Psalm 90:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

NIV: Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

NASB: Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

CSB: Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God.

NLT: Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.

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

NKJV: Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.

Here, in what is likely the oldest of all the psalms, Moses answers a question which comes up even today: When did God begin? The answer is that He did not "begin;" He has always existed, and He always will exist. He is eternal, without beginning or end. He lived before He formed the mountains and brought the earth and the universe into existence. This is not merely something Scripture claims. It is also a logical necessity—there must be one un-created and un-caused "something" to originate everything else. Otherwise, there could never be anything, at all.

The Son of God is also eternal. He described Himself to the apostle John on the island of Patmos as "'the Alpha and the Omega…'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'" (Revelation 1:8). John 1:2–3 affirms that the eternal Son of God "was in the beginning with God," and "all things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made." The Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, is also eternal. Hebrews 9:14 tells us Jesus offered Himself as the flawless sacrifice "through the eternal Spirit." Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the eternal members of the Trinity, and each played a role in creation. The Father spoke everything into existence through His Son, and the Holy Spirit hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:1).

Psalm 90:1–2 cites God as eternally existent and Israel's dwelling place, meaning their refuge. He also describes God as the Creator. God is not part of the creation; He existed before He created the mountains, the earth, and the world. He has always existed and always will exist. Genesis 1 and 2 describe God's creative process, and Hebrews 11:3 points out that God created the universe by His spoken word.

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.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.