Bible Chapter Summary
Psalms 39 Summary
The Brevity of Life and Human Frailty
The psalmist resolved to bridle his tongue before the wicked, but his heart burned within and he cried to the Lord to know his frail end. He observes that human days are but a handbreadth and life is vanity, as men heap riches not knowing who will gather them. The psalm laments the inevitable consumption of beauty under God's correction and ends with a prayer for relief from affliction before life departs.
Key themes
Key verses
Psalms 39:4
“LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.”
Psalms 39:5
“Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”
Psalms 39:11
“When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.”
Psalms 39:12
“Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.”
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