Psalm 90

Psalm 90 is the 90th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 89. In Latin, it is known as "Domine refugium tu factus es nobis in generatione et generatione". It is the opening psalm of Book 4 of the psalms. Uniquely among the Psalms, it is attributed to Moses. It is well known for its reference in verse 10 to human life expectancy being 70 or 80 ("threescore years and ten", or "if by reason of strength ... fourscore years", in the King James Version): it is believed that this verse was the influence for the opening words of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic liturgies. It has been set to music, for example by Baroque composers Heinrich Schütz in German. Charles Ives completed a choral setting in 1924.

Hebrew
The following table shows the Hebrew text of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

King James Version

 * 1) Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.
 * 2) Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
 * 3) Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.
 * 4) For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.
 * 5) Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.
 * 6) In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.
 * 7) For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.
 * 8) Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
 * 9) For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
 * 10) The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
 * 11) Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.
 * 12) So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
 * 13) Return, O, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.
 * 14) O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
 * 15) Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil.
 * 16) Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.
 * 17) And let the beauty of the  our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

The extant manuscript of Aq$Taylor$, a translation into Koine Greek made in c. 130 CE, contains verse 17.

Authorship and date
By its header ("A Prayer of Moses, the man of God") this psalm is attributed to Moses. Theologian Albert Barnes notes "its marked unlikeness to the Psalms of David". Commentator C S Rodd suggests it was written later than Moses' era, but even from a biblical literalist perspective one writer warns against assuming with any certainty that this is the oldest psalm, because some psalms are anonymous and so "we don't know who wrote them or when".

The title "the man of God" is given to Moses in in the introduction to the Blessing of Moses. The term also appears in Joshua 14:6 and Ezra 3:2 as a title especially appropriate to him, denoting that he was faithful to God and a man approved by God.

Judaism

 * Psalm 90 is recited during the Pesukei Dezimra during Shabbat, Yom Tov, and - in many communities - on Hoshana Rabbah.
 * It is recited on Shabbat Nachamu (the Shabbat after Tisha B'Av) in some traditions.
 * Verse 17 is recited following Motzei Shabbat Maariv and the first paragraph of the Shema during bedtime prayers.
 * Psalm 90 is one of the ten psalms of the Tikkun HaKlali of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.

New Testament
In the New Testament, verse 4 is quoted in.

Christianity
In the Divine Office of the Roman Catholic Church, Psalm 90 is appointed to be read at Lauds (Morning Prayer) on the Monday of the fourth week of the month.

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the 18th day of the month.

Musical settings
The hymn O God, our help in ages past" is a lyrical version of Psalm 90 written by Isaac Watts.

Heinrich Schütz set the psalm in a metred version in German as part of the Becker Psalter, first published in 1628, "Herr Gott Vater im höchsten Thron", SWV 188.

Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote Lord, thou hast been our refuge, a motet for choir, semi-choir and orchestra (or organ) based on the psalm in 1921. Charles Ives composed a choral setting of the psalm in English, Psalm 90, in 1923/24. Frederic Lord wrote a setting for baritone, choir and orchestra. Herbert Blendinger set verses 1-4 in German, "Herr, du bist unsere Zuflucht für und für", as Psalmgebet, a solo cantata for soprano, trumpet and organ, Op. 82, in 2000.