Psalms 89:45

45 Thou hast made less the days of his time; thou hast beshed him with shame. (Thou hast lessened the days of his time; thou hast covered him with shame.)

Psalms 89:45 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 89:45

The days of his youth hast thou shortened
His days of joy and pleasure; such as days of youth are, in opposition to the days of old age, which are evil, ( Ecclesiastes 11:9 ) ( 12:1 ) , these were shortened when his sorrows and sufferings came on, and God hid his face from him; and indeed he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief all his days: the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "the days of his time"; and the Arabic version "the days of his years"; for he did not live out half the time of man's age, which is threescore years and ten, ( Psalms 90:10 ) , he dying at the age of thirty three or four; but, notwithstanding this, he lives again, and lives for evermore; he has length of days for ever and ever, ( Psalms 21:4 ) ( Revelation 1:18 ) , though his days were in some sense shortened, yet in another sense they are and will be prolonged, even his own, and those of his spiritual seed, according to the promise of God, ( Isaiah 53:10 ) ,

thou hast covered him with shame;
see ( Psalms 69:7 ) , when his face was covered with shame and spitting, from which he hid it not, ( Isaiah 1:6 ) , but now he is crowned with glory and honour; wherefore all these complaints, though true, are no objections to what is before said and swore to.

Selah. (See Gill on Psalms 3:2).

Psalms 89:45 In-Context

43 Thou hast turned away the help of his sword; and thou helpedest not him in battle. (Thou hast turned away the help from his sword; and thou hast not helped him in the battle.)
44 Thou destroyedest him from cleansing; and thou hast hurled down his seat in earth. (Thou hast destroyed his purity; and thou hast thrown down his throne to the ground.)
45 Thou hast made less the days of his time; thou hast beshed him with shame. (Thou hast lessened the days of his time; thou hast covered him with shame.)
46 Lord, how long turnest thou away, into the end; shall thine ire burn out as fire? (Lord, how long turnest thou away, forever? shall thy anger always burn like fire?)
47 Bethink thou what is my substance; for whether thou hast ordained vainly all the sons of men? (Remember thou what my substance is/how short my time is; hast thou ordained all the sons of men in vain?)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.