Psalm 49

The subtitle wasn’t part of the original psalm. Korah was a musical family in the tribe of Levi, one of the 12 tribes that made up the original nation of Israel. Levite families worked as priests and worship leaders and assistants for the Jewish nation.

The word in the original language of Hebrew is selah. Bible scholars haven’t figured out what it means yet, so all we can do is guess. It could mean “pause for effect,” “instrumental interlude,” or “choir singing ‘Amen.’” We’re offering a guess instead of selah. Though selah might be the better way to go because it’s always correct, it’s also always incomprehensible. “Instruments” has a good chance of being wrong, but at least we convey the idea that the Hebrew word behind it probably has something to do with enhancing the song.

Literally, Sheol, a word Old Testament writers used to describe the place of the dead. It is a kind of underworld where the dead are cut off from the living—and from God—and there is no coming back.

Scholars say the original Hebrew words are hard to translate. Evidence shows up in the wildly different interpretations in various Bible translations. For example, here are other versions of the closing phrase, “Until there’s nothing respectable left.” “So that they have no habitation” (New American Standard Bible). “Their bodies will rot in a grave far from home” (New Century Version). “Far from their princely mansions” (New International Version). “Till its nobility be gone” (The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation).