Psalm 90 Study Notes

90:10 Seventy or eighty years may represent the average lifespan of God’s people, since dietary restrictions and attention to purity promote longevity. Even the best of them alludes to the difficulties of daily life in temporal bodies, but see note at vv. 14-15.

90:11 Who understands is literally “who knows” (2Sm 12:22; Pr 24:22; Ec 3:21; 6:12; Jnh 3:9). God’s inscrutability troubled the psalmist since God’s ways are unknowable.

90:12 The psalmist asked the Lord to teach us to take advantage of our short lives on earth in order to nurture a heart directed by wisdom (1Kg 3:12; Pr 16:23; Ec 8:5; 10:2).

90:13 The Lord “returns” (Hb shuv) all living things to dust (v. 3), but the psalmist implored God to turn to his people. On how long, see note at 13:1-2. The psalmist identified no specific enemy but perceived God as the agent of distress.

90:14-15 God’s provision and answer to prayer traditionally occurred in the morning (88:13). The psalmist did not expect to live a life without adversity. Rather, he asked the Lord for an equal balance of blessing and adversity. A life without trials would lead to an attitude of self-sufficiency and independence from God (Pr 30:8-9).

90:16-17 The blessings of God’s people are visual witnesses to his faithfulness. Establish . . . the work of our hands implies that Israel does have a role in provision, and also makes a direct connection between success and God’s providence.