Psalms — Chapter 90

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1A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.

2Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

3You return man to dust, saying, “Return, O sons of mortals.”

4For in Your sight a thousand years are but a day that passes, or a watch of the night.

5You sweep them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—

6in the morning it springs up new, but by evening it fades and withers.

7For we are consumed by Your anger and terrified by Your wrath.

8You have set our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.

9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.

10The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

11Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.

12So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.

13Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.

14Satisfy us in the morning with Your loving devotion, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad for as many days as You have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

16May Your work be shown to Your servants, and Your splendor to their children.

17May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

1LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

2Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

3Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

4For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

7For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

10The 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.

11Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

12So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

13Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.

16Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

17And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

1Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place In all generations.

2Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

3Thou turnest man to destruction, And sayest, Return, ye children of men.

4For a thousand years in thy sight Are but as yesterday when it is past, And as a watch in the night.

5Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: In the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

6In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; In the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

7For we are consumed in thine anger, And in thy wrath are we troubled.

8Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

9For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: We bring our years to an end as a sigh.

10The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly away.

11Who knoweth the power of thine anger, And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto thee?

12So teach us to number our days, That we may get us a heart of wisdom.

13Return, O Jehovah; how long? And let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

14Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness, That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, And the years wherein we have seen evil.

16Let thy work appear unto thy servants, And thy glory upon their children.

17And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And establish thou the work of our hands upon us; Yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Psalm 91

1A prayer of Moses, the man of God. O Lord, you have been our protector through all generations.

2Even before the mountains came into existence, or you brought the world into being, you were the eternal God.

3You make mankind return to the dust, and say, “Return, O people.”

4Yes, in your eyes a thousand years are like yesterday that quickly passes, or like one of the divisions of the nighttime.

5You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up:

6In the morning it glistens and sprouts up; at evening time it withers and dries up.

7Yes, we are consumed by your anger; we are terrified by your wrath.

8You are aware of our sins; you even know about our hidden sins.

9Yes, throughout all our days we experience your raging fury; the years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh.

10The days of our lives add up to 70 years, or 80, if one is especially strong. But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.

11Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? Your raging fury causes people to fear you.

12So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.

13Turn back toward us, O Lord. How long must this suffering last? Have pity on your servants.

14Satisfy us in the morning with your loyal love. Then we will shout for joy and be happy all our days.

15Make us happy in proportion to the days you have afflicted us, in proportion to the years we have experienced trouble.

16May your servants see your work. May their sons see your majesty.

17May our Sovereign God extend his favor to us. Make our endeavors successful. Yes, make them successful.

1Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.

2Before the mountains were born, before you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

3You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”

4For a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past, like a watch in the night.

5You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass.

6In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry.

7For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.

8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.

10The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.

11Who knows the power of your anger, your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?

12So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13Relent, Yahweh! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

14Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

16Let your work appear to your servants; your glory to their children.

17Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A psalm of Moses opening Book IV of the Psalter, it begins by contrasting God's eternal, timeless existence as humanity's true home with the fleeting, dust-like brevity of human life (vv. 1-6). Moses reflects that human suffering and short lifespans stem from God's response to sin, since he sees even hidden faults clearly (vv. 7-11). Out of that sober reflection comes the well-known prayer to number our days rightly so that wisdom, not waste, fills them (v. 12). The psalm closes with a plea for God's compassion and steadfast love to satisfy his people, replacing their years of hardship with gladness and establishing the work of their hands (vv. 13-17).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Community Lament / Wisdom Psalm
Attributed Author: Moses (the only psalm attributed to Moses)
Key Themes: God's eternity vs. human brevity, the brevity of life, sin and divine wrath, numbering our days, prayer for God's mercy and the establishment of human work
Historical Context: Psalm 90 opens Book IV of the Psalter (90-106) and is the oldest psalm in the collection — attributed to Moses, making it potentially 3400+ years old. As the man who spent 40 years watching a generation die in the wilderness (Numbers 14:29-35), Moses had unparalleled experience with human mortality. The psalm's meditation on the brevity of life (70-80 years, v.10) and God's wrath consuming sinful humanity may directly reflect the wilderness generation's slow death. Yet it is not despairing — it moves from sober recognition of mortality to prayer for wisdom, mercy, gladness, and the establishment of human work. The phrase "from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God" (v.2) is one of Scripture's grandest theological declarations.
Thou Hast Been Our Dwelling Place (vv.1-2): Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. This is the only psalm attributed to Moses and it opens Book IV, immediately after the collapse of the Davidic promise in Psalm 89, which makes its placement an argument: the psalter answers a failed dynasty by going back past the monarchy altogether. And the timescale is set in the second verse, before the mountains were brought forth, from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou Turnest Man to Destruction (vv.3-6): Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, Return, ye children of men. Then the comparison of durations, for a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night, which 2 Peter 3:8 quotes. And the images for a human life are all short-lived plants, in the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up, in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
We Spend Our Years as a Tale That Is Told (vv.7-11): For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. The psalm connects mortality to sin rather than treating it as neutral, thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. Then the arithmetic the psalm is best known for, 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. And the question that follows is not rhetorical, who knoweth the power of thine anger.
Teach Us to Number Our Days (v.12): So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. One verse, and it is the psalm's only petition about the singer's own understanding. What is asked for is not more days but the ability to count the ones there are, which is the practical conclusion of everything above it.
Establish Thou the Work of Our Hands (vv.13-17): Return, O LORD, how long, and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. The petitions come in a run and they ask for satisfaction early rather than eventually, O satisfy us early with thy mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Then a request for symmetry, make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, so the good years are asked for in the same measure as the bad. And the psalm ends on the one thing a mortal creature would most want, which is that the work should outlast the worker, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. The sentence is repeated because it is the whole request.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

The God Who Created It All - Psalm 90:1-2
David Guzik

Psalm 90 | A Prayer of Moses| Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 90 - The Prayer of Moses in the Wilderness
David Guzik

Articles

  • Crossway: crossway.org The one psalm attributed to Moses, on the shortness of life and the permanence of God.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • God Is Your Dwelling Place Across Generations (v.1) — Before any generation was born and after each one passes, God Himself has been the home of His people. Is your sense of security rooted in something permanent, or in circumstances that will inevitably shift?
  • Life Is Breathtakingly Brief (v.10) — Moses describes a lifespan of seventy or eighty years as passing quickly and full of toil. Does the shortness of life create urgency in how you're spending it, or have you been living as if you have unlimited time?
  • Numbering Your Days Produces Wisdom (v.12) — Moses asks God to teach him to count his days so that he might live with a wise heart. If you honestly counted the days you likely have left, what would you change about how you're living now?
  • Every Day Needs Fresh Mercy (v.14) — Even Moses, who spoke with God face to face, asks to be satisfied with God's mercy every morning. Do you approach each day expecting to need — and receive — new grace, or are you running on yesterday's?
  • Asking God to Establish Your Work (v.17) — Moses closes by praying that God would establish the work of his hands so that it would last. Is the work you're pouring your life into something you've actually asked God to make count beyond your own lifetime?