Psalms 90:3-7

90:3 You make mankind return ¹  to the dust, ² 

and say, “Return, O people!”

90:4 Yes, ³  in your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday that quickly passes,

or like one of the divisions of the nighttime. ⁴ 

90:5 You bring their lives to an end and they “fall asleep.” ⁵ 

In the morning they are like the grass that sprouts up;

90:6 in the morning it glistens ⁶  and sprouts up;

at evening time it withers ⁷  and dries up.

90:7 Yes, ⁸  we are consumed by your anger;

we are terrified by your wrath.

[90:3]  ¹ tn In this context the shortened prefix form does not function as a preterite, but indicates what is typical of the world.

[90:3]  ² tn The Hebrew term דַּכָּא (daka’) carries the basic sense of “crushed.” Elsewhere it refers to those who are “crushed” in spirit or contrite of heart (see Ps 34:18; Isa 57:15). If one understands this nuance here, then v. 3 is observing that God leads mankind to repentance (the term שׁוּב, shuv, “return,” which appears twice in this verse, is sometimes used of repentance.) However, the following context laments mankind’s mortality and the brevity of life, so it is doubtful if v. 3 should be understood so positively. It is more likely that דַּכָּא here refers to “crushed matter,” that is, the dust that fills the grave (see HALOT 221 s.v. s.v. I דַּכָּא; BDB 194 s.v. דַּכָּא). In this case one may hear an echo of Gen 3:19.

[90:4]  ³ tn Or “for.”

[90:4]  ⁴ sn The divisions of the nighttime. The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”

[90:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “you bring them to an end [with] sleep.” The Hebrew verb זָרַם (zaram) has traditionally been taken to mean “flood” or “overwhelm” (note the Polel form of a root זרם in Ps 77:17, where the verb is used of the clouds pouring down rain). However, the verb form here is Qal, not Polel, and is better understood as a homonym meaning “to make an end [of life].” The term שֵׁנָה (shenah, “sleep”) can be taken as an adverbial accusative; it is a euphemism here for death (see Ps 76:5-6).

[90:6]  ⁶ tn Or “flourishes.” The verb is used of a crown shining in Ps 132:18. Perhaps here in Ps 90:6 it refers to the glistening of the grass in the morning dew.

[90:6]  ⁷ tn The Polel form of this verb occurs only here. Perhaps the form should be emended to a Qal (which necessitates eliminating the final lamed [ל] as dittographic). See Ps 37:2.

[90:7]  ⁸ tn Or “for.”