Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 90

Lord – Not יהוה Yahweh here, but אדני 'Adonāy. The word is properly rendered “Lord,” but it is a term that is often applied to God. It indicates, however, nothing regarding his character or attributes except that he is a “Ruler or Governor.”

You have been our dwelling-place – The Septuagint renders this, “refuge” – καταφυγή kataphugē. So the Latin Vulgate, “refugium;” and Luther, “Zuflucht.”

The Hebrew word – מעון mâ‛ôn – properly means a habitation or a dwelling, such as God’s temple (Psalms 26:8), or heaven (Psalms 68:5; Deuteronomy 26:15).

It also means a den or lair for wild beasts (Nahum 2:12; Jeremiah 9:11).

But here the idea seems to be, as in the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Luther, “a refuge.”

It is a place to which one may come as to one's home—as one does from a journey, from wandering, from toil, or from danger.

It is a place to which such a person naturally resorts, which they love, and where they feel that they may rest secure.

The idea is that a friend of God has the same feeling toward Him that one has toward one's own home – one's abode, the place one loves and calls one's own.

In all generations – Margin: “generation and generation.” This means that a succeeding generation has found him to be the same as the previous generation had. He was unchanged, though the successive generations of humanity passed away.

Before the mountains were brought forth - Before the earth brought forth or produced the mountains. In the description of the creation, it would be natural to represent the mountains as the first objects that appeared, emerging from the waters, and therefore as the “first” or “most ancient” of created objects. The phrase, therefore, is equivalent to saying, before the earth was created. The literal meaning of the expression “were brought forth” is, in Hebrew, “were born.” The mountains are mentioned as the most ancient things in creation in (Deuteronomy 33:15). Compare (Genesis 49:26); (Habakkuk 3:6).

Or ever thou hadst formed - literally, “had brought forth.” Compare (Job 39:1).

The earth and the world - The word “earth” here is used to denote the world as distinguished either from heaven (Genesis 1:1) or from the sea (Genesis 1:10). The term “world” in the original is commonly used to denote the earth considered as “inhabited,” or as capable of being inhabited—a dwelling place for living beings.

Even from everlasting to everlasting - From duration stretching backward without limit to duration stretching forward without limit; that is, from eternal ages to eternal ages, or forever.

Thou art God - Or, “You, O God.” The idea is that he was always and will always be God: the God, the true God, the only God, the unchangeable God. At any period in the past—during the existence of the earth or the heavens, or before either was formed—he existed, with all the attributes essential to Deity; at any period in the future—during the existence of the earth and the heavens, or beyond, as far as the mind can reach into the future, and even beyond that—he will still exist unchanged, with all the attributes of Deity. The creation of the universe made no change in him; its destruction would not vary the mode of his existence or make him in any respect a different being. There could not be a more absolute and unambiguous declaration, as there could not be one more sublime, of the eternity of God.

The mind cannot take in a grander thought than that there is one eternal and immutable Being.

Thou turnest man to destruction—this is in contrast to His own unchangeableness and eternity. Man passes away; God continues forever the same. The word rendered “destruction”—דכא dakkâ'—means properly anything beaten or broken small or very fine, and thus, “dust.” The idea here is that God causes man to return to dust; that is, the elements that compose the body return to their original condition or seem to mingle with the earth. (Genesis 3:19): dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. The word “man” here, of course, refers to man in general—all people. It is the great law of our being.

Individual people, classes of people, generations of people, races of people, pass away; but God remains the same. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “Thou turnest man to humiliation”—which, though not the sense of the original, is a true idea, for there is nothing more humiliating than that a human body, once so beautiful, should turn back to dust—nothing more humbling than the grave.

And sayest, Return, ye children of men—return to your dust; go back to the earth from which you came.

Return, all of you without exception—kings, princes, nobles, warriors, conquerors; mighty people, captains, and counselors; you learned and great, you honored and flattered, you beautiful and happy, you youthful and vigorous, and you aged and venerable; whatever is your rank, whatever are your possessions, whatever are your honors, whatever you have to make you lovely, to charm, to please, to be admired; or whatever there is to make you loathsome and detestable; you vicious, you profane, low, groveling, sensual, debased—go all of you alike to “dust!”

Oh, how affecting the thought that this is the lot of man; how much should it do to abase the pride of the race; how much should it do to make any man sober and humble, that he himself is soon to turn back to dust—unhonored, undistinguished, and indistinguishable dust!

For a thousand years in thy sight - Hebrew, “In your eyes;” that is, it so appears to you - or, a thousand years so seem to you, however long they may appear to man. The utmost length to which the life of man has reached - in the case of Methuselah - was nearly a thousand years (Genesis 5:27); and the idea here is, that the longest human life, even if it should be lengthened out to a thousand years, would be in the sight of God, or in comparison with His years, but as a single day.

Are but as yesterday when it is past - Margin, “he hath passed them.” The translation in the text, however, best expresses the sense. The reference is to a single day, when we call it to remembrance. However long it may have appeared to us when it was passing, yet when it is gone, and we look back to it, it seems short. So the longest period of human existence appears to God.

And as a watch in the night - This refers to a portion of the night - the original idea having been derived from the practice of dividing the night into portions, during which a watch was placed in a camp. These watches were, of course, relieved at intervals, and the night came to be divided, in accordance with this arrangement, into parts corresponding with these changes.

Among the ancient Hebrews there were only three night-watches; the first, mentioned in (Lamentations 2:19); the middle, mentioned in (Judges 7:19); and the third, mentioned in (Exodus 14:24); (1 Samuel 11:11). In later times - the times referred to in the New Testament - there were four such watches, after the manner of the Romans (Mark 13:35). The idea here is not that such a watch in the night would seem to pass quickly, or that it would seem short when it was gone, but that a thousand years seemed to God not only short as a day when it was past, but even as the parts of a day, or the divisions of a night when it was gone.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood - The original here is a single verb with the suffix - זרמתם z^eram^etâm. The verb - זרם zâram - means to flow, to pour; then, to pour upon, to overwhelm, to wash away. The idea is that they were swept off as if a torrent bore them from the earth, carrying them away without regard to order, rank, age, or condition. So death makes no discrimination. Every day that passes, multitudes of every age, sex, condition, and rank are swept away and consigned to the grave. This happens just as it would if a raging flood were to sweep over a land.

They are as a sleep - The original here is, “a sleep they are.” The whole sentence is exceedingly graphic and abrupt: “Thou sweepest them away; a sleep they are - in the morning - like grass - it passes away.” The idea is that human life resembles a sleep, because it seems to pass so swiftly, to accomplish so little, and to be so filled with dreams and visions, none of which remain or become permanent.

In the morning they are like grass which groweth up - A better translation of this would be to attach the words “in the morning” to the previous member of the sentence: “They are like sleep in the morning;” that is, They are as sleep appears to us in the morning, when we wake from it—rapid, unreal, full of empty dreams.

The other part of the sentence then would be, “Like grass, it passes away.” The word rendered “groweth up” is in the margin translated “is changed.”

The Hebrew word - חלף châlaph - means to pass, to pass along, to pass by; to pass on, to come on; also, to revive or flourish as a plant; and then, to change.

It may be rendered here “pass away;” and the idea then would be that they are like grass in the fields, or like flowers, which soon “change” by passing away. There is nothing more permanent in man than there is in the grass or in the flowers of the field.