Psalm 144:4

4 All we are is a puff of air; we're like shadows in a campfire.

Psalm 144:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 144:4

Man is like to vanity
Is vanity itself, in every age, state, and condition; yea, in his best estate, ( Psalms 39:5 ) ; or, "to the breath" ^F8 of the mouth, as Kimchi; which is gone as soon as seen almost: or, to a vapour ^F9; to which the life of man is compared, ( James 4:14 ) ; his days [are] as a shadow that passeth away;
as the former denotes the frailty and mortality of man, this the shortness of his duration; his days fleeing away, and of no more continuance than the shadow cast by the sun, which presently declines and is gone.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 (lbhl) "halitui", Muis; so Kimchi.
F9 "Vapori", Cocceius; so the Syriac and Arabic versions

Psalm 144:4 In-Context

2 He's the bedrock on which I stand, the castle in which I live, my rescuing knight, The high crag where I run for dear life, while he lays my enemies low.

3 I wonder why you care, God - why do you bother with us at all?

4 All we are is a puff of air; we're like shadows in a campfire.

5 Step down out of heaven, God; ignite volcanoes in the hearts of the mountains.

6 Hurl your lightnings in every direction; shoot your arrows this way and that.