complete verse (Psalm 49:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Psalm 49:20:

  • Chichewa Contempary Chichewa translation, 2002/2016:
    “A person who has wealth but without wisdom
    will die like a wild animal.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
  • Newari:
    “People who have property but not wisdom
    will die like animals.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon:
    “A rich person/man who has-no understanding of the truth will-die like animals.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Laarim:
    “A person who is rich and he does not know wisdom,
    he stays like animals of the bush that die.” (Source: Laarim Back Translation)
  • Nyakyusa-Ngonde (back-translation into Swahili):
    “Mtu mheshimiwa bila hekima,
    anakufa tu kama vile mnyama.” (Source: Nyakyusa Back Translation)
  • English:
    “Even if someone is great, that cannot prevent him from dying;
    he will die, the same as animals do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Psalm 49:20

The Masoretic text of this verse differs slightly from that of verse 12; instead of Man cannot abide, reading yalin as in verse 12, the Masoretic text here has “man cannot understand” (yabin), which Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers. So New Jerusalem Bible “Man does not understand honor” (which makes little, if any, sense in English), and New Jerusalem Bible “In prosperity people lose their good sense,” which is a good thought but hardly seems to be what the psalmist was talking about (see Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version). But some Hebrew manuscripts have yalin, and so Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and others translate verse 20 the same as verse 12.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .