Psalms 90:5 (KJV)

What does Psalms 90:5 mean?

Psalms 90:5 describes human lives as brief and easily swept away before God. The speaker addresses God directly, using pictures of a flood, sleep, and grass to express how quickly people pass from the scene.

After comparing a thousand years to a passing watch in the night in verse 4, the speaker turns to the short span of human life. Grass growing in the morning gives the picture a fresh beginning, but verse 6 carries it through to evening, when the grass withers.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 90:5

• “flood” — זֶרֶם (zerem): The word can describe a rushing stream or downpour. In this verse, the image suggests a powerful flow that carries people away, rather than a gradual departure.
• “sleep” — שֵׁנָה (shenah): The word means sleep. The comparison can suggest how a stretch of time seems to pass quickly while someone is asleep.

Why Psalms 90:5 matters

• The verse places human life beside God’s lasting existence. The contrast begins earlier, with the words “from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God” in verse 2.
• The grass image includes both growth and loss. Verse 5 speaks of grass growing in the morning, while verse 6 says that by evening it is cut down and withered.
• “Thou carriest them away” is addressed to God. The speaker presents the passing of human lives within a prayer, rather than as an observation about nature alone.