Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Psalms 39:4

Lord , tell me, what will happen to me now? Tell me, how long will I live? Let me know how short my life really is.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Death;   Life;   Wisdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Affliction, Prayer under;   Death, Natural;   Measures;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jeduthun;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Last Day(s), Latter Days, Last Times;   Wealth;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Meditation;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Death;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - English Versions;   Greek Versions of Ot;   Jeduthun;   Psalms;   Sin;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Measure;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Dumb;   Psalms, Book of;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 8;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Lord, make me aware of my endand the number of my daysso that I will know how short-lived I am.
Hebrew Names Version
"LORD, make me to know my end, What is the measure of my days. Let me know how frail I am.
King James Version
Lord , make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.
English Standard Version
"O Lord , make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!
New Century Version
" Lord , tell me when the end will come and how long I will live. Let me know how long I have.
New English Translation
"O Lord , help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life! Let me realize how quickly my life will pass!
Amplified Bible
"LORD, let me know my [life's] end And [to appreciate] the extent of my days; Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here].
New American Standard Bible
"LORD, let me know my end, And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.
World English Bible
"Yahweh, make me to know my end, What is the measure of my days. Let me know how frail I am.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Lord, let me know mine ende, and the measure of my dayes, what it is: let mee knowe howe long I haue to liue.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Yahweh, cause me to know my endAnd what is the extent of my days;Let me know how transient I am.
Berean Standard Bible
"Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.
Contemporary English Version
"Please, Lord , show me my future. Will I soon be gone?
Complete Jewish Bible
My heart grew hot within me; whenever I thought of it, the fire burned. Then, [at last,] I let my tongue speak:
Darby Translation
Make me to know, Jehovah, mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: I shall know how frail I am.
George Lamsa Translation
LORD, show me mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know my destiny.
Good News Translation
" Lord , how long will I live? When will I die? Tell me how soon my life will end."
Lexham English Bible
"Let me know, O Yahweh, my end, and what is the measure of my days. Let me know how transient I am."
Literal Translation
O Jehovah, make me to know my end and the limit of my days, what it is . Let me know how lacking I am .
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
My hert was hote within me, & whyle I was thus musynge, the fyre kyndled: so that I spake with my tonge.
American Standard Version
Jehovah, make me to know mine end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am.
Bible in Basic English
Lord, give me knowledge of my end, and of the measure of my days, so that I may see how feeble I am.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
My heart waxed hot within me; while I was musing, the fire kindled; then spoke I with my tongue:
King James Version (1611)
Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my dayes, what it is: that I may know how fraile I am.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
O God make me to knowe mine ende, and the number of my dayes: that I may be certified howe long I haue to lyue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
O Lord, make me to know mine end, and the number of my days, what it is; that I may know what I lack.
English Revised Version
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; let me know how frail I am.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
I spak in my tunge; Lord, make thou myn eende knowun to me. And the noumbre of my daies what it is; that Y wite, what failith to me.
Update Bible Version
Yahweh, make me to know my end, And the measure of my days, what it is; Let me know how frail I am.
Webster's Bible Translation
LORD, make me to know my end, and the measure of my days, what it [is]; [that] I may know how frail I [am].
New King James Version
"LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am.
New Living Translation
" Lord , remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is.
New Life Bible
"O Lord, let me know my end and how many days I have to live. Let me know that I do not have long to stay here.
New Revised Standard
" Lord , let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let me know, O Yahweh, mine end, And the measure of my days - what it is, I would know how short-lived I am.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(38-5) I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
Revised Standard Version
"LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is!
Young's Literal Translation
`Cause me to know, O Jehovah, mine end, And the measure of my days -- what it [is],' I know how frail I [am].
THE MESSAGE
"Tell me, what's going on, God ? How long do I have to live? Give me the bad news! You've kept me on pretty short rations; my life is string too short to be saved. Oh! we're all puffs of air. Oh! we're all shadows in a campfire. Oh! we're just spit in the wind. We make our pile, and then we leave it.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
" Lord , make me to know my end And what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am.

Contextual Overview

1

To the director, Jeduthun. A song of David.

I said, "I will be careful about what I say. I will not let my tongue cause me to sin. I will keep my mouth closed when I am around wicked people." 2 So I didn't say anything. I didn't even say anything good, but I became even more upset. 3 I was very angry, and the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. So I said something. 4 Lord , tell me, what will happen to me now? Tell me, how long will I live? Let me know how short my life really is. 5 You gave me only a short life. Compared to you, my whole life is nothing. The life of every human is like a cloud that quickly disappears. Selah 6 Our life is like an image in a mirror. We rush through life collecting things, but we don't know who will get them after we die.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

make: Psalms 90:12, Psalms 119:84, Job 14:13

how frail I am: or, what time I have here

Reciprocal: Job 7:1 - Is there Job 14:5 - his days 1 Corinthians 7:29 - the time

Cross-References

Genesis 15:2
But Abram said, "Lord God , there is nothing you can give me that will make me happy, because I have no son. My slave Eliezer from Damascus will get everything I own after I die."
Genesis 18:3
Abraham said, "Sirs, please stay a while with me, your servant.
Genesis 19:19
You have been very kind to me, your servant. You have been very kind to save me, but I cannot run all the way to the mountains. What if I am too slow and something happens? I will be killed!
Genesis 24:2
Abraham's oldest servant was in charge of everything he owned. Abraham called that servant to him and said, "Put your hand under my leg.
Genesis 32:5
I have many cattle, donkeys, flocks, and servants. Sir, I am sending you this message to ask you to accept us.'"
Genesis 33:8
Esau said, "Who were all those people I saw while I was coming here? And what were all those animals for?" Jacob answered, "These are my gifts to you so that you might accept me."
Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "No, I beg you! If you really accept me, please accept the gifts I give you. I am very happy to see your face again. It is like seeing the face of God. I am very happy to see that you accept me.
Genesis 39:4
So Potiphar was very happy with Joseph. He allowed Joseph to work for him and to help him rule the house. Joseph was the ruler over everything Potiphar owned.
Genesis 39:5
After Joseph was made the ruler over the house, the Lord blessed the house and everything that Potiphar owned. The Lord also blessed everything that grew in Potiphar's fields. The Lord did this because of Joseph.
Genesis 39:8
But Joseph refused. He said, "My master trusts me with everything in his house. He has given me responsibility for everything here.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Lord, make me to know mine end,.... Not Christ, the end of the law for righteousness, as Jerom interprets it; nor how long he should live, how many days, months, and years more; for though they are known of God, they are not to be known by men; but either the end of his afflictions, or his, latter end, his mortal state, that he might be more thoughtful of that, and so less concerned about worldly things, his own external happiness, or that of others; or rather his death; see Job 6:11; and his sense is, that he might know death experimentally; or that he might die: this he said in a sinful passionate way, as impatient of his afflictions and exercises; and in the same way the following expressions are to be understood;

and the measure of my days, what it [is]; being desirous to come to the end of it; otherwise he knew it was but as an hand's breadth, as he says in Psalms 39:5;

[that] I may know how frail I [am]; or "what time I have here"; or "when I shall cease to be" u; or, as the Targum is, "when I shall cease from the world"; so common it is for the saints themselves, in an angry or impatient fit, to desire death; see Job 7:15; and a very rare and difficult thing it is to wish for it from right principles, and with right views, as the Apostle Paul did, Philippians 1:23.

u מה חדל אני "quanti aevi ego", Montanus; "quamdiu roundanus ero", Vatablus; "quam brevis temporis sim", Musculus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Lord, make me to know mine end - This expresses evidently the substance of those anxious and troubled thoughts Psalms 39:1-2 to which he had been unwilling to give utterance. His thoughts turned on the shortness of life; on the mystery of the divine arrangement by which it had been made so short; and on the fact that so many troubles and sorrows had been crowded into a life so frail and so soon to terminate. With some impatience, and with a consciousness that he had been indulging feelings on this subject which were not proper, and which would do injury if they were expressed “before men,” he now pours out these feelings before God, and asks what is to be the end of this; how long this is to continue; when his own sorrows will cease. It was an impatient desire to know when the end would be, with a spirit of insubmission to the arrangements of Providence by which his life had been made so brief, and by which so much suffering had been appointed.

And the measure of my days, what it is - How long I am to live; how long I am to bear these accumulated sorrows.

That I may know how frail I am - Margin: “What time I have here.” Prof. Alexander renders this: “when I shall cease.” So DeWette. The Hebrew word used here - חדל châdêl - means “ceasing to be;” hence, “frail;” then, destitute, left, forsaken. An exact translation would be, “that I may know at what (time) or (point) I am ceasing, or about to cease.” It is equivalent to a prayer that he might know when these sufferings - when a life so full of sorrow - would come to an end. The language is an expression of impatience; the utterance of a feeling which the psalmist knew was not right in itself, and which would do injury if expressed before men, but which the intensity of his feelings would not permit him to restrain, and to which he, therefore, gives utterance before God. Similar expressions of impatience in view of the sufferings of a life so short as this, and with so little to alleviate its sorrows, may be seen much amplified in Job 3:1-26; Job 6:4-12; Job 7:7; Job 14:1-13. Before we blame the sacred writers for the indulgence of these feelings, let us carefully examine our own hearts, and recall what has passed through our own minds in view of the mysteries of the divine administration; and let us remember that one great object of the Bible is to record the actual feelings of men - not to vindicate them, but to show what human nature is even in the best circumstances, and what the human heart is when as yet but partially sanctified.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 39:4. Lord, make me to know mine end — I am weary of life; I wish to know the measure of my days, that I may see how long I have to suffer, and how frail I am. I wish to know what is wanting to make up the number of the days I have to live.


 
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