Psalm 90:10 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

NASB: As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is only trouble and tragedy; For it quickly passes, and we disappear.

CSB: Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.

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.

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.

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.

Scripture does not directly claim God has capped human lifespans. Early people enjoyed extremely long lives, by today's standards. Some interpret Genesis 6:3 to suggest the typical maximum for human life, after the flood, is 120 years. This has some support from history—the oldest verified males outside of the Bible all fall just short of 120 years. The oldest verified woman, as of this writing, died at the age of 122. Those outliers represent those fortunate enough to have all the right factors combine, to say the least. For most, however, the wear and tear of life in a fallen world means a shorter life, usually around 70 or 80 years.

"Average lifespan" is a term often misunderstood. Average lifespans in the ancient world were much lower than they are today. However, that does not mean a 40-year-old in Moses' day would have looked like an 80-year-old today. Even in ancient times, a person who did not pass away due to disease, accidents, or war could expect to see that 70- or 80-year-old mark. The fact that many, many more people died young, of preventable causes, is why the "average" age, not the "potential" age, was so much lower.

Moses' reference to life's brevity is especially poignant because of what he saw during Israel's wilderness wanderings. Those who journeyed through the wilderness experienced hard trials and eventually died. Many of these passed away without ever seeing the Promised Land they'd hoped for (Numbers 14:33–35). There's a subtle humor in this, the oldest known psalm, referring to the limit of human years.

The inevitable arrival of death is constant, even if lives might stretch longer. A recurring statement in the genealogy of Genesis 5 is "and he died." Adam, the first man, forfeited his life because he had sinned, and he also forfeited a peaceful life in the garden of Eden. He did not physically die immediately, but he did die. Regardless of a person's years on earth, death comes "soon," from the perspective of history. This verse echoes sentiments found elsewhere in Scripture, that human life is inherently short and frail (James 4:14; Luke 12:19–20).

Psalm 90, likely the oldest psalm, opens with Moses addressing God as eternal and Israel's dwelling place, but quickly shifts to an acknowledgement of man's brief life on earth. Our iniquity is the reason God directs His wrath at us. In most cases, a person can expect to live somewhere around 70 or 80 years, barring disease or misfortune. Short or long, life is full of toil and trouble. In view of life's brevity, Moses asks the Lord to fill His people with wisdom. He also asks the Lord to reveal His work, demonstrate His power, grant His favor, and make Israel's labor successful.

Psalm 90, written by Moses, is most likely the oldest psalm, presuming it was written during Israel's wandering in the desert. This begins the fourth division of Psalms (90—106) and likely was written after Israel refused to heed the Lord's command to enter and occupy Canaan (Numbers 13—14). The background for Psalm 90 is Israel's wanderings for forty years in the desert and the perishing of a generation as a result of its disobedience. The psalm focuses on God's eternal nature and man's finite nature. It stresses God's anger against sin and appeals to His compassion to restore and bless His people.