Psalm 103:14

14 Poiché egli conosce la nostra natura; egli si ricorda che siam polvere.

Psalm 103:14 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 103:14

For he knoweth our frame
The outward frame of their bodies, what brittle ware, what earthen vessels, they be; he being the potter, they the clay, he knows what they are able to bear, and what not; that if he lays his hand too heavy, or strikes too hard, or repeats his strokes too often, they will fall in pieces: he knows the inward frame of their minds, the corruption of their nature, how prone they are to sin; and therefore does not expect perfect services from them: how impotent they are to that which is good; that they can do nothing of themselves; nor think a good thought, nor do a good action; and that their best frames are very uncertain ones; and that, though the spirit may be willing, the flesh is weak. The word used is the same that is rendered "imagination", ( Genesis 6:5 ) ( 8:21 ) , and by which the Jews generally express the depravity and corruption of nature; and so the Targum here paraphrases it,

``for he knows our evil concupiscence, which causes us to sin;''

and to this sense Kimchi.

He remembereth that we are dust
^F2; are of the dust originally, and return to it again at death; and into which men soon crumble when he lays his hand upon them; this he considers, see ( Psalms 78:38 Psalms 78:39 ) . The Targum is,

``it is remembered before him, that we are of the dust:''

the Septuagint version makes a petition of it, "remember that we are dust"; and so the Arabic version. And we should remember it ourselves, and be humble before God; and wonder at his grace and goodness to us, ( Genesis 18:27 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F2 "Pulvis et umbra sumus", Horat. Carmin. l. 4. Ode 7. v. 16.

Psalm 103:14 In-Context

12 Quanto è lontano il levante dal ponente, tanto ha egli allontanato da noi le nostre trasgressioni.

13 Come un padre è pietoso verso i suoi figliuoli, così è pietoso l’Eterno verso quelli che lo temono.

14 Poiché egli conosce la nostra natura; egli si ricorda che siam polvere.

15 I giorni dell’uomo son come l’erba; egli fiorisce come il fiore del campo;

16 se un vento gli passa sopra ei non è più, e il luogo dov’era non lo riconosce più.