Psalms 49:1

Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm calling all peoples, both low and high, to hear a parable about the fleeting hope of those who trust in wealth. The psalmist observes that no man can redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him, since the redemption of a soul is costly and must cease forever, so even the wise die like beasts. He declares that the inward thought of the rich is that their houses will continue forever, naming their lands after themselves, but like sheep appointed to death they will fall, and death will be their shepherd-while God will redeem his soul from the power of the grave, for man in honor who does not understand is like the beasts that perish.