Psalm 90:10 kjv
The 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.
Psalm 90:10 nkjv
The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10 niv
Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10 esv
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Psalm 90:10 nlt
Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
Psalm 90 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 3:19 | "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground..." | Human mortality due to sin |
| Job 7:6 | "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle..." | Brevity and swiftness of life |
| Job 14:1-2 | "Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble... he flees like a shadow..." | Life's brevity and troubled nature |
| Psa 39:4 | "Lord, make me to know my end and the measure of my days, what it is..." | Prayer for understanding life's finite nature |
| Psa 39:5 | "...my days are as handbreadths before You; indeed, every man at his best state is altogether vanity." | Human life is brief and fleeting |
| Psa 49:10 | "For he sees that even the wise die; the fool and the stupid alike perish..." | Universality of death |
| Psa 103:15-16 | "As for man, his days are like grass... a wind passes over it, and it is gone..." | Life compared to fleeting grass |
| Psa 144:4 | "Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." | Humanity's ephemeral nature |
| Isa 40:6-8 | "All people are grass; their constancy is like the flower of the field..." | Fragility and transience of human existence |
| 1 Chr 29:15 | "For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow..." | Earthly life as a temporary sojourn |
| Eccl 1:2 | "Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." | Emptiness/futility of life apart from God |
| Eccl 2:23 | "For all his days are sorrowful, and his task is grievous..." | Life often characterized by sorrow and toil |
| Eccl 9:12 | "For man also does not know his time: like fish caught in a cruel net..." | Uncertainty of death's arrival |
| Jam 4:14 | "...You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." | Life's extreme brevity and disappearance |
| 1 Pet 1:24 | "For 'all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away.'" | Humanity's perishable nature emphasized |
| John 11:25-26 | "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live..." | Hope of eternal life beyond earthly mortality |
| 1 Cor 15:53-54 | "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality." | Promise of resurrection and victory over death |
| 2 Cor 5:1 | "For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal home..." | Earthly body as temporary, heavenly dwelling awaits |
| Phil 1:21 | "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." | Christian perspective on life and death |
| Rev 21:4 | "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning..." | Future hope of the abolition of sorrow and death |
Psalm 90 verses
Psalm 90 10 Meaning
Psalm 90:10 describes the average human lifespan as typically seventy years, with an extension to eighty years for those of particular strength. However, even this prolonged existence is characterized by toil and grief. The verse underscores the inherent brevity and frailty of human life, stating that it quickly passes and humanity departs from this earthly realm, emphasizing mortality in contrast to God's eternal nature.
Psalm 90 10 Context
Psalm 90 is unique as "A Prayer of Moses the Man of God." It serves as a profound reflection on human mortality in stark contrast to God's eternal nature (vv. 1-2). Moses penned this Psalm during a period of divine judgment upon Israel in the wilderness (Num 14), where a generation perished within forty years due to their rebellion, limiting their lifespan and excluding them from the promised land. The brevity of life described in verse 10, often reaching only 70 or 80 years, is therefore viewed not just as a natural phenomenon but also as a consequence of sin and divine wrath (vv. 7-9). This backdrop informs the prayer for wisdom and understanding in the subsequent verses (v. 12), urging people to use their limited time purposefully in light of God's majesty and righteous judgment.
Psalm 90 10 Word analysis
- The days of our years: (Hebrew: y'mei sh'noteynu) This phrase emphasizes the sum total of one's existence, highlighting life's measurement in temporal units and its finitude. It conveys the concept of accumulated time that eventually reaches its conclusion.
- are threescore years and ten: (Hebrew: shiv'im shanah) - "seventy years." This is presented as the typical or normative lifespan for humanity. It is not an absolute limit but a realistic observation of the average duration of human life. This figure finds support in broader human experience across history, suggesting a divinely appointed or naturally observed span.
- and if by reason of strength: (Hebrew: v'im bi-gvurot) - literally, "and if with strengths" or "if through might/powers." This points to unusual vitality, robust health, or perhaps even divine favor that extends one's life beyond the usual span. It highlights that living past seventy is an exception, requiring extraordinary physical or divine enablement.
- they be fourscore years: (Hebrew: sh'monim shanah) - "eighty years." This marks the upper end of the average prolonged lifespan. It sets a common maximum within Moses' observed experience.
- yet is their strength labour and sorrow: (Hebrew: 'amal va-'aven) - 'Amal means toil, trouble, distress, hardship. 'Aven means trouble, wickedness, iniquity, sorrow. This phrase denotes that even extended life is not free from suffering; it often involves hardship, weariness, physical pain, emotional grief, and possibly even the burdensome consequences of human depravity. The inclusion of 'aven suggests a link between suffering and sin, implying that the prolonged years are often lived under the burden of a fallen world.
- for it is soon cut off: (Hebrew: ki gaz) - literally, "for it is cut off" or "it swiftly departs/vanishes." This signifies the sudden, swift, and conclusive end of life. It implies life is like a thread cut, or a vapor quickly dissipating. It reiterates the fleeting nature of even an extended life.
- and we fly away: (Hebrew: na'ufah) - literally, "we fly." This poetic imagery emphasizes the swift, effortless, and often unexpected departure from earthly existence. It does not necessarily describe the physical death process but the spiritual aspect of transition – the spirit departing from the body. It points to a destination beyond mortal perception.
Psalm 90 10 Bonus section
The "seventy years" lifespan mentioned here is not a prescriptive command from God but rather an observation of the average human condition and, in the context of Moses' time, a divinely permitted lifespan after the widespread rebellion of the Exodus generation. This specific numerical benchmark serves as a potent theological tool within the Psalm, intensifying the contrast between human finitude and God's boundless eternity. The imagery of "flying away" not only speaks to the swiftness of departure but also hints at the soul's disembodied state after death, aligning with a broader biblical understanding of the spirit returning to God (Eccl 12:7). This verse ultimately serves as a call to spiritual urgency and humility before the Eternal One, compelling one to count their days so as to gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90 10 Commentary
Psalm 90:10 encapsulates Moses' stark, divinely inspired reflection on the fragility and brevity of human life. It offers a realistic assessment: a standard seventy years, potentially eighty for the exceptionally robust. Crucially, it clarifies that even these longer years are not necessarily pleasant, often filled with "labour and sorrow," reflecting the effects of sin and the Fall (Gen 3:17-19) that pervade human existence. Life's extension, therefore, does not equate to prolonged ease but can intensify its inherent burdens. The concluding phrase, "it is soon cut off, and we fly away," powerfully conveys the abrupt and transient nature of life. This swift departure, like a bird taking flight, underlines that life, however long, is but a fleeting moment from God's eternal perspective. It calls believers to grasp the true value of their limited time, not for worldly pursuits but for seeking God's wisdom and eternal perspective (Ps 90:12), recognizing that earthly life is a mere prologue to eternity.