Psalm 90 is the 90th psalm from the Book of Psalms and the opening psalm of Book 4 of the psalms.[1] Uniquely among the Psalms, it is attributed to Moses. It is well known for its reference in verse 10 to human life expectancy being 70 or 80 ("threescore years and ten", or "if by reason of strength ... fourscore years", in the King James Version): it is believed that this verse was the influence for the opening words of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.[2] In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 89.
Psalm 90 | |
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![]() Painting "Psalm 90. V. 10." (Psalm 90:10) by Ludwig Noster (1909) | |
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Language | Hebrew (original) |
The psalm is originally written in the Hebrew language. It is divided into 17 verses.[3]
Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 90:[3]
Verse | Hebrew |
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1 | תְּפִלָּה֘ לְמֹשֶׁ֪ה אִֽישׁ־הָֽאֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים אֲֽדֹנָ֗י מָע֣וֹן אַ֖תָּה הָ֘יִ֥יתָ לָּ֜֗נוּ בְּדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר |
2 | בְּטֶ֚רֶם | הָ֘רִ֚ים יֻלָּ֗דוּ וַתְּח֣וֹלֵֽל אֶ֣רֶץ וְתֵבֵ֑ל וּמֵֽעוֹלָ֥ם עַד־ע֜וֹלָ֗ם אַתָּ֥ה אֵֽל |
3 | תָּשֵׁ֣ב אֱ֖נוֹשׁ עַד־דַּכָּ֑א וַ֜תֹּ֗אמֶר שׁ֣וּבוּ בְנֵֽי־אָדָֽם |
4 | כִּ֚י אֶ֪לֶף שָׁנִ֡ים בְּֽעֵינֶ֗יךָ כְּי֣וֹם אֶ֖תְמוֹל כִּ֥י יַֽעֲבֹ֑ר וְאַשְׁמ֘וּרָ֥ה בַלָּֽיְלָה |
5 | זְרַמְתָּם שֵׁנָ֣ה יִֽהְי֑וּ בַּ֜בֹּ֗קֶר כֶּֽחָ֘צִ֥יר יַֽחֲלֹֽף |
6 | בַּבֹּקֶר יָצִ֣יץ וְחָלָ֑ף לָ֜עֶ֗רֶב יְמ֘וֹלֵ֥ל וְיָבֵֽשׁ |
7 | כִּֽי־כָלִ֥ינוּ בְאַפֶּ֑ךָ וּבַֽחֲמָֽתְךָ֥ נִבְהָֽלְנוּ |
8 | שַׁתָּ֣ה (כתיב שַׁתָּ֣) עֲוֹֽנֹתֵ֣ינוּ לְנֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ עֲ֜לֻמֵ֗נוּ לִמְא֥וֹר פָּנֶֽיךָ |
9 | כִּ֣י כָל־יָ֖מֵינוּ פָּנ֣וּ בְעֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ כִּלִּ֖ינוּ שָׁנֵ֣ינוּ כְמוֹ־הֶֽגֶה |
10 | יְמֵ֚י שְׁנוֹתֵ֨ינוּ | בָּהֶ֨ם שִׁבְעִ֪ים שָׁנָ֡ה וְאִ֚ם בִּגְבוּרֹ֨ת | שְׁמ֘וֹנִ֚ים שָׁנָ֗ה וְ֖רָהְבָּם עָמָ֣ל וָאָ֑וֶן כִּ֘י גָ֥ז חִ֜֗ישׁ וַנָּעֻֽפָה |
11 | מִֽי־י֖וֹדֵעַ עֹ֥ז אַפֶּ֑ךָ וּ֜כְיִרְאָֽתְךָ֗ עֶבְרָתֶֽךָ |
12 | לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֖מֵינוּ כֵּ֥ן הוֹדַ֑ע וְ֜נָבִ֗א לְבַ֣ב חָכְמָֽה |
13 | שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֖הֹוָה עַד־מָתָ֑י וְ֜הִנָּחֵ֗ם עַל־עֲבָדֶֽיךָ |
14 | שַׂבְּעֵ֣נוּ בַבֹּ֣קֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וּנְרַ֘נְּנָ֥ה וְ֜נִשְׂמְחָ֗ה בְּכָל־יָמֵֽינוּ |
15 | שַׂמְּחֵנוּ כִּימ֣וֹת עִנִּיתָ֑נוּ שְׁ֜נ֗וֹת רָ֘אִ֥ינוּ רָעָֽה |
16 | יֵֽרָאֶ֣ה אֶל־עֲ֖בָדֶיךָ פָּֽעֳלֶ֑ךָ וַֽ֜הֲדָֽרְךָ֗ עַל־בְּנֵיהֶֽם |
17 | וִיהִ֚י נֹ֨עַם | אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֖דֵינוּ כּֽוֹנְנָ֣ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּמַֽ֘עֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֜דֵ֗ינוּ כּֽוֹנְנֵֽהוּ |
¹Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
²Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
³Thou turnest man to destruction;
and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
⁴For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past,
and as a watch in the night.
⁵Thou carriest them away as with a flood;
they are as a sleep:
in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
⁶In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up;
in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
⁷For we are consumed by thine anger,
and by thy wrath are we troubled.
⁸Thou hast set our iniquities before thee,
our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
⁹For all our days are passed away in thy wrath:
we spend our years as a tale that is told.
¹⁰The days of our years are threescore years and ten;
and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow;
for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
¹¹Who knoweth the power of thine anger?
even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
¹²So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
¹³Return, O LORD, how long?
and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
¹⁴O satisfy us early with thy mercy;
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
¹⁵Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us,
and the years wherein we have seen evil.
¹⁶Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
¹⁷And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us:
and establish thou the work of our hands upon us;
yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[4]
The extant manuscript of AqTaylor, a translation into Koine Greek made in c. 130 CE, contains verse 17.[5]
By its header ("A Prayer of Moses, the man of God") this psalm is attributed to Moses. Theologian Albert Barnes notes "its marked unlikeness to the Psalms of David".[6] Commentator C S Rodd suggests it was written later than Moses' era,[7] but even from a biblical literalist perspective one writer warns against assuming with any certainty that this is the oldest psalm, because some psalms are anonymous and so "we don't know who wrote them or when".[8]
The title "the man of God" is given to Moses in Deuteronomy 33:1 in the introduction to the Blessing of Moses. The term also appears in Joshua 14:6 and Ezra 3:2 as a title especially appropriate to him, denoting that he was faithful to God and a man approved by God.[6]
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