Psalm 39 11

Psalm 39:11 kjv

When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.

Psalm 39:11 nkjv

When with rebukes You correct man for iniquity, You make his beauty melt away like a moth; Surely every man is vapor. Selah

Psalm 39:11 niv

When you rebuke and discipline anyone for their sin, you consume their wealth like a moth? surely everyone is but a breath.

Psalm 39:11 esv

When you discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath! Selah

Psalm 39:11 nlt

When you discipline us for our sins,
you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
Each of us is but a breath. Interlude

Psalm 39 verses

Psalm 39 11 Meaning

Psalm 39:11 expresses a profound truth about God's disciplinary actions against humanity due to sin. When the Most High God administers correction or rebuke for a person's wrongdoing, He effectively destroys or causes to waste away everything that man considers precious, beautiful, or strong, much like a moth silently consumes a garment. This disciplinary process starkly reveals that human existence and all its perceived strengths or glories are ultimately as fleeting and insubstantial as a mere breath.

Psalm 39 11 Context

Psalm 39 is a contemplative prayer of David, marked by deep lament and introspection about the brevity and fragility of human life in the face of suffering and God's discipline. The psalm begins with David's resolve to remain silent and not sin with his tongue, especially when surrounded by the wicked. However, his internal anguish becomes unbearable, leading him to pray for understanding of his lifespan and the transient nature of his existence. He observes that even at his best, man is but a "breath" or "vanity."

Verse 11 is situated at a critical turning point. Having acknowledged the fleeting nature of life (vv. 4-6) and turning his plea directly to God for deliverance from his sins (vv. 7-8), David then reflects on the cause of his suffering. He attributes his affliction not to random chance, but directly to God's hand as a result of his sin (v. 9-10). Verse 11 powerfully extends this thought, explaining how God's rebuke for sin manifests and what it accomplishes: it consumes human beauty and vitality, reinforcing the lesson of human fragility, thereby leading into his final petition for grace before death (vv. 12-13).

Historically and culturally, in the ancient Near East, suffering, particularly illness or the loss of status/health, was often perceived as a direct consequence of divine displeasure or judgment for sin. David's experience aligns with this understanding, interpreting his pain as a disciplinary action from the Almighty. The imagery of a moth destroying a garment would have been universally understood as a vivid representation of slow, silent, yet thorough decay of what is outwardly valuable.

Psalm 39 11 Word Analysis

• When You rebuke: b'tochakhot (בְּתוֹכָחוֹת). From the root yâkach (יָכַח), meaning to reprove, correct, judge, argue. This is not mere criticism, but authoritative correction, often with a legal or moral weight, implying a just intervention for wrongdoing. It conveys the concept of God's active involvement in man's life to discipline for righteous purposes.
• man: 'ish (אִישׁ). Standard Hebrew word for a male human being, but often used generically for humanity, indicating the general experience of all people.
• with rebukes for sin: al-'avon (עַל־עָוֹן). 'Avon (עָוֹן) signifies iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity, or offense. The phrase explicitly links God's correction to a specific cause: human sin. This highlights God's justice and purposeful judgment, emphasizing that the suffering or consumption is not arbitrary but a consequence of transgression.
• You consume: tâsēss (תָּמֵס). A form of the verb mâsas (מָסַס), meaning to melt, dissolve, waste away, consume, lose courage. This verb vividly portrays a gradual but complete wasting or disintegrating effect, implying an internal, pervasive destruction rather than a sudden, external blow.
• his charm: chamudo (חֲמוּדוֹ). From chamad (חָמַד), meaning to covet, desire, delight in. Here it denotes something desired, precious, lovely, pleasant, beautiful, or delightful. It can refer to physical attractiveness, vitality, health, strength, or even valuable possessions or achievements that define a person's perceived worth or stability. God targets and undermines what man holds dear apart from Him.
• like a moth: ka'ash (כָּעָשׁ). 'Ash (עָשׁ) is the Hebrew word for a moth. The simile is powerful and speaks to silent, insidious, and thorough destruction. Moths consume unnoticed, leaving fabrics worthless and tattered, symbolizing the imperceptible decay of human strength, beauty, or glory under God's hand, leaving it vulnerable and insignificant.
• surely every man is a mere breath!: 'ach kol-'adam hevel (אַךְ־כָּל־אָדָם הֶבֶל).
  • 'Ach (אַךְ): Surely, nevertheless, indeed. Emphasizes the certainty and inescapable nature of the conclusion.
  • Kol-'adam (כָּל־אָדָם): All of humanity, every man. Broadens the scope to include everyone without exception.
  • Hevel (הֶבֶל): Vanity, breath, vapor, futility, meaninglessness. This key word, famously used in Ecclesiastes, underscores the ultimate transient, insubstantial, and futile nature of human existence, aspirations, and achievements when confronted with God's sovereign hand and the consequences of sin. It brings the psalm's central theme of human ephemerality to a stark conclusion.
• Selah: (סֶלָה) A musical or liturgical notation, indicating a pause for reflection or an increase in musical emphasis. It serves to mark a moment for deep contemplation of the weighty truth just presented.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When You rebuke man with rebukes for sin": This phrase highlights God's active and intentional justice. His disciplinary actions are not random, but specific consequences of human wrongdoing. This directly contrasts with ideas of fate or arbitrary suffering, asserting divine righteousness.
• "You consume his charm like a moth": This vivid simile illustrates the method and outcome of God's rebuke. It's a silent, internal, and thorough process that diminishes what humans value most—their vitality, beauty, or any worldly possession that gives them a sense of security or importance. The destruction is pervasive and leaves what was once desirable as mere emptiness.
• "surely every man is a mere breath!": This concluding declaration re-emphasizes the central theological message of the Psalm. The prior destructive action leads to this realization. It forces a stark confrontation with human fragility, transient nature, and ultimate dependence on God, reminding humanity that apart from Him, all perceived strengths and glories are ultimately fleeting and meaningless vapor.

Psalm 39 11 Bonus Section

The powerful contrast between God's enduring nature and humanity's fragility is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. This verse exemplifies divine judgment as a purifying, though painful, process. It is not vengeful but purposeful, often designed to bring humility, repentance, and ultimately, a turning back to God. The idea that God allows the 'decay' from within (like a moth) rather than an immediate catastrophic strike speaks to the silent work of spiritual consequence that unfolds over time, a process often tied to character formation. The Selah here further suggests a deep need for self-examination, to ponder one's own mortality and the implications of one's actions before God. It echoes the concept that suffering, especially under divine hand, is a school for wisdom, leading one to recognize their proper place before the Creator.

Psalm 39 11 Commentary

Psalm 39:11 is a piercing exposition of God's just judgment and its humbling effect on humanity. The verse profoundly asserts that when God exercises His sovereign right to correct or discipline humanity because of their sin, He does so with a precision that targets the very essence of human pride and self-sufficiency. What man prizes—be it physical beauty, vigor, wealth, status, or any external allure (charm or chamudo)—is meticulously and insidiously consumed, not unlike a moth silently yet devastatingly destroys a precious garment from within. This chosen imagery highlights a process that is often subtle and unseen until the full extent of the damage is realized, revealing the inherent decay and impermanence of all things apart from God.

This divine consumption of "charm" or "beauty" is directly linked to "sin" (avon), signifying that human suffering and the stripping away of earthly delights are not arbitrary misfortunes but deliberate, just consequences for iniquity. The purpose of such divine discipline is often pedagogical: it serves to strip away human illusions of self-importance and expose the raw truth of human transience. The ultimate theological punchline, "surely every man is a mere breath!," summarizes the core message of the entire Psalm. God's disciplinary hand forces individuals to confront their ephemeral existence (hevel or vanity), realizing that all human strength, ambition, and glory are as fleeting as a fleeting exhalation. The suffering born from divine rebuke aims to redirect man's gaze from himself and worldly dependencies to the enduring truth of God's sovereignty and eternal nature. It’s a sobering reminder that earthly pride and reliance are unsustainable in the face of divine righteousness and the reality of life's brevity.