Psalms90

Psalm 90, a prayer of Moses, contrasts God's eternal nature with humanity's fleeting existence. It laments the brevity of life, often consumed by divine wrath due to sin, and acknowledges that human lifespan is short and full of sorrow. The psalm concludes with a plea for God's mercy, wisdom to number one's days, and the establishment of their labor.

God, Our Eternal Refuge

1
A prayer of Moshe the man of God: Adonai, you have been our dwelling place in every generation. ​
2
Before the mountains were born, before you had formed the earth and the world, from eternity past to eternity future you are God. ​

The Brevity of Human Life

3
You bring frail mortals to the point of being crushed, then say, "People, repent!" ​
4
For from your viewpoint a thousand years are merely like yesterday or a night watch. ​
5
When you sweep them away, they become like sleep; by morning they are like growing grass,
6
growing and flowering in the morning, but by evening cut down and dried up.

Mortality as a Consequence of Sin

7
For we are destroyed by your anger, overwhelmed by your wrath. ​
8
You have placed our faults before you, our secret sins in the full light of your presence. ​
9
All our days ebb away under your wrath; our years die away like a sigh. ​
10
The span of our life is seventy years, or if we are strong, eighty; yet at best it is toil and sorrow, over in a moment, and then we are gone. ​
11
Who grasps the power of your anger and wrath to the degree that the fear due you should inspire?

A Prayer for Wisdom and Mercy

12
So teach us to count our days, so that we will become wise. ​
13
Return, ADONAI! How long must it go on? Take pity on your servants! ​
14
Fill us at daybreak with your love, so that we can sing for joy as long as we live.
15
Let our joy last as long as the time you made us suffer, for as many years as we experienced trouble. ​
16
Show your deeds to your servants and your glory to their children. ​
17
May the favor of Adonai our God be on us, prosper for us all the work that we do -yes, prosper the work that we do. ​

Study Notes for Psalms 90

Verse 1

The attribution to Moses is unique (the only Psalm attributed to him) and lends historical context, likely reflecting the mortality and judgment experienced by the Israelites during the forty years of wilderness wandering (cf. Numbers 14).

Verse 2

This verse emphasizes God's absolute eternality ('from everlasting to everlasting'), establishing a theological contrast with the temporal weakness and mortality of humanity that is developed throughout the rest of the psalm.

Verse 3

The phrase 'Return, ye children of men' connects directly to the curse of Genesis 3:19, highlighting God’s sovereign power to recall humanity to the dust from which it came.

Verse 4

This famous comparison illustrates the vast gulf between God's timeless perspective and limited human chronology; a thousand years is merely a fleeting moment in the scope of eternity (cf. 2 Peter 3:8).

Verse 7

The Psalmist attributes the pain and brevity of life not merely to natural mortality but specifically to the community's experience of God's active judgment and wrath against their sin.

Verse 8

The idea that God sets 'secret sins in the light' underscores His comprehensive knowledge and righteousness, suggesting that hidden transgressions contribute fully to the communal suffering and judgment.

Verse 9

Spending years 'as a tale that is told' (or a sigh/whisper) emphasizes how quickly and insubstantially human life passes when viewed in retrospect under the shadow of divine judgment.

Verse 10

Seventy or eighty years represents the typical lifespan. This may reference the shortened life expectancy instituted after the judgment on the wilderness generation, whose lives were limited by divine decree.

Verse 12

This crucial verse is the hinge of the Psalm, moving from lament to petition. To 'number our days' means to recognize their finite nature, leading to the practical application of seeking true wisdom (living rightly before God).

Verse 13

'Return, O LORD, how long?' is a classic element of lament Psalms, pleading for God to end the current period of affliction and to show compassion ('repent thee') toward His servants.

Verse 15

This request asks for proportional restoration: the duration of future joy and gladness should match the length of affliction and evil previously experienced under God's judgment.

Verse 16

The prayer asks that the current generation ('thy servants') may witness God's saving power ('thy work') and that this glory be successfully transmitted to the next generation ('their children').

Verse 17

The 'beauty of the LORD' (often translated as favor or grace) is sought to rest upon the people, ensuring that their daily labor ('the work of our hands') is fruitful, meaningful, and enduring.

Use ← → arrow keys to navigate
Settings

Reading Style

Typeface

Font Size 19px

Reading Width 45 chars

Options