Psalm 89 47

Psalm 89:47 kjv

Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

Psalm 89:47 nkjv

Remember how short my time is; For what futility have You created all the children of men?

Psalm 89:47 niv

Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity!

Psalm 89:47 esv

Remember how short my time is! For what vanity you have created all the children of man!

Psalm 89:47 nlt

Remember how short my life is,
how empty and futile this human existence!

Psalm 89 verses

Psalm 89 47 Meaning

Psalm 89:47 is a deeply personal lament and an urgent plea to God from the psalmist, likely King David or a wise man like Ethan the Ezrahite, in a time of great distress. The verse confronts God with the undeniable brevity and frailty of human life, appealing to His compassion based on this very fact. The psalmist questions God’s ultimate purpose in creating humanity if their existence is so fleeting and appears to culminate in futility or suffering, especially when God's promises seem unfulfilled. It's an expression of profound theological struggle and a cry for divine intervention and mercy in light of the human condition.

Psalm 89 47 Context

Psalm 89 is a messianic psalm of David. It is divided into two distinct parts: a powerful hymn celebrating God's everlasting covenant with King David (verses 1-37) and a profound lament reflecting national humiliation and distress, questioning why God seems to have abandoned His promises (verses 38-51). This verse (89:47) falls squarely within the lament section. The psalmist recalls the divine promises of an eternal throne and lineage for David, contrasting them sharply with the current bleak reality where the Davidic king has been defeated and disgraced, appearing utterly forsaken by God. In this context of shattered hopes and perceived divine silence, the psalmist appeals to God based on human transience: if God created humans to be so fleeting and susceptible to futility, how can His grand eternal covenant be real in the face of their suffering and mortality? The historical context is likely a period of national defeat or catastrophe for the Davidic dynasty, challenging the core belief in God's unwavering faithfulness to His chosen king and people.

Psalm 89 47 Word analysis

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• Remember (זָכַר - zāḵar): This is not just a plea for God to recall something passively, but an urgent call for Him to act decisively based on what He knows. It implies that God's remembering should lead to intervention. The psalmist appeals to God's covenant loyalty.
• how short (מַה־חֶלֶד - maḥ-ḥeleḏ): Ḥeleḏ signifies "lifetime," "duration of life," or "world," but critically, it carries a strong connotation of transience or a very limited period. The emphatic maḥ ("how" or "what") highlights the extreme brevity and ephemeral nature of human existence, often described as a vapor or breath.
• my time is: Implied within maḥ-ḥeleḏ, referring to the psalmist's own individual, fleeting existence. This personalizes the universal human condition.
• for what vanity (עַל־מַה שָּׁוְא - ‘al-mah shāv’): Shāv’ denotes "vanity," "emptiness," "futility," "worthlessness," "nothingness," or even "deceit." It is the core word describing the purposelessness the psalmist perceives. The phrase ‘al-mah means "why" or "for what purpose." It's a deep existential question directed at the Creator. If life is destined for such a brief, seemingly meaningless end, what was its purpose?
• hast Thou made (בָּרָאתָ - bārā’tāh): This is from the verb bārā’ ("to create"), exclusively used in the Old Testament for divine activity. It stresses God's sole power and sovereign agency in bringing all things into being. The psalmist confronts God directly as the omnipotent Creator, laying the responsibility for this fleeting, vain existence at His feet.
• all the children of men (כָּל־בְּנֵי אָדָם - kol-bənê ’ādām): Literally, "all sons of Adam." This phrase emphasizes the universality of human mortality and the shared, finite condition of all humanity, descended from Adam. The problem of brief and futile existence is not just the psalmist’s but that of the entire human race.

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• "Remember how short my time is": This phrase functions as a desperate argument or appeal. The psalmist urges God to take into account the fragile, limited nature of human life when considering their plight and promises. It implies, "Because my life is so brief, act quickly and mercifully, for I do not have much time to endure this suffering." It resonates with a sense of urgency.
• "for what vanity hast Thou made all the children of men!": This is a direct, agonizing theological complaint. The psalmist grapples with the seeming contradiction between God's role as the benevolent, purposeful Creator and the apparent emptiness or ultimate futility of human existence marked by suffering and death, especially if the promises of lasting covenant and deliverance fail. It is a profound, questioning cry that challenges God's wisdom or justice, but notably, it challenges Him from a position of ongoing address and belief in His sovereignty, rather than abandoning Him entirely. It represents an honest, lamenting faith.

Psalm 89 47 Bonus section

h2This verse captures the essence of Old Testament lament, where suffering individuals or communities honestly expressed doubt, pain, and frustration to God without necessarily having a full understanding of an afterlife or bodily resurrection. While Ecclesiastes systematically explores life's "vanity," here it's an impassioned outcry to the Creator directly responsible for life's perceived emptiness when viewed through the lens of affliction and covenant non-fulfillment. The New Testament, particularly through Christ's resurrection, later provides the definitive answer to the "vanity" of human life and the fear of mortality, showing how the "perishable must put on the imperishable" (1 Cor 15:53) and life in Him is not in vain but has eternal purpose and meaning, conquering death's sting. Thus, Psalm 89:47's question finds its ultimate theological resolution in Christ, but its Rawness exemplifies sincere wrestling with divine justice in the absence of complete revelation.

Psalm 89 47 Commentary

Psalm 89:47 is a stark lament reflecting a profound crisis of faith. Amidst perceived covenantal failure and national humiliation, the psalmist confronts God, arguing from human frailty and the perceived futility of life. The plea to "remember" human brevity is not to remind an amnesiac God, but to invoke His compassion and merciful intervention, appealing to His intimate knowledge of humanity's dust-like origins (Ps 103:14). The piercing question, "for what vanity hast Thou made all the children of men!" (literally, "for what worthlessness have You created all the sons of man!"), reveals an honest theological struggle. If existence is so short and burdened with suffering that God's great promises appear undone, then life seems devoid of ultimate purpose or lasting good. This powerful expression of existential angst highlights the tension between God's eternal covenant faithfulness (affirmed earlier in the psalm) and the painful realities of human mortality and perceived divine abandonment. Yet, it remains a prayer, spoken to God, signifying an enduring, though anguished, hope that God will hear and ultimately vindicate His character and promises beyond the ephemeral nature of human life. It validates that voicing deepest despair to God is part of authentic faith.