Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 39:4

"Jehovah, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am." — Psalms 39:4 (ASV)

Rhythmically, and for every other reason, the psalm from this verse onward must be treated as the utterance to which the poet’s feelings have finally driven him.

How frail I am. — This reading is to be preferred over the marginal note, which follows the Septuagint and Vulgate. The Hebrew word, derived from a root meaning “to leave off,” means “forsaken” in Isaiah 53:3. However, here, as in Ezekiel 3:27, it is active and implies “ceasing to live.”