Psalm 90 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

Psalm 90 is a “wisdom psalm.” It instructs people how to be wise by honoring Yahweh and obeying him. (See the discussion of the types of psalms in the Introduction to Psalms.)This psalm is a poem, the words to a song, and so the ULT sets its lines farther to the right on the page than ordinary text in order to show that they are poetry. 1. God’s eternity and human mortality (1–6) 2. People perish when God punishes them for sin (7–12) 3. A prayer for God’s mercy and favor (13–17)The first part of verse 1, “A prayer of Moses, the man of God,” is the superscription to this psalm. Format it in the way that you have decided to format the other superscriptions in the book of Psalms.

Translation Issues in This Psalm

Singular “you” and “your”

The pronouns “you” and “your” are singular throughout this psalm because Moses is addressing Yahweh directly. So use the singular forms of those pronouns in your translation if your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you.”

Exclusive “we,” “us,” and “our”

The pronouns “we,” “us,” and “our” are exclusive throughout this psalm because Moses is speaking to Yahweh on behalf of the Israelites. So use the exclusive forms of those pronouns in your translation if your language marks that distinction.

Note 1 topic: writing-background

לְ⁠מֹשֶׁ֪ה אִֽישׁ־הָ⁠אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים

(lə⁠mosheh ʼiysh-hā⁠ʼₑlohim)

Here the superscription is providing some background information to remind readers who Moses was. The expression man of God is used to indicate that Moses was associated with God in a special way. Alternate translation: [of Moses, who represented God in his covenant with the Israelites]