Psalms 39:4

39:4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality

and the brevity of life! ¹ 

Let me realize how quickly my life will pass! ² 

Psalms 133:2

133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head

which flows down the beard ³  –

Aaron’s beard,

and then flows down his garments. ⁴ 

¹ tn Heb “Cause me to know, O Lord, my end; and the measure of my days, what it is!”

² tn Heb “Let me know how transient I am!”

³ tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”

⁴ tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.