Psalms 90:5

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are [as] a sleep: in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood {H2229}{H8804)}; they are as a sleep {H8142}: in the morning {H1242} they are like grass {H2682} which groweth up {H2498}{H8799)}.

When you sweep them away, they become like sleep; by morning they are like growing grass,

You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

Commentary on Psalms 90:5 (KJV)

Psalms 90:5, part of a profound prayer attributed to Moses, vividly contrasts the eternal nature of God with the fleeting, transient existence of humanity. This verse uses powerful metaphors to convey the brevity and fragility of human life in the face of divine timelessness.

Context

Psalm 90 is unique as the only psalm traditionally attributed to Moses, likely composed during the Israelites' forty-year wandering in the wilderness, a period marked by divine judgment and widespread mortality due to disobedience. The psalm begins by establishing God as an eternal dwelling place for all generations (Psalm 90:1), contrasting His existence "from everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2) with the limited lifespan of mankind. Verse 5 deepens this contrast, underscoring how swiftly human life passes.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Transience of Human Life: The verse employs three striking images to emphasize humanity's impermanence.
    1. "Thou carriest them away as with a flood": This metaphor illustrates the sudden, overwhelming, and irresistible nature of time and death. Just as a flash flood sweeps away everything in its path, so too does time carry away human generations, leaving little trace.
    2. "they are [as] a sleep": Life is likened to a brief sleep, from which one wakes to find it has vanished. This suggests not only the quickness with which life passes but also its dreamlike, insubstantial quality when viewed from an eternal perspective.
    3. "in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up": This imagery highlights the initial vibrancy and quick growth of human life, only to be followed by rapid fading. The subsequent verse, Psalm 90:6, completes the picture, stating that "in the evening it is cut down, and withered," powerfully depicting the swift progression from birth to death.
  • God's Sovereignty Over Time: Underlying the lament about human brevity is the silent acknowledgment of God's absolute control over time and life. It is "Thou" who "carriest them away," affirming God's sovereign hand in the cycles of life and death.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Hebrew word for "flood" (זרם - zerem) can denote a violent downpour or an overflowing torrent, emphasizing the irresistible force and suddenness of the passage of time and the arrival of death.
  • The comparison to "sleep" (שינה - shenah) is a common biblical metaphor for death, but here it underscores the quickness and quietness of life's end, almost as if it were just a dream.
  • "Grass" (חציר - chatsir) is a recurring biblical motif for human fragility and impermanence, particularly when contrasted with the enduring nature of God's Word or His eternal being. This image is echoed in other scriptures, such as Isaiah 40:6-8 and 1 Peter 1:24-25.

Practical Application

This verse serves as a profound call to wisdom and intentional living. Recognizing the brevity of our days should not lead to despair, but to a deeper appreciation for life and a more focused pursuit of eternal values.

  • Embrace Urgency: The fleeting nature of life encourages us to make the most of each day, to live with purpose, and to prioritize what truly matters.
  • Seek God's Wisdom: Understanding our temporal limitations should drive us to seek the eternal God. As Moses prays later in the psalm, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).
  • Focus on the Eternal: If life is like a dream or fading grass, then our ultimate hope and security must rest in something eternal – God Himself and His enduring promises. This perspective helps us to live with an eternal mindset, valuing spiritual riches over transient earthly possessions, as James 4:14 also reminds us of life's brevity.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Isaiah 40:6

    The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh [is] grass, and all the goodliness thereof [is] as the flower of the field:

  • Psalms 103:15

    [As for] man, his days [are] as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

  • Psalms 103:16

    For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

  • Psalms 73:20

    As a dream when [one] awaketh; [so], O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.

  • Job 22:16

    Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

  • 1 Peter 1:24

    ¶ For all flesh [is] as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

  • Job 27:20

    Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night.
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