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Psalm 89:46-48
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 89:46-48
New Catholic Bible
46 You have curtailed the time of his youth[a]
and enveloped him in shame. Selah
47 [b]How long, O Lord? Will you remain hidden forever?
How long[c] will your wrath blaze like a fire?
48 Remember how brief is my span of life
and how weak you have made all mortals.
Footnotes
- Psalm 89:46 Curtailed the time of his youth: the Israelite royalty enjoyed only four and a half centuries of independence: this was the time of its youth (see Ps 129:1) after its birth in the wilderness (see Isa 46:3; Jer 2:2; Hos 11:1).
- Psalm 89:47 The psalmist agonizes over the sad state of affairs in his day and puts questions to the Lord. At the same time, he prays to God to remember that his people are weak and ephemeral. If the Lord continues to hide his face, the people may lapse into despair. Hence, the Lord should renew his kindness during the psalmist’s lifetime. For the people are perishing, the anointed one is mocked, and the acts of God’s kindness that he promised to David are not forthcoming. The psalmist prays that such acts will return once again.
- Psalm 89:47 To give himself hope, the psalmist begs God not to let him die without having assisted at the renewal of the covenant. How long . . . ?: see note on Ps 6:4.
