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Behold, you have made my days handbreadths. My lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely every man stands as a breath." Selah.
Verse Takeaways
1
Life's Short Measure
Commentators unanimously highlight the image of a "handbreadth" (the width of four fingers) to illustrate the shocking brevity of human life. The psalmist sees his entire existence as a tiny, fixed measure set by God. This perspective is meant to humble us and shift our focus from our limited time on earth to the eternal God who measures it.
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Psalms
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10
18th Century
Presbyterian
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth—literally, “Look, you have given my days as handbreadths.” The word translated “handbread…
19th Century
Anglican
Handbreadth. —Better, some spans long. The plural without the article has this indefinite sense.
My age.
Baptist
And the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth;
That is, …
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
Behold, you have made my days [as] an handbreadth These words, with the following clause, are the psalmist's answer …
If an evil thought should arise in the mind, suppress it. Watchfulness as a habit is the bridle upon the head; watchfulness in actions is the hand …
13th Century
Catholic
The psalmist confessed that he suffered affliction for his sin; now here he promises caution in the future.
The title is for th…
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