Psalms 90:10 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A normal human lifespan is seventy years, perhaps eighty if strong, but all those years involve toil and grief before death.
The Context of Psalms 90:10
The psalmist specifies human lifespan and its character: toil, sorrow, and sudden ending.
What Does Psalms 90:10 Mean?
Seventy years (threescore and ten) is the span the psalmist treats as normal human life. Some few may reach eighty through strength, but length brings no relief—those extra years remain years of 'labour and sorrow.' There is no age at which life becomes easy, no season when toil ceases. We trade youth's energy for age's pain but lose nothing of suffering itself.
And then, abruptly, life is 'cut off.' The word carries the finality of a blade severing string. We 'fly away' like birds released or wind scattered. No transition, no gradual fading, but sudden departure. Even a full life is brief when measured against eternity, and that brief span is consumed by hardship.
Psalms 90:10 in the Original Language
'fly away' (אָט וּנְעוּפָה, at u'neufah) — depart swiftly, suggesting the speed and inevitability of death.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psalms 90:10
What does Psalms 90:10 mean?
A normal human lifespan is seventy years, perhaps eighty if strong, but all those years involve toil and grief before death.
What is the context of Psalms 90:10?
The psalmist specifies human lifespan and its character: toil, sorrow, and sudden ending.