Psalms 103:14-16

103:14 For he knows what we are made of; ¹ 

he realizes ²  we are made of clay. ³ 

103:15 A person’s life is like grass. ⁴ 

Like a flower in the field it flourishes,

103:16 but when the hot wind ⁵  blows by, it disappears,

and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.

Genesis 6:3

6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in ⁶  humankind indefinitely, ⁷  since ⁸  they ⁹  are mortal. ¹⁰  They ¹¹  will remain for 120 more years.” ¹² 

John 3:6

3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, ¹³  and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

[103:14]  ¹ tn Heb “our form.”

[103:14]  ² tn Heb “remembers.”

[103:14]  ³ tn Heb “we [are] clay.”

[103:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.

[103:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[6:3]  ⁶ tn The verb form יָדוֹן (yadon) only occurs here. Some derive it from the verbal root דִּין (din, “to judge”) and translate “strive” or “contend with” (so NIV), but in this case one expects the form to be יָדִין (yadin). The Old Greek has “remain with,” a rendering which may find support from an Arabic cognate (see C. Westermann, Genesis, 1:375). If one interprets the verb in this way, then it is possible to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as a reference to the divine life-giving spirit or breath, rather than the Lord’s personal Spirit. E. A. Speiser argues that the term is cognate with an Akkadian word meaning “protect” or “shield.” In this case, the Lord’s Spirit will not always protect humankind, for the race will suddenly be destroyed (E. A. Speiser, “YDWN, Gen. 6:3,” JBL 75 [1956]: 126-29).

[6:3]  ⁷ tn Or “forever.”

[6:3]  ⁸ tn The form בְּשַׁגַּם (bÿshagam) appears to be a compound of the preposition בְּ (beth, “in”), the relative שֶׁ (she, “who” or “which”), and the particle גַּם (gam, “also, even”). It apparently means “because even” (see BDB 980 s.v. שֶׁ).

[6:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the plural pronoun has been used in the translation since “man” earlier in the verse has been understood as a collective (“humankind”).

[6:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “flesh.”

[6:3]  ¹¹ tn See the note on “they” earlier in this verse.

[6:3]  ¹² tn Heb “his days will be 120 years.” Some interpret this to mean that the age expectancy of people from this point on would be 120, but neither the subsequent narrative nor reality favors this. It is more likely that this refers to the time remaining between this announcement of judgment and the coming of the flood.

[3:6]  ¹³ sn What is born of the flesh is flesh, i.e., what is born of physical heritage is physical. (It is interesting to compare this terminology with that of the dialogue in John 4, especially 4:23, 24.) For John the “flesh” (σάρξ, sarx) emphasizes merely the weakness and mortality of the creature – a neutral term, not necessarily sinful as in Paul. This is confirmed by the reference in John 1:14 to the Logos becoming “flesh.” The author avoids associating sinfulness with the incarnate Christ.