Bible Commentaries

"A Prayer of Moses ^a the man of God." Lord, thou hast been our ^b dwelling place in all generations.

(a) Thus the Scripture refers to the prophets.

(b) You have been as a house and defence to us in all our troubles and travels now this four hundred years.

Before the ^c mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God.

(c) You have chosen us to be your people before the foundations of the world were laid.

Thou ^d turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

(d) Moses by lamenting the frailty and shortness of man's life moves God to pity.

^e For a thousand years in thy sight [are but] as yesterday when it is past, and [as] a watch in the night.

(e) Though man thinks his life is long, which is indeed most short, yet though it were a thousand years, yet in God's sight it is as nothing, and as the watch that lasts only three hours.

Thou ^f carriest them away as with a flood; they are [as] a sleep: in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up.

(f) You take them away suddenly as with a flood.

For we are ^g consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

(g) You called us by the rods to consider the storms of our life and for our sins you shorten our days.

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we ^h spend our years as a tale [that is told].

(h) Our days are not only short but miserable as our sins daily provoke your wrath.

The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] ⁱ fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

(i) Meaning according to the common state of life.

^k Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, [so is] thy wrath.

(k) If man's life for the shortness of it is miserable, it is even more so if your wrath is on it, as they who fear you only know.

So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto ^l wisdom.

(l) Which is by considering the shortness of our life, and by meditating the heavenly joys.

Return, O LORD, ^m how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

(m) Meaning, will you be angry?

ⁿ Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their ^o children.

(n) Even your mercy, which is the chiefest work.

(o) As God's promises belong well to their poverty, as to them, so Moses prays for the posterity.

And let the ^p beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and ^q establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

(p) Meaning, that is was obscured when he ceases to do good to his Church.

(q) For unless you guide us with your Holy Spirit, our enterprises cannot succeed.