*Psalm 49:20*

*ESV*:
“Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.”

*KJV*:
“Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.”

*NIV*:
“People who have wealth but lack understanding are like the beasts that perish.”

The meaning
Psalm 49 is about wealth, pride, and mortality. The psalmist is saying: no matter how rich, famous, or “in his pomp/honor” a person is — if they live without God and without wisdom, they’re no different from animals. They live, they die, and that’s it.

The whole psalm contrasts trusting in riches vs. trusting in God. *Psalm 49:15* right before it says “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol"