Psalm 90:10
New International Version
Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

New Living Translation
Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.

English Standard Version
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Berean Standard Bible
The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

King James Bible
The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

New King James Version
The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

New American Standard Bible
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is only trouble and tragedy; For it quickly passes, and we disappear.

NASB 1995
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.

NASB 1977
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.

Legacy Standard Bible
As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to might, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and wickedness; For soon it is gone and we fly away.

Amplified Bible
The days of our life are seventy years— Or even, if because of strength, eighty years; Yet their pride [in additional years] is only labor and sorrow, For it is soon gone and we fly away.

Christian Standard Bible
Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.

American Standard Version
The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but labor and sorrow; For it is soon gone, and we fly away.

Contemporary English Version
We can expect seventy years, or maybe eighty, if we are healthy, but even our best years bring trouble and sorrow. Suddenly our time is up, and we disappear.

English Revised Version
The days of our years are threescore years and ten, or even by reason of strength fourscore years; yet is their pride but labour and sorrow; for it is soon gone, and we fly away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Each of us lives for 70 years- or even 80 if we are in good health. But the best of them [bring] trouble and misery. Indeed, they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Good News Translation
Seventy years is all we have--eighty years, if we are strong; yet all they bring us is trouble and sorrow; life is soon over, and we are gone.

International Standard Version
We live for 70 years, or 80 years if we're healthy, yet even in the prime years there are troubles and sorrow. They pass by quickly and we fly away.

Majority Standard Bible
The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty if we are strong—yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

NET Bible
The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty, if one is especially strong. But even one's best years are marred by trouble and oppression. Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.

New Heart English Bible
The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.

Webster's Bible Translation
The days of our years are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

World English Bible
The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The days of our years, in them [are] seventy years, "" And if, by reason of might, eighty years, "" Yet their enlargement [is] labor and vanity, "" For it has been cut off quickly, and we fly away.

Young's Literal Translation
Days of our years, in them are seventy years, And if, by reason of might, eighty years, Yet is their enlargement labour and vanity, For it hath been cut off hastily, and we fly away.

Smith's Literal Translation
The days of our years, in them seventy years; and if in strengths, eighty years, and their pride labor and vanity; for being soon cut off and we shall fly away.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
the days of our years in them are threescore and ten years. But if in the strong they be fourscore years: and what is more of them is labour and sorrow. For mildness is come upon us: and we shall be corrected.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The days of our years in them are seventy years. But in the powerful, they are eighty years, and more of these are with hardship and sorrow. For mildness has overwhelmed us, and we shall be corrected.

New American Bible
Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; Most of them are toil and sorrow; they pass quickly, and we are gone.

New Revised Standard Version
The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The years of our lives are threescore and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet most of them are labor and sorrow; for life is soon cut off and we fly away.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The days of our years with them are seventy years, or being stronger. eighty years; most of them are toil and pains, because affliction comes upon us and we are buffeted.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The days of our years are threescore years and ten, Or even by reason of strength fourscore years; Yet is their pride but travail and vanity; For it is speedily gone, and we fly away.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As for the days of our years, in them are seventy years; and if men should be in strength, eighty years: and the greater part of them would be labour and trouble; for weakness overtakes us, and we shall be chastened.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
I Will Sing of His Love Forever
9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh. 10The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty if we are strong yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 11Who knows the power of Your anger? Your wrath matches the fear You are due.…

Cross References
Genesis 6:3
So the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years.”

Job 14:1-2
“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble. / Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Isaiah 40:6-8
A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field. / The grass withers and the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. / The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

1 Peter 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

Ecclesiastes 3:20
All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. / For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. / So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

1 Chronicles 29:15
For we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,

Job 7:6-7
My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. / Remember that my life is but a breath. My eyes will never again see happiness.

Isaiah 38:12
My dwelling has been picked up and removed from me like a shepherd’s tent. I have rolled up my life like a weaver; He cuts me off from the loom; from day until night You make an end of me.

1 Peter 4:7
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

Psalm 39:4-5
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. / You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

Ecclesiastes 1:4
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.


Treasury of Scripture

The days of our years are three score years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

the days, etc.

Genesis 47:9
And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

Deuteronomy 34:7
And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.

yet

2 Samuel 19:35
I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

1 Kings 1:1
Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.

Ecclesiastes 12:2-7
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: …

for

Psalm 78:39
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Job 14:10
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

Job 24:24
They are exalted for a little while, but are gone and brought low; they are taken out of the way as all other, and cut off as the tops of the ears of corn.

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Contain Cut Due Eighty Fly Fourscore Labor Measure Passes Pride Quickly Reason Seventy Soon Sorrow Span Speedily Strength Ten Threescore Toil Travail Vanity
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Contain Cut Due Eighty Fly Fourscore Labor Measure Passes Pride Quickly Reason Seventy Soon Sorrow Span Speedily Strength Ten Threescore Toil Travail Vanity
Psalm 90
1. Moses, setting forth God's providence
3. Complains of human fragility
7. Divine chastisement
10. and brevity of life
12. He prays for the knowledge and sensible experience of God's good providence.














The length of our days
This phrase reflects the Hebrew word "yamim," which translates to "days" or "time." In the context of Psalm 90, attributed to Moses, it emphasizes the finite nature of human life. The ancient Israelites, like many cultures, were acutely aware of life's brevity, often measuring it in days rather than years. This awareness is a call to humility, recognizing that our time on earth is limited and should be spent wisely in service to God.

is seventy years
The number seventy is significant in biblical numerology, often symbolizing completeness or a full life. In ancient times, reaching seventy years was considered a blessing and a sign of God's favor. This reflects the understanding that while life is short, it is also a gift from God, and each year is an opportunity to grow in faith and righteousness.

or eighty if we are strong
The mention of eighty years acknowledges human strength and vitality, suggesting that with God's blessing, some may live longer. The Hebrew word for "strong" here is "gevurot," which implies not just physical strength but also moral and spiritual fortitude. This phrase encourages believers to seek strength in God, who sustains us through life's challenges.

yet their pride
The Hebrew word "rahab" is used here, often translated as "pride" or "boast." It conveys the idea that human achievements and the years we accumulate can lead to pride. However, this pride is fleeting and ultimately insignificant compared to God's eternal nature. This serves as a reminder to remain humble and to attribute our successes to God's grace.

is but labor and sorrow
This phrase captures the Hebrew words "amal" (labor) and "aven" (sorrow), reflecting the toil and hardships of life. It acknowledges the reality of human existence, marked by struggles and pain. Yet, within a Christian context, these experiences are seen as opportunities for growth and reliance on God's strength, echoing the New Testament teachings on perseverance and hope.

for they quickly pass
The transient nature of life is emphasized here, with the Hebrew word "chish" suggesting swiftness or haste. This serves as a poignant reminder of life's brevity, urging believers to focus on eternal values and the promises of God rather than temporary worldly pursuits.

and we fly away
The imagery of flying away evokes the Hebrew word "uwph," which means to fly or to vanish. This metaphor beautifully captures the soul's departure from the physical body, pointing to the hope of eternal life with God. For Christians, this is a comforting assurance of the resurrection and the promise of being with the Lord forever, as echoed in the New Testament.

(10) Yet is their strength . . .--The LXX. (and so Vulg.) appear to have had a slightly different reading, which gives much better sense: "Yet their additional years are but labour and sorrow." The old man has no reason to congratulate himself on passing the ordinary limit, of life.

For it is soon cut off.--This seems hardly to give, as it professes to do, a reason for the fact that the prolongation of life beyond its ordinary limit brings trouble and sorrow, and we are compelled to see if the words can convey a different meaning. Literally the clause is, for (or thus) passeth haste, and we fly away (like a bird), which may be rendered, thus there comes a haste that we may fly away; i.e., even though we may have prayed for an extension of life, it brings with it such weariness that we long at last to escape--a fact sufficiently true to experience.

"Yet are these feet, whose strengthless stay is numb,

Unable to support this lump of clay,

Swift winged with desire to get a grave."

SHAKSPEARE.

Verse 10. - The days of our years are three score years and ten. This seems a low estimate for the time of Moses, since he himself died at the ago of a hundred and twenty (Deuteronomy 34:7), Aaron at the age of a hundred and twenty-three (Numbers 33:39), and Miriam at an age which was even more advanced (Numbers 20:1; comp. Exodus 2:4). But these may have been exceptional cases, and we have certainly no sufficient data for determining what was the average length of human life in the later period of the wanderings. The suggestion has been made that it was probably even shorter than that here mentioned. And if by reason of strength they be four score years; i.e. "if, through exceptional strength in this or that individual, they occasionally mount up to four score years." Yet is their strength labour and sorrow; rather, yet is their pride then but let, our and vanity. They may boast of their age; but what real advantage is it to them? After seventy, the years draw nigh when each man is forced to say, "I have no pleasure in them" (Ecclesiastes 12:1). For it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Moreover, even if we live to eighty, our life seems to us no more than a span, so soon does it pass away, and we take our departure.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The length of our days
יְמֵֽי־ (yə·mê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 3117: A day

is seventy
שִׁבְעִ֪ים (šiḇ·‘îm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 7657: Seventy (a cardinal number)

years—
שָׁנָ֡ה (šā·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

or eighty
שְׁמ֘וֹנִ֤ים (šə·mō·w·nîm)
Number - common plural
Strong's 8084: Eighty, eightieth

if we are strong—
וְאִ֤ם (wə·’im)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

yet their pride
וְ֭רָהְבָּם (wə·rā·hə·bām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7296: Pride

is but labor
עָמָ֣ל (‘ā·māl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5999: Toil, wearing effort, worry, wheth, of body, mind

and sorrow,
וָאָ֑וֶן (wā·’ā·wen)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 205: Strictly nothingness, trouble, vanity, wickedness, an idol

for
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

they quickly
חִ֝֗ישׁ (ḥîš)
Adverb
Strong's 2440: A hurry, quickly

pass,
גָ֥ז (ḡāz)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1468: To shear off, passing rapidly

and we fly away.
וַנָּעֻֽפָה׃ (wan·nā·‘u·p̄āh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5774: To fly, to faint


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OT Poetry: Psalm 90:10 The days of our years are seventy (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 90:9
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