As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

PSALMS 103:15KJV
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Psalms 103:15 (KJV)

What does Psalms 103:15 mean?

Psalms 103:15 describes how human life is short and fragile, comparing a person’s days to grass and a flower in a field that flourishes for a time but soon fades away. The verse uses this image to highlight the temporary nature of human existence.

In this psalm, David is speaking to God and reflecting on the difference between God’s everlasting nature and the brief span of human life. The verse comes in the middle of a passage that praises God’s mercy and compassion, setting up a contrast between God’s enduring love and the fleeting life of people.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 103:15

  • "man" (אֱנוֹשׁ, ʾenosh): This word often points to humanity in its weakness or frailty, not just as individuals but as a whole. Here, it emphasizes how fragile and temporary people are.
  • "grass" (חָצִיר, chatsir): Grass in ancient Israel was known for growing quickly and withering just as fast under the sun. This word choice underlines how quickly life passes.
  • "flower" (צִיץ, tsits): The flower of the field is something beautiful but short-lived. This image adds a sense of beauty to human life, but also its quick fading.
  • "field" (שָׂדֶה, sadeh): The open field is exposed to the elements, making whatever grows there especially vulnerable. This suggests that human life is not only brief but also exposed to forces beyond control.
  • "flourisheth" (נָבֵל, navel): This verb means to blossom or flourish, but always with the sense that it is temporary. The flourishing is real, but it does not last.

Why Psalms 103:15 matters

  • Psalms 103:15 clears up the idea that human strength or beauty is lasting; the verse directly points out that even at its best, human life is brief and fragile.
  • The verse sets up a contrast with the verses that follow, which describe God’s steadfast love as enduring from everlasting to everlasting, making the point that only God’s love is truly lasting.
  • This image ties into the wider message of the psalm, which is about remembering God’s mercy and not taking human life or blessings for granted.

Where else these words appear

“flourisheth” Hebrew H6692 · used in 9 verses

  • Numbers 17:8 And it came to pass, that on the morrow Moses went into the tabernacle of witness; and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
  • Psalms 90:6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
  • Song of Solomon 2:9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

“flower” Hebrew H6731 · used in 15 verses

  • Exodus 28:36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
  • 1 Kings 6:18 And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
  • Isaiah 28:1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

“grass” Hebrew H2682 · used in 20 verses

  • Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
  • Psalms 90:5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
  • Isaiah 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.