Seeing his days [are] determined
Or "cut out" F9, exactly and precisely, how many he
shall live, and what shall befall him every day of his life;
whose life, because of the shortness of it, is rather measured by
days than vents:
the number of his months [are] with thee;
before him, in his sight, in his account, and fixed and settled
by him:
thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot
pass;
the boundaries of his life the period of his days, beyond which
he cannot go; the term of man's life is so peremptorily fixed by
God, that he cannot die sooner, nor live longer, than he has
determined he should; as the time of a man's birth, so the time
of his death is according to the purpose of God; and all
intervening moments and articles of time, and all things that
befall a man throughout the whole course of his life, all fall
under the appointment of God, and are according to his
determinate will; and when God requires of man his soul, no one
has power over his spirit to retain it one moment; yet this
hinders not the use of means for the preservation and comfort of
life, since these are settled as well as the end, and are under
the divine direction: the word for bounds signifies sometimes
"statutes" F11: though not to be understood of
laws appointed by God, either of a moral or ceremonial nature;
but here it signifies set, stated, appointed times F12 Seneca
F13 says the same thing;
``there is a boundary fixed for every man, which always remains where it is set, nor can any move it forward by any means whatsoever.''
F9 (Myuwrx) "exacte praefiniti sunt", Tigurine version.
F11 (wqx) "statuta ejus", V. L. Mercerus, Schmidt.
F12 "Stata tempora", Beza.
F13 Consolat. ad Marciam, c. 20.