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Wisdom & Poetry · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is read especially through the theme of creation, within Book IV (Psalms 90–106). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application.

CreationPraiseLament
Old Testament

Psalm 90

1A Prayer by Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.

2Before the mountains were born, before you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.

3You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”

4For a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past, like a watch in the night.

5You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass.

6In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry.

7For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.

8You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.

9For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.

10The 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.

11Who knows the power of your anger, your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?

12So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

13Relent, LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

14Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.

16Let your work appear to your servants, your glory to their children.

17Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.

READ IN CONTEXT

Understanding Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is read especially through the theme of creation, within Book IV (Psalms 90–106). Its language invites attentive prayer before quick application. Read it within the complete five-book Psalms collection, then compare its prayer language with the types of prayer found across Scripture. Classification is a reading aid rather than a replacement for the Psalm's own movement and tension.

Collection

Book IV (Psalms 90–106). The five-book shape of the Psalter helps readers hear individual prayers within a deliberately arranged collection.

Themes detected

Creation, Praise, Lament. Read for these themes while remaining open to tension and secondary movements.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Psalm 90

Psalm 90 contains 17 verses and about 297 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “A Prayer by Moses, the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 17 closes: “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us. Establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include years, days, like, away, morning, wrath. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Psalm 90

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Psalms 90:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

What kind of Psalm is this?+

Our reading profile emphasizes creation, with related themes of Creation, Praise, Lament. Many Psalms blend genres or move between moods, so this label is a guide rather than a rigid classification.

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