Psalms 49:4

I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. ¹ 

I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle:

I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will express my riddle on the harp.

I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

I fine-tuned my ear to the sayings of the wise, I solve life's riddle with the help of a harp.

I will put my teaching into a story; I will make my dark sayings clear with music.

I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.

I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp.

I will learn a song that imparts wisdom; I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp. ¹ 

¹ tn Heb “I will turn my ear to a wise saying, I will open [i.e., “reveal; explain”] my insightful saying with a harp.” In the first line the psalmist speaks as a pupil who learns a song of wisdom from a sage. This suggests that the resulting insightful song derives from another source, perhaps God himself. Elsewhere the Hebrew word pair חִידָה/מָשָׁל (mashal/khidah) refers to a taunt song (Hab 2:6), a parable (Ezek 17:2), lessons from history (Ps 78:2), and proverbial sayings (Prov 1:6). Here it appears to refer to the insightful song that follows, which reflects on the mortality of humankind and the ultimate inability of riches to prevent the inevitable – death. Another option is that the word pair refers more specifically to the closely related proverbial sayings of vv. 12, 20 (note the use of the verb מָשָׁל, mashal, “to be like” in both verses). In this case the psalmist first hears the sayings and then explains (Heb “opens”) their significance (see vv. 5-11, 13-19).