Show Me My End
Psalm 39 summary: what it means
Psalm 39 starts with a promise to say nothing. The speaker decides to keep a bridle on his mouth while the wicked are near, and holds his peace even from good. But the silence stirs his sorrow, the fire burns inside him, and he finally speaks. What comes out is not a complaint about enemies but a request: show me my end, and let me know how frail I am. A lifetime is measured in hand widths, and every person is a breath.
The psalm turns in verse 7. If everything is a breath, then the only hope left is God. The speaker asks to be delivered from his transgressions and for the blow of God's hand to be lifted. It ends without praise or resolution, with a plea to be spared so he can recover strength before he is gone.
Psalm 39: Show Me My End
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-39
Psalm 39 commentary: explained verse by verse
I said, “I will watch my ways, so that I don’t sin with my tongue.I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
The psalm opens with a resolution. The speaker will guard his ways and keep a bridle on his mouth, so he does not sin with his tongue while the wicked are in front of him.
Also read James 3:2-8, 1 Kings 2:4, Psalm 73:8-9, Proverbs 4:26-27
I was mute with silence.I held my peace, even from good.My sorrow was stirred.
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
Also read Acts 4:20, Job 32:19-20, Matthew 7:6, Isaiah 53:7
My heart was hot within me.While I meditated, the fire burned.I spoke with my tongue:
My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
Silence does not bring calm. His heart grows hot, the fire burns while he meditates, and in the end he speaks. The verse describes what happens when feelings are held in.
Also read Luke 24:32, Jeremiah 20:9, Ezekiel 3:14
“LORD, show me my end,what is the measure of my days.Let me know how frail I am.
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
The first thing he says is a request about time. He asks God to show him his end and the measure of his days, so that he knows how frail he is.
Also read Job 14:13, Psalm 103:14, Psalm 90:12, Psalm 119:84
Behold, you have made my days hand widths.My lifetime is as nothing before you.Surely every man stands as a breath.” Selah.
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
A lifetime is measured in hand widths and counts as nothing before God. Every person stands as a breath. The King James Version renders the last line "every man at his best state is altogether vanity".
Also read James 4:14, Genesis 47:9, Psalm 144:4, Job 9:25-26
“Surely every man walks like a shadow.Surely they busy themselves in vain.He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
People walk like shadows and keep busy for nothing. They heap up wealth without knowing who will gather it.
Also read Luke 10:40-42, Ecclesiastes 2:17-21, Isaiah 55:2, Ecclesiastes 5:14
Now, Lord, what do I wait for?My hope is in you.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
This is the turning point. If life is only a breath, what is there to wait for? The answer is short: my hope is in you.
Also read Psalm 38:15, Psalm 119:81, Job 13:15, Psalm 119:166
Deliver me from all my transgressions.Don’t make me the reproach of the foolish.
Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
Also read Psalm 119:39, 2 Samuel 16:7-8, Psalm 35:21, Joel 2:17
I was mute.I didn’t open my mouth,because you did it.
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
He returns to silence, but it is a different silence. He is quiet now because God has done this, not because he is holding back his words.
Also read Job 1:21, Psalm 38:13, 1 Samuel 3:18, Job 2:10
Remove your scourge away from me.I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
He asks God to remove the scourge and says he is overcome by the blow of God's hand. The psalm treats his suffering as coming from God, and asks God to stop it.
Also read Job 13:21, Psalm 32:4, Psalm 25:16-17, Job 40:8
When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,you consume his wealth like a moth.Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah.
When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
God's correction consumes a person's wealth the way a moth eats cloth. The verse repeats the line from verse 5: every man is but a breath.
Also read Psalm 38:1-8, Job 13:28, Psalm 90:7-10, Psalm 102:10-11
“Hear my prayer, LORD, and give ear to my cry.Don’t be silent at my tears.For I am a stranger with you,a foreigner, as all my fathers were.
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
He asks God to hear his prayer and not to be silent at his tears. He calls himself a stranger and a foreigner with God, as all his fathers were.
Also read Psalm 102:1, Job 16:20, 2 Samuel 16:12, Psalm 119:54
Oh spare me, that I may recover strength,before I go away and exist no more.”
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
The last verse asks God to spare him, so he can recover strength before he goes away and exists no more. The psalm ends there, without an answer.
Also read Job 7:19, Genesis 42:36, Genesis 5:24, Job 14:5-6
A prayer from Psalm 39
LORD, show me my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how frail I am. You have made my days a few hand widths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Every person is only a breath and walks like a shadow. So what do I wait for, Lord? My hope is in you. Deliver me from all my transgressions. Hear my prayer and give ear to my cry. Do not be silent at my tears, for I am a stranger with you, a foreigner, as all my fathers were. Spare me, so that I may recover strength before I go. Amen.
Psalm 39 Bible study questions
- In verses 1 to 3, what does the speaker try to do with his tongue, and what happens while he stays silent?
- In verses 5, 6 and 11, what pictures does the psalm use to describe how short a human life is?
- Verse 4 asks, let me know how frail I am; why might someone want to know that?
- Verse 12 calls the speaker a stranger and a foreigner with God; what do you make of that description?
- Psalm 90:12 asks God to teach us to count our days; how does it compare with the request in Psalm 39:4?
Questions about Psalm 39
What is the meaning of Psalm 39?
It is the prayer of someone who tried to stay silent in his suffering, then asked God to show him how short life is. It places all hope in God and ends with a plea to be spared.
Who wrote Psalm 39?
The heading attributes it to David and names the Chief Musician and Jeduthun. The text does not say more about Jeduthun.
What does Psalm 39:4 mean?
It asks God to show the speaker his end and the measure of his days, so that he knows how frail he is. It is a request for a true sense of how short life is.
What does Psalm 39:5 say in the King James Version?
"Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah."
What does Psalm 39 say about life?
It says a lifetime is measured in hand widths, that every person is a breath and walks like a shadow, and that people heap up wealth without knowing who will gather it.
Psalm 39 KJV: the King James Version
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.1
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.2
My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,3
LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.4
Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.5
Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.6
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.7
Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.8
I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.9
Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.10
When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.11
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.12
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.13
Psalm 39 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ לידיתון מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד׃
2 אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶֽשְׁמְרָ֣ה דְרָכַי֮ מֵחֲט֪וֹא בִלְשׁ֫וֹנִ֥י אֶשְׁמְרָ֥ה לְפִ֥י מַחְס֑וֹם בְּעֹ֖ד רָשָׁ֣ע לְנֶגְדִּֽי׃
3 נֶאֱלַ֣מְתִּי ד֭וּמִיָּה הֶחֱשֵׁ֣יתִי מִטּ֑וֹב וּכְאֵבִ֥י נֶעְכָּֽר׃
4 חַם־לִבִּ֨י ׀ בְּקִרְבִּ֗י בַּהֲגִיגִ֥י תִבְעַר־אֵ֑שׁ דִּ֝בַּ֗רְתִּי בִּלְשֽׁוֹנִי׃
5 הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה ׀ קִצִּ֗י וּמִדַּ֣ת יָמַ֣י מַה־הִ֑יא אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל אָֽנִי׃
6 הִנֵּ֤ה טְפָח֨וֹת ׀ נָ֘תַ֤תָּה יָמַ֗י וְחֶלְדִּ֣י כְאַ֣יִן נֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ אַ֥ךְ כָּֽל־הֶ֥בֶל כָּל־אָ֝דָ֗ם נִצָּ֥ב סֶֽלָה׃
7 אַךְ־בְּצֶ֤לֶם ׀ יִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־אִ֗ישׁ אַךְ־הֶ֥בֶל יֶהֱמָי֑וּן יִ֝צְבֹּ֗ר וְֽלֹא־יֵדַ֥ע מִי־אֹסְפָֽם׃
8 וְעַתָּ֣ה מַה־קִּוִּ֣יתִי אֲדֹנָ֑י תּ֝וֹחַלְתִּ֗י לְךָ֣ הִֽיא׃
9 מִכָּל־פְּשָׁעַ֥י הַצִּילֵ֑נִי חֶרְפַּ֥ת נָ֝בָ֗ל אַל־תְּשִׂימֵֽנִי׃
10 נֶ֭אֱלַמְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶפְתַּח־פִּ֑י כִּ֖י אַתָּ֣ה עָשִֽׂיתָ׃
11 הָסֵ֣ר מֵעָלַ֣י נִגְעֶ֑ךָ מִתִּגְרַ֥ת יָ֝דְךָ֗ אֲנִ֣י כָלִֽיתִי׃
12 בְּֽתוֹכָ֘ח֤וֹת עַל־עָוֺ֨ן ׀ יִסַּ֬רְתָּ אִ֗ישׁ וַתֶּ֣מֶס כָּעָ֣שׁ חֲמוּד֑וֹ אַ֤ךְ הֶ֖בֶל כָּל־אָדָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃
13 שִֽׁמְעָ֥ה־תְפִלָּתִ֨י ׀ יְהוָ֡ה וְשַׁוְעָתִ֨י ׀ הַאֲזִינָה֮ אֶֽל־דִּמְעָתִ֗י אַֽל־תֶּ֫חֱרַ֥שׁ כִּ֤י גֵ֣ר אָנֹכִ֣י עִמָּ֑ךְ תּ֝וֹשָׁ֗ב כְּכָל־אֲבוֹתָֽי׃
14 הָשַׁ֣ע מִמֶּ֣נִּי וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֵלֵ֣ךְ וְאֵינֶֽנִּי׃
Psalm 39 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 38 there.
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1 Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.
2 I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.
3 I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed.
4 My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.
5 I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.
6 Behold thou hast made my days measurable: and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living.
7 Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.
8 And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.
9 Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.
10 I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.
11 Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:
12 Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.
13 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be not silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.
14 O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.
Psalm 39 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 38.
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1 In finem, ipsi Idithun. Canticum David.
2 Dixi: Custodiam vias meas: ut non delinquam in lingua mea. Posui ori meo custodiam, cum consisteret peccator adversum me.
3 Obmutui, et humiliatus sum, et silui a bonis; et dolor meus renovatus est.
4 Concaluit cor meum intra me; et in meditatione mea exardescet ignis.
5 Locutus sum in lingua mea: Notum fac mihi, Domine, finem meum, et numerum dierum meorum quis est, ut sciam quid desit mihi.
6 Ecce mensurabiles posuisti dies meos, et substantia mea tamquam nihilum ante te. Verumtamen universa vanitas, omnis homo vivens.
7 Verumtamen in imagine pertransit homo; sed et frustra conturbatur: thesaurizat, et ignorat cui congregabit ea.
8 Et nunc quæ est exspectatio mea: nonne Dominus? et substantia mea apud te est.
9 Ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis erue me: opprobrium insipienti dedisti me.
10 Obmutui, et non aperui os meum, quoniam tu fecisti;
11 amove a me plagas tuas.
12 A fortitudine manus tuæ ego defeci in increpationibus: propter iniquitatem corripuisti hominem. Et tabescere fecisti sicut araneam animam ejus: verumtamen vane conturbatur omnis homo.
13 Exaudi orationem meam, Domine, et deprecationem meam; auribus percipe lacrimas meas. Ne sileas, quoniam advena ego sum apud te, et peregrinus sicut omnes patres mei.
14 Remitte mihi, ut refrigerer priusquam abeam et amplius non ero.
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Psalm 39 at a glance
| Verses | 13 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. For Jeduthun. A Psalm by David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David and names the Chief Musician and Jeduthun, but it does not say who Jeduthun was. |
| Type | Lament and Prayer |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 38 |
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Psalm 39 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 39 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 39 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 1 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source