King James Version

Psalms 89:47

Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

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Hebrew

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In the Hebrew text this line is Psalms 89:48.

זְכָרzekharbe maleזָכַרverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “be male”, a commandH2142properly, to mark (so as to be recognized), i.e. to remember; by implication, to mention; to be male[idiom] burn (incense), [idiom] earnestly, be male, (make) mention (of), be mindful, recount, record(-er), remember, make to be remembered, bring (call, come, keep, put) to (in) remembrance, [idiom] still, think on, [idiom] well.אֲנִ֥יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.מֶהmehhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.חָ֑לֶדchaledworldחֶלֶדnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “world”, the ordinary formH2465life (as a fleeting portion of time); hence, the world (as transient)age, short time, world.עַלalaboveעַלpreposition — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…מַהmahhowמָהparticle, interrogative — “how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.שָּׁ֝֗וְאshavefalseשָׁוְאnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “false”, the ordinary formH7723evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, objective; also adverbially, in vain)false(-ly), lie, lying, vain, vanity.בָּרָ֥אתָbaratacreateבָּרָאverb, qal, perfect, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “create”, a completed actionH1254(absolutely) to create; (qualified) to cut down (a wood), select, feed (as formative processes)choose, create (creator), cut down, dispatch, do, make (fat).כָלkhalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).בְּנֵיbenesonבֵּןnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “son”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1121a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)[phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, […אָדָֽםadampersonאָדָםnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “person”, the ordinary formH120ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)[idiom] another, [phrase] hypocrite, [phrase] common sort, [idiom] low, man (mean, of low degree), person.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

(89-48) O remember how short my time is; for what vanity hast Thou created all the children of men!

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Oh remember how short my time is: For what vanity hast thou created all the children of men!

Young’s Literal Translation

Remember, I pray Thee, what [is] life-time? Wherefore in vain hast Thou created All the sons of men?

World English Bible

Remember how short my time is, for what vanity you have created all the children of men!

Darby Translation

Remember, as regards me, what life is. Wherefore hast thou created all the children of men to be vanity?

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

(89-48) O remember how short my time is; for what vanity hast Thou created all the children of men!

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Remember what my being is: for hast thou created all the sons of men in vain?

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Μνήσθητι τίς ἡ ὑπόστασίς μου· μὴ γὰρ ματαίως ἔκτισας πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων;