None can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him,
Psalm 49 speaks to rich and poor alike about money and death, and verse 7 sets the limit: no one can buy a life back from death. Commentators read it as the end of every human rescue, and as the doorway to the only rescue that works.
The verse answers a question the psalmist asked two verses earlier: why should he fear in an evil day?
The psalmist opens his warning with a word of encouragement for the godly man who lives in an evil day, surrounded by people who try to trip him up. Why should such a man fear? What follows answers that question: it exposes how empty the lives of those who trust in their riches really are. For the one who trusts in God there is no fear.
The word behind "ransom" means a covering. It ties this verse to atonement, and to the price God Himself found.
In the Old Testament, except in Exodus 21:30, the word is kopher. It literally means "a covering," and it is related to kaphar, often translated "atonement." "Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life" (Psalm 49:7). But God could say, "Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24). In the New Testament the word is lutron, or antilutron, from "to loose, set free." Christ gave Himself, His life, a ransom for many. His precious blood witnesses that every claim of God against the believer has been answered (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6).
No sum is large enough. Stack every treasure on earth, and it still buys nothing here.
Gather all the wealth, the gems and costly stones, all the diamonds of Africa and Brazil — all these riches would be as dust before God… Only God could provide the ransom.
In the book of Ruth, the relative with the first claim to buy back a family's land had to say, "I cannot." One writer hears the same note here.
He did not mean that none of them would redeem his brother if they were able to. He meant that the task was impossible. Many of us, like Naomi's nearer relative, would gladly redeem our own family if we could. But like him, we have to admit, "I cannot."
Sincerity is not the same as ability. One commentator sets this verse beside Moses, who once hoped he could make atonement for Israel's sin.
Moses did propose to settle the matter. He told Israel they had sinned a great sin, and said he would go up to the Lord — perhaps he could make atonement for their sin. But no effort by a creature was any use. "Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life" (Psalm 49:7). The Lord Jesus did not go up to God until He had come down and given His life a ransom for many. So He could go up with no "perhaps" on His lips. He went in the full awareness of the undeniable claim He had established by His finished work.
If no one can redeem a brother, no one can believe for you either.
Each must have it for himself. No man can believe, or get life for another. Each must have to do with God for himself. The link which connects the soul with Christ is intensely individual. There is no such thing as secondhand faith. A man may teach us religion, or theology, or the bare text of Scripture. But he cannot give us oil. He cannot give us faith. He cannot give us life. "It is the gift of God."
- The price — "Ransom" means a covering, the same root as atonement. The verse asks what it costs to cover a life before God.
- The payer — Not the rich man. All the gems and diamonds on earth are dust before God.
- The inability — Like the relative in Ruth, no one here refuses; no one is able. Even Moses, hoping to make atonement for Israel, could not do it.
- The found ransom — What no brother could give, God provided: "I have found a ransom," and Christ gave His life a ransom for many.
- The claim — Each person must take the ransom for himself. There is no secondhand faith, and each one must deal with God himself.
(For the redemption of their soul is costly, and must be given up for ever,)
Psalm 49 calls the whole world to listen, rich and poor alike. This verse gives the reason no amount of money can buy a brother out of death. The price of a soul runs too high. So who can pay it, and does the psalm leave any hope?
The verse turns on two ideas: what a soul is worth, and giving up the attempt to pay for it. One reference work follows the subject as it rises to the soul itself, then explains each phrase:
From there the subject rises to the redemption of the soul or life, forfeited because of sin. Man cannot give God a ransom for his brother. The redemption of the soul is precious, or costly. And redemption itself ceases, or must be given up, for ever. That is, every thought of trying to give a ransom must be dropped. It costs too much.
Commentators differ on how to translate the closing phrase. One reads it not as something stopping, but as something set apart:
Only the great sacrifice of the Lord Jesus could accomplish such a redemption — a cost far beyond what anyone else could pay. The right translation of the last phrase is not "it shall cease forever," but "it must be let alone forever." Such a redemption must be left forever in its own dignity — standing alone as the only means of redemption.
Set beside the price of one soul, the whole treasure of the earth counts as nothing:
Gather up all the wealth, the gems, and the costly stones, all the diamonds of Africa and Brazil — and all these riches would be as dust before God. For "those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches — none of them can in any way redeem his brother, or give God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their soul is costly, and it ceases for ever."
The price is beyond every human hand, so the matter turns personal:
Each must have it for himself. No man can believe, or get life for another. Each must have to do with God for himself. The link which connects the soul with Christ is intensely individual. There is no such thing as secondhand faith. A man may teach us religion, theology, or the letter of Scripture. But he cannot give us oil. He cannot give us faith. He cannot give us life.
One man did offer to settle the matter for a whole nation. The contrast with Christ is exact:
Moses did propose to make such a settlement: "You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin." But no creature effort was of any use. "None can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." The Lord Jesus did not go up to God until He had come down and given His life as a ransom for many. So He could go up with no "perhaps" on His lips. He went in the full awareness of the undeniable claim He had established by His finished work.
The word for "ransom" points to a covering. What man could never supply, God announced that He had found:
In the Old Testament the word for ransom is kopher, meaning "a covering." It is a related word to kaphar, often translated "atonement." None "can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him." Ps. 49:7. But God could say, "Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." Job 33:24. … Christ gave Himself, His life, as a ransom for many. His precious blood is the witness: it has answered every claim of God against the believer.
The dead end of this verse is not the psalm's last word:
The psalm shows the vanity of riches, and the end of those who boast in their wealth. It encourages the godly in an evil day to trust in God. He not only redeems from death; afterwards He receives the soul.
(Several of these writers quote an older translation: "the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever.")
- Costly. The older word "precious" means costly. A soul costs more than any brother, friend or fortune can raise.
- Cancelled. The verse closes the case. Every try at buying a soul back must be dropped forever. That leaves one redemption standing alone — the only one there is.
- Personal. Since nobody can pay for another, nobody can believe for another either — there is no secondhand faith.
- Costlier still. All the wealth and gems of the earth are dust before God, and even Moses' offer to make atonement came to nothing.
- Covered. What man gave up, God supplied: "I have found a ransom." Christ gave His life as that ransom. God redeems the soul from death and then receives it to Himself.
That he should still live perpetually, [and] not see corruption.
Psalm 49 exposes the folly of trusting in riches. Verse 9 names the prize that money is reaching for: endless life, out of the grave's reach.
The verse sits inside the psalm's verdict on riches:
The psalmist goes on to show the folly of trusting in wealth and boasting in riches. With all his wealth, a man cannot redeem his brother from death or secure blessing from God. The redemption of the soul is costly, beyond the wealth of the world; God alone can redeem from death.
Redemption is not just expensive. It is a price man must stop trying to pay:
This term means "being set free, brought back."… From there the subject rises to the redemption of the soul or life, forfeited because of sin. Man cannot give God a ransom for his brother. The redemption of the soul is precious, or costly. And it — that is, redemption — ceases, or must be given up, forever. Man must drop every thought of trying to give a ransom. It is too costly.
Another writer names the reason death rules, then pictures a man trying to buy his way out:
God in His holy government has ordained this for one reason only — sin. Let any one of these throw his shield around his brother. Let him give God a ransom for him, so that he may keep that precious life going. Plainly he cannot; it is too costly: he must let that alone forever. He sees and knows for himself — everyone does. When it comes to wise men and fools alike, death knows no difference and makes no exception.
In Israel's history, silver and gold pictured the price of redemption:
Silver was used as a picture of the price of redemption in days of old (Ex. 30:11-16), and on one occasion gold was given in the place of silver (Num. 31:48-54). These were the two most precious metals. They therefore stood for this: the redemption of the soul is precious — that is, beyond price… For this reason Peter contrasts the picture of redemption by silver and gold with the precious blood of Christ. How precious that blood must be! It secured redemption for all believers, and its worth goes past every limited estimate. God only could provide such a ransom, for He only knew what was needed to deliver His people.
No one can secure this life for someone else:
But notice, it is an individual thing. Each must have it for himself. No man can believe, or get life, for another. Each must have to do with God for himself. The link that connects the soul with Christ is intensely individual. There is no such thing as second-hand faith. A man may teach us religion, or theology, or the letter of Scripture; but he cannot give us faith; he cannot give us life. "It is the gift of God."
Commentators read verse 9's fulfilment along two lines. One applies it to a coming day on earth:
This refers to believers in Israel who will share in the earthly blessing of the nation in the millennium. They will not die at all. Redemption for believers today does not guarantee that they will not die. But it does guarantee that they will live eternally. They may die, but God will raise them again to live forever.
Another holds both outcomes together, and draws the practical result:
Man establishes his family and keeps his name going, but he is gone: nothing stops the hand of death. Ransom from that is out of man's power… But the power of God, in whom the righteous trust, is above the power of death. He saves the remnant from death. So those who are alive when Christ comes for the church will not die at all; those who are dead will be raised. Such is the confidence of the believer. Death does not alarm him. He trusts in One who is above death, who redeems and frees from its power altogether, or raises the dead.
- Costly — a soul's redemption costs more than all the world's wealth, so man must give up trying to pay it.
- Impossible — no man can buy his brother out of death. Ransom from death lies outside human power.
- Provided — only God could supply such a ransom. He paid it not with silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.
- Personal — no one can buy life for another. Each person must receive it from God himself; there is no second-hand faith.
- Permanent — God's power stands above death. Believers either never die or rise to live forever; what money could not buy, God gives.