor, our Lord brought the sentiments and the pious cares of a preacher of righteousness into the parlor of a friend; and there his doctrine dropped as the rain, and distilled as the
George Whitefield—Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

The Three Parables of Warning: to the Individual, to the Nation, and to the Theocracy - the Foolish Rich Man - the Barren Fig-Tree - The
The three Parables, which successively follow in St. Luke's Gospel, may generally be designated as those of warning.' This holds specially true of the last two of them, which refer to the civil and the ecclesiastical polity of Israel. Each of the three Parables is set in an historical frame, having been spoken under circumstances which gave occasion for such illustration. 1. The Parable of the foolish rich man. [4439] It appears, that some one among them that listened to Jesus conceived the idea,
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Sense in Which, and End for which all Things were Delivered to the Incarnate Son.
For whereas man sinned, and is fallen, and by his fall all things are in confusion: death prevailed from Adam to Moses (cf. Rom. v. 14), the earth was cursed, Hades was opened, Paradise shut, Heaven offended, man, lastly, corrupted and brutalised (cf. Ps. xlix. 12), while the devil was exulting against us;--then God, in His loving-kindness, not willing man made in His own image to perish, said, Whom shall I send, and who will go?' (Isa. vi. 8). But while all held their peace, the Son [441] said,
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Notes on the Second Century
Page 94. Line 9. The Book of ---- The reference here is to the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon xiii. 1-5. Page 104. Med. 33. As originally written this Meditation commenced thus: Whether the sufferings of an. Angel would have been meritorious or no I will not dispute: but'---- And the following sentence, which comes after the first, has also been crossedout: So that it was an honour and no injury to be called to it: And so great an honour that it was an ornament to God himself, and an honour even to
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

The Kinsman Redeemer
'After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of his brethren may redeem him.'--LEV. xxv. 48. There are several of the institutions and precepts of the Mosaic legislation which, though not prophetic, nor typical, have yet remarkable correspondences with lofty Christian truth. They may be used as symbols, if only we remember that we are diverting them from their original purpose. How singularly these words lend themselves to the statement of the very central truths of Christianity--a slavery
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Out of the Deep of Doubt, Darkness, and Hell.
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night unto Thee. Oh! let my prayer enter into Thy presence. For my soul is full of trouble and my life draweth nigh unto Hell. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in a place of darkness, and in the deep.--Ps. lxxxviii. 1, 2. If I go down to Hell, Thou art there also. Yea, the darkness is no darkness with Thee; but the night is as clear as the day.--Ps. cxxxix. 7, 11. I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling.
Charles Kingsley—Out of the Deep

The Christian Business World
Scripture references: Proverbs 22:29; Romans 12:11; Psalms 24:1; 50:10-12; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 49:6,10,16,17; 62:10; Matthew 13:22; Mark 10:23,24; Job 31:24-26; Proverbs 3:9; Matthew 25:14-30; 24:45-51; 6:19-21; Luke 12:16-21. THE IDEAL IN THE BUSINESS WORLD There is often a wide difference between the methods actually employed in doing business and when they should be. Good men who are in the thick of the battle of competition and rivalry with other firms in the same line of trade, are the quickest
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

Adam's Sin
Q-15: WHAT WAS THE SIN WHEREBY OUR FIRST PARENTS FELL FROM THE ESTATE WHEREIN THEY WERE CREATED? A: That sin was eating the forbidden fruit. 'She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband.' Gen 3:3. Here is implied, 1. That our first parents fell from their estate of innocence. 2. The sin by which they fell, was eating the forbidden fruit. I. Our first parents fell from their glorious state of innocence. God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' Eccl
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Some Helps to Mourning
Having removed the obstructions, let me in the last place propound some helps to holy mourning. 1 Set David's prospect continually before you. My sin is ever before me' (Psalm 51:3). David, that he might be a mourner, kept his eye full upon sin. See what sin is, and then tell me if there be not enough in it to draw forth tears. I know not what name to give it bad enough. One calls it the devil's excrement. Sin is a complication of all evils. It is the spirits of mischief distilled. Sin dishonours
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

"Boast not Thyself of To-Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." There are some peculiar gifts that God hath given to man in his first creation, and endued his nature with, beyond other living creatures, which being rightly ordered and improved towards the right objects, do advance the soul of man to a wonderful height of happiness, that no other sublunary creature is capable of. But by reason of man's fall into sin, these are quite disordered and turned out of
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Letter Xlvi (Circa A. D. 1125) to Guigues, the Prior, and to the Other Monks of the Grand Chartreuse
To Guigues, the Prior, And to the Other Monks of the Grand Chartreuse He discourses much and piously of the law of true and sincere charity, of its signs, its degrees, its effects, and of its perfection which is reserved for Heaven (Patria). Brother Bernard, of Clairvaux, wishes health eternal to the most reverend among fathers, and to the dearest among friends, Guigues, Prior of the Grande Chartreuse, and to the holy Monks who are with him. 1. I have received the letter of your Holiness as joyfully
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

The Covenant of Works
Q-12: I proceed to the next question, WHAT SPECIAL ACT OF PROVIDENCE DID GOD EXERCISE TOWARDS MAN IN THE ESTATE WHEREIN HE WAS CREATED? A: When God had created man, he entered into a covenant of life with him upon condition of perfect obedience, forbidding him to eat of the tree of knowledge upon pain of death. For this, consult with Gen 2:16, 17: And the Lord commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Question Lxxxi of the virtue of Religion
I. Does the Virtue of Religion Direct a Man To God Alone? S. Augustine, sermon, cccxxxiv. 3 " on Psalm lxxvi. 32 sermon, cccxi. 14-15 II. Is Religion a Virtue? III. Is Religion One Virtue? IV. Is Religion a Special Virtue Distinct From Others? V. Is Religion One of the Theological Virtues? VI. Is Religion To Be Preferred To the Other Moral Virtues? VII. Has Religion, Or Latria, Any External Acts? S. Augustine, of Care for the Dead, V. VIII. Is Religion the Same As Sanctity? Cardinal Cajetan,
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Greatness of the Soul,
AND UNSPEAKABLENESS 0F THE LOSS THEREOF; WITH THE CAUSES OF THE LOSING IT. FIRST PREACHED AT PINNER'S HALL and now ENLARGED AND PUBLISHED FOR GOOD. By JOHN BUNYAN, London: Printed for Benjamin Alsop, at the Angel and Bible in the Poultry, 1682 Faithfully reprinted from the Author's First Edition. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Our curiosity is naturally excited to discover what a poor, unlettered mechanic, whose book-learning had been limited to the contents of one volume, could by possibility know
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Resurrection of the Dead, and Eternal Judgment:
OR, THE TRUTH OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODIES, BOTH OF GOOD AND BAD AT THE LAST DAY: ASSERTED, AND PROVED BY GOD'S WORD. ALSO, THE MANNER AND ORDER OF THEIR COMING FORTH OF THEIR GRAVES; AS ALSO, WITH WHAT BODIES THEY DO ARISE. TOGETHER, WITH A DISCOURSE OF THE LAST JUDGMENT, AND THE FINAL CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE WORLD. BY JOHN BUNYAN, A SERVANT OF THE LORD'S CHRIST. "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Notes on the Third Century
Page 161. Line 1. He must be born again, &c. This is a compound citation from John iii. 3, and Mark x. 15, in the order named. Page 182. Line 17. For all things should work together, &c. See Romans viii. 28. Page 184. Lines 10-11. Being Satan is able, &c. 2 Corinthians xi. 14. Page 184. Last line. Like a sparrow, &c. Psalm cii. Page 187. Line 1. Mechanisms. This word is, in the original MS., mechanicismes.' Page 187. Line 7. Like the King's daughter, &c. Psalm xlv. 14. Page 188. Med. 39. The best
Thomas Traherne—Centuries of Meditations

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied in Ancient Rabbinic Writings
THE following list contains the passages in the Old Testament applied to the Messiah or to Messianic times in the most ancient Jewish writings. They amount in all to 456, thus distributed: 75 from the Pentateuch, 243 from the Prophets, and 138 from the Hagiorgrapha, and supported by more than 558 separate quotations from Rabbinic writings. Despite all labour care, it can scarcely be hoped that the list is quite complete, although, it is hoped, no important passage has been omitted. The Rabbinic references
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Psalm 49:4 NIV
Psalm 49:4 NLT
Psalm 49:4 ESV
Psalm 49:4 NASB
Psalm 49:4 KJV

Psalm 49:4 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 49:3
Top of Page
Top of Page