Psalm 90:6 kjv
In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
Psalm 90:6 nkjv
In the morning it flourishes and grows up; In the evening it is cut down and withers.
Psalm 90:6 niv
In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered.
Psalm 90:6 esv
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
Psalm 90:6 nlt
In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
Psalm 90 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 8:12 | While it is yet in its greenness and not cut down, it withers before any other herb. | Life's ephemeral nature |
| Job 14:1-2 | "Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow..." | Man's short, fading existence |
| Psa 37:2 | For they soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. | The wicked's swift decline |
| Psa 39:4-5 | "O Lord, make me know my end... Surely every man at his best is a mere breath!" | Awareness of human fragility |
| Psa 90:5 | You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. | Continuation of grass metaphor |
| Psa 90:10 | The days of our years are seventy years... for it is soon gone... | Direct statement of human lifespan |
| Psa 90:12 | So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. | Application: seeking wisdom from brevity |
| Psa 102:11 | My days are like an outstretched shadow; I wither away like grass. | Individual experience of swift decay |
| Psa 103:15-16 | As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower... but when the wind passes over it, it is gone... | Humanity as fading flower in wind |
| Isa 40:6-7 | "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower... The grass withers, the flower fades..." | Universal truth of human impermanence |
| Zec 1:5 | Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? | Rhetorical question on human mortality |
| Jas 1:10-11 | ...for the rich man will pass away like a flower of the grass. For the sun rises... withers the grass... its flower falls... | Warning to the rich, life's quick end |
| Jas 4:14 | Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time... | Life's fleeting, uncertain nature |
| 1 Pet 1:24-25 | "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." | God's eternal Word vs. man's short life |
| 2 Ki 19:26 | They were like plants of the field and tender grass, like grass on the housetops, blighted before it is grown. | Vulnerability and swift perishing |
| Matt 6:30 | But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you... | God's provision and the value of life |
| Job 10:20 | Are not my days few? Cease then... for I go whence I shall not return... | Lamenting life's swift passage to death |
| Rom 5:12 | Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— | Sin as root of mortality |
| Gen 3:19 | By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. | Human origin from dust, returning to dust |
| Eccl 1:4 | A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. | Cycles of life, continuity of earth |
| Psa 90:1 | Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. | God's eternal dwelling place contrasts man |
| Psa 90:4 | For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. | God's timelessness vs. human brief time |
Psalm 90 verses
Psalm 90 6 Meaning
Psalm 90:6 eloquently depicts the brevity and transient nature of human life using the metaphor of grass or a flower. Like vegetation that bursts forth with vitality in the morning, appearing fresh and renewed, by the evening of the same day, it has already withered, dried up, and died. This imagery underscores the rapid and inevitable decline from vigor to decay, illustrating the exceedingly short span and fragile existence of human beings in stark contrast to God's eternal nature.
Psalm 90 6 Context
Psalm 90 is a "Prayer of Moses, the man of God," a unique attribution among the Psalms. It reflects a profound understanding of human mortality and God's eternality, likely stemming from Israel's 40 years in the wilderness, where a generation passed away due to their rebellion (Num 14:32-35). Moses, having experienced firsthand God's righteous judgment and the swift fading of an entire generation, contrasts the transient nature of human life with the everlasting, unchanging nature of God, who is "from everlasting to everlasting" (v. 2). Verse 6 continues the metaphor of human life as "grass that is renewed in the morning" from verse 5, extending the comparison to its natural conclusion of decay within a single day. The psalm's somber tone then pivots to a plea for wisdom to comprehend life's brevity (v. 12) and for God's favor and blessing upon their remaining days (vv. 13-17). The context is one of a leader reflecting on divine judgment, human sin, and the urgent need for spiritual discernment regarding life and time.
Psalm 90 6 Word analysis
In the morning (בַּבֹּקֶר֙ - babbōqēr):
- Word: "Morning" (בֹּקֶר - boqer) signifies the very beginning of the day, a time of newness, fresh light, and vibrant energy.
- Significance: It emphasizes the quickness of flourishing, that the "newness" and vitality are at the earliest possible stage. It points to a swift onset of life.
it flourishes (יָפִיץ֙ - yāphît͡s):
- Word: From the root פוּץ (pûts), meaning "to scatter," "spread abroad," "break out." In this context, it implies vegetation bursting forth, expanding, or blooming widely and quickly.
- Significance: Describes the immediate, vigorous display of life, a vibrant opening up. It suggests an outward manifestation of energy and beauty.
and is renewed (יַחֲלִ֑ף - yaḥaliph):
- Word: From the root חָלַף (ḥālap̄), meaning "to pass on," "change," "renew," "put forth anew." Here it denotes fresh growth, putting forth new leaves or shoots, a re-flowering.
- Significance: Highlights the perception of fresh, vigorous life as if just come into being, appearing completely new and revitalized. It reinforces the idea of prime vitality.
in the evening (וְלָעֶרֶב֙ - wəlāʿerev):
- Word: "Evening" (עֶרֶב - ʿerev) marks the end of the day, contrasting sharply with morning.
- Significance: Establishes the temporal boundary for the metaphor's span – a single day. It suggests a swift and inevitable approach of decline after a very short peak.
it fades (יְמֹולֵל֙ - yemōlēl):
- Word: From the root מוּל (mûl) which relates to 'languishing', 'withering' or 'being cut off'. Some commentaries suggest it relates to being reaped or cut down. Its more common use suggests to become shriveled, withered, to droop.
- Significance: Portrays the immediate onset of decay and decline. It signifies a loss of moisture, vitality, and firmness, turning fragile.
and withers (וְיָבֵֽשׁ - wəyāvēš):
- Word: From the root יָבֵשׁ (yabesh), meaning "to dry up," "to wither completely," "to become dry."
- Significance: Conveys the ultimate state of desiccation and lifelessness. It signifies the complete loss of all moisture and vitality, leading to death.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "In the morning it flourishes and is renewed": This phrase paints a vivid picture of the sudden and beautiful outburst of life. It implies quick growth, abundant energy, and pristine beauty, yet emphasizes its recent emergence. It captures the initial burst of youthful vigor and seemingly boundless vitality that characterized life's beginning, often deceptive in its apparent strength.
- "in the evening it fades and withers": This contrasting phrase dramatically conveys the equally sudden and complete demise of that life. It signifies the swift and inevitable transition from peak vitality to utter decay within a surprisingly short timeframe. It stresses the rapid dissolution and the inevitability of the end, regardless of initial vigor, underlining the fleeting nature of even the strongest, most beautiful life.
Psalm 90 6 Bonus section
The metaphor used in Psalm 90:6 would have been exceptionally vivid and understandable to its original audience, an agricultural people for whom the cycle of plant growth and decay was a daily reality. The wild flowers or grasses of the Middle East, especially during arid seasons, can indeed sprout and wither within a single day depending on available moisture and sunlight. This horticultural observation underscores the literal reality behind the poetic language. Furthermore, this imagery also serves as a subtle polemic against any human self-sufficiency or claims of lasting power that disregard God, echoing how kings and nations (represented by grass in prophetic literature like Isa 40) also quickly rise and fall. Moses, praying this psalm, understood God's long-suffering yet swift judgment, seen in the desert generation's demise, making this imagery not merely poetic but a testament to divine reality and the human condition under God's watchful eye.
Psalm 90 6 Commentary
Psalm 90:6 provides a stark and profound commentary on human mortality by using the powerful and universally understood metaphor of grass or a wild flower. It captures the breathtaking speed with which life blossoms into vibrancy and then just as swiftly fades into oblivion. The imagery of "morning" to "evening" encapsulates an entire lifespan—from birth's vigor and bloom to death's dryness and decay—compressed into the span of a single day. This rapid cycle underscores that what may appear as a significant period for a human being (a lifetime) is, from God's eternal perspective, an infinitesimal moment, akin to a mere fraction of a day. This verse does not just observe human frailty but juxtaposes it against the steadfast and infinite existence of God, reminding humanity of their utter dependence and the brevity of their earthly journey. It calls for humility, an acknowledgment of our temporal existence, and implicitly, for a redirection of focus from temporary glory to eternal truth. The wisdom sought later in the Psalm (v. 12) directly springs from this acute awareness of life's transience.