Psalm 90 16

Psalm 90:16 kjv

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

Psalm 90:16 nkjv

Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children.

Psalm 90:16 niv

May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.

Psalm 90:16 esv

Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

Psalm 90:16 nlt

Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.

Psalm 90 verses

Psalm 90 16 Meaning

Psalm 90:16 is a fervent prayer asking God to visibly display His redemptive actions and powerful deeds to His devoted servants in the present generation. It further petitions for the active manifestation of His majestic and splendid power to be clearly perceived and experienced by their children, thus ensuring the continuity of His revelation across generations. It's a desire for tangible evidence of God's work amidst human transience and suffering.

Psalm 90 16 Context

Psalm 90 is a prayer attributed to Moses, which gives it unique weight as the only psalm identified with him. The Psalm reflects on the contrast between the eternal nature of God and the temporal, frail, and judgment-afflicted state of humanity. It opens with an acknowledgment of God's eternal dwelling (v. 1) and then laments the brevity and trouble of human life, seen as a consequence of God's wrath due to sin (vv. 3-11). Amidst this somber reality, the prayer shifts from lament to earnest petition, asking God for wisdom to perceive the shortness of life (v. 12), for mercy and steadfast love to satisfy and bring joy to their remaining days (vv. 13-15). Verse 16 directly follows these petitions, expressing a plea for God to act decisively and visibly, making His great "work" and "glorious power" manifest not only to the current generation of suffering "servants" but also to their "children," thus praying for an enduring legacy of divine revelation and blessing.

Psalm 90 16 Word analysis

• Let your work (יְהִי מַעֲשֶׂךָ - yehi ma'aśeḵā)

  • Let (יְהִי - yehi): This is a jussive form of the verb "to be," functioning as a strong prayer or command. It implies a request for something to come into being, to be made visible or manifest. It is not merely a request for internal understanding, but for outward, discernible action from God.
  • your work (מַעֲשֶׂךָ - ma'aśeḵā): Derived from ma'aseh, meaning deed, doing, enterprise, or outcome. This term encompasses all of God's active, historical interventions—His creative acts, His deliverance, His judgment, and His providence. It signifies God's tangible actions and mighty deeds through which His character is revealed. This is not about passive observation, but the experience of God's hand moving in human affairs.

• be shown (Implied in yehi ma'aśeḵā and the surrounding context)

  • The Hebrew construct itself implies "let it be made visible" or "let it appear." While "shown" is an English interpretation for clarity, the thrust is on the tangible manifestation of God's work.

• to your servants (אֶל עֲבָדֶיךָ - ʾel 'ăvādêḵā)

  • to (אֶל - ʾel): A preposition indicating direction towards, for the benefit of.
  • your servants (עֲבָדֶיךָ - 'ăvādêḵā): From 'eved, meaning servant, slave, or worshipper. In this context, it refers to those who are devoted to God, bound to Him by covenant, and faithfully serve Him. These are the current generation enduring hardship, for whom Moses is interceding. The request is for them to personally witness God's redemptive activity.

• and your glorious power (וַהֲדָרְךָ - wahădārəḵā)

  • and (וְ - wa): Connects the two parallel clauses, emphasizing both aspects being desired.
  • your glorious power (הֲדָרְךָ - hădārəḵā): From hadar, meaning splendor, majesty, glory, honor, beauty. This term speaks of the inherent magnificence, dignity, and awesome presence of God that actively manifests through His might and sovereign reign. While often translated as "power" here (as it is the active demonstration of His might), its core meaning is more about the resplendent display of His supreme worth and authority. It’s God’s visible radiance.

• to their children (עַל בְּנֵיהֶם - 'al bənêhem)

  • to (עַל - 'al): A preposition meaning upon, over, for the benefit of. It carries a sense of bestowing something upon them.
  • their children (בְּנֵיהֶם - bənêhem): From ben, meaning son or child. This specifically refers to the next generation, the descendants of the "servants." This emphasizes an intergenerational concern for God's continuing work and revelation, a desire for a legacy of faith rooted in personal experience of God's active presence.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • "Let your work be shown to your servants": This phrase constitutes a direct appeal for a present and tangible manifestation of God's active involvement and redemptive acts. It's a prayer that God would move so decisively that His "work"—His mighty, historical, and saving deeds—would become undeniably clear and observable to those currently serving Him, alleviating their distress and reinforcing their faith.
  • "and your glorious power to their children": This parallel request extends the prayer's scope into the future. It's a plea for the active, magnificent demonstration of God's intrinsic majesty and power to be inherited and experienced by subsequent generations. This indicates a profound concern for the spiritual heritage of the community, ensuring that the children too would not just hear about God's deeds but see and participate in His ongoing powerful activity, securing the continuity of faith and reverence across time.

Psalm 90 16 Bonus section

• The dual request in Psalm 90:16 mirrors a broader theme in Scripture concerning God's self-revelation being both immediate (to "servants") and generational (to "children"). This highlights the ongoing necessity for new manifestations of God's presence, complementing His past redemptive history.
• The terms "work" (ma'aseh) and "glorious power" (hadar) together emphasize that God's actions are never mere arbitrary acts, but expressions of His inherent, majestic character. His power is glorious because it is divine and intrinsically magnificent, serving His redemptive purposes.
• This prayer serves as a pivot point in Psalm 90, shifting from a somber reflection on human mortality to a forward-looking plea for divine action and blessing (culminating in the petition for God's favor to rest on them in verse 17). It’s a petition for the suffering endured to be overshadowed by visible signs of God's grace and redemptive activity.
• In the New Testament, this yearning for God's "work" and "glorious power" to be shown is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (John 14:10, Heb 1:3). His miracles were God's "work" shown, and His resurrection was the ultimate demonstration of God's "glorious power," confirming His plan of salvation for all generations.

Psalm 90 16 Commentary

Psalm 90:16 is a climactic plea within a psalm wrestling with the transient nature of humanity in the face of God's eternal majesty and His just judgments. After acknowledging the brevity of life and asking for wisdom and satisfaction in God's steadfast love, Moses, or the psalmist, shifts to an appeal for visible, active divine intervention. It’s a profound prayer for manifestation—a yearning for God not to remain distant, but to concretely reveal His powerful deeds (ma'aseh) and His intrinsic glory/splendor (hadar).

This request serves two primary purposes:

1. For the present generation ("your servants"): They are currently enduring hardship, the weight of their own sin, and God's temporal judgments (as detailed earlier in the psalm). They need to see God's redemptive work. This is a prayer for revival, for God to demonstrate His capability and faithfulness anew in their time, providing hope and reaffirming His covenant relationship with His people through tangible acts of deliverance, provision, or spiritual renewal.
2. For future generations ("their children"): This prayer demonstrates a deep concern for spiritual legacy. It recognizes that faith is sustained not just by ancient narratives, but by a living, active God who continues to intervene. By asking for God's "glorious power" to be made manifest to the children, the psalmist is praying for experiential knowledge to be passed down—ensuring that the next generation also understands and believes in God's mighty presence, protecting them from the pitfalls of idolatry or spiritual apathy.

Ultimately, this verse is a powerful petition for a continued divine presence and active engagement, ensuring that God's character and power are not just abstract concepts but observable realities that transcend the boundaries of human lifespans, perpetuating faith from one generation to the next.

Examples:

• A struggling church body praying for clear instances of God's intervention, like supernatural provision or community transformation, which can be recounted to younger members as evidence of His work.
• Parents earnestly praying that their children will witness God's answers to prayer or feel His comforting presence during family crises, fostering a personal faith.