God & Savior

Psalm 90:12

So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
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Study notes

The psalmist asks God to teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Explanation

Psalm 90 reflects on how short human life is compared with God's eternity (90:2-10). Learning to "number our days" means living with that in mind, which leads to wisdom.

Original language
  • לִמְנ֣וֹת (lim.Not): to count
    Hebrew · Preposition + Verb, qal, infinitive construct, common · Strong's H4487 · text: Leningrad Codex (as recorded in TAHOT)

    To count, number.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAHOT: Translators Amalgamated Hebrew Old Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Psalm 90:12, word 1

  • יָ֭מֵינוּ (Ya.mei.nu): day
    Hebrew · Noun, masculine, plural, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 1st person, both genders, plural · Strong's H3117G · text: Leningrad Codex (as recorded in TAHOT)

    Days.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAHOT: Translators Amalgamated Hebrew Old Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Psalm 90:12, word 2

  • הוֹדַ֑ע (ho.Da'): to know
    Hebrew · Verb, hiphil, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular · Strong's H3045 · text: Leningrad Codex (as recorded in TAHOT)

    Teach.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAHOT: Translators Amalgamated Hebrew Old Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Psalm 90:12, word 4

  • חָכְמָֽה (chokh.mah): wisdom
    Hebrew · Noun, feminine, singular, absolute · Strong's H2451 · text: Leningrad Codex (as recorded in TAHOT)

    Wisdom.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAHOT: Translators Amalgamated Hebrew Old Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, Psalm 90:12, word 7

Cross-references
  • Psalm 39:4 · Same theme

    Show me, O LORD, the measure of my days.

  • Ephesians 5:15-16 · Same theme

    Make the most of every opportunity.

  • James 4:14 · Same theme

    What is your life? You are a mist.

Sources

Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Hebrew)

לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֭מֵינוּ כֵּ֣ן הוֹדַ֑ע וְ֝נָבִ֗א לְבַ֣ב חָכְמָֽה׃

  1. לִמְנ֣וֹתlim.Not“to count”
    Preposition + Verb, qal, infinitive construct, common · from מָנָה · “to count” · Strong's H4487
  2. יָ֭מֵינוּYa.mei.nu“days our”
    Noun, masculine, plural, construct + Suffix, pronominal, 1st person, both genders, plural · from יוֹם · “day” · Strong's H3117G
  3. כֵּ֣ןken“thus”
    Adverb · from כֵּן · “so” · Strong's H3651C
  4. הוֹדַ֑עho.Da'“teach [us]”
    Verb, hiphil, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular · from יָדַע · “to know” · Strong's H3045
  5. וְ֝נָבִ֗אve.na.Vi'“so we may bring”
    Conjunction + Verb, hiphil, 1st person, common, plural · from בּוֹא · “bring” · Strong's H0935P
  6. לְבַ֣בle.Vav“a heart of”
    Noun, masculine, singular, construct · from לֵבָב · “heart” · Strong's H3824
  7. חָכְמָֽה׃chokh.mah“wisdom”
    Noun, feminine, singular, absolute · from חׇכְמָה · “wisdom” · Strong's H2451
  • Prepared by the God & Savior team. Not yet reviewed by an editor.
  • Hebrew and Aramaic words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)