I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalmist feels utterly unstable, not just fading like an evening shadow, but violently tossed about, like a swarm of locusts agitated by a strong wind. This isn't a peaceful departure; it's a chaotic, helpless scattering that highlights his extreme vulnerability and lack of control.
I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a desperate cry for help against vicious enemies who have falsely accused and attacked the psalmist, leaving him feeling utterly broken and near death. He describes his suffering in vivid imagery, conveying a sense of rapid decline and instability, before turning to plead with God for justice and deliverance. The psalmist’s intense suffering and plea frame this verse as a raw expression of his fragility in the face of relentless persecution.
Ever feel like life is just slipping through your fingers? This verse paints a vivid picture of such a feeling.
The psalmist uses the image of a 'shadow at evening' to describe his own existence. As the sun sets, shadows lengthen and then disappear entirely. This isn't just about being temporary; it's about an imminent vanishing.
The Shadow's Decline
Imagine being utterly at the mercy of uncontrollable forces. This is the second powerful image the psalmist uses.
The second part of the verse compares the psalmist's state to a locust being 'shaken off' or tossed about. This speaks to a life of instability and vulnerability.
The Locust's Agitation
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Understand the original words
tsel · Hebrew Noun
A common biblical motif representing the fleeting, transient, and shadowy nature of human life. It underscores the frailty and brevity of existence before an eternal God.
This verse echoes the imagery of life fading like a shadow, directly linking to the psalmist's feeling of transience and disappearance.
Job 39:20While this verse doesn't use the same imagery, it describes the locust's frantic, almost panicked movement, which parallels the psalmist's sense of being uncontrollably tossed about.
Ecclesiastes 6:12This verse speaks about the fleeting nature of life and the uncertainty of our days, resonating with the psalmist's feeling of existence slipping away like a shadow.
Jeremiah 51:14This passage uses the imagery of a swarm of locusts being shaken off, offering a powerful parallel to the psalmist's feeling of being violently removed or dispersed.
pulpitPsalms 109:23: "I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust."
Verse 23. - I am gone like the shadow when it declineth; rather, lille a shodow (comp. Psalm 102:11). When shadows "decline," they are just about to cease and disappear. I am tossed up and down as the locust; or, "I am carried away" - swept off, i.e., or just ready to be swept off, from the face of the earth (see Exodus 10:19; Joel 2:20; Nahum 3:17).
clarkePsalms 109:23: "I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust."
I am gone like the shadow - "I have walked like the declining shadow," - I have passed my meridian of health and life; and as the sun is going below the horizon, so am I about to go under the earth. I am tossed up and down as the locust - When swarms of locusts take wing, and infest the countries in the east, if the wind happen to blow briskly, the swarms are agitated and driven upon each other,…
The psalmist feels utterly unstable, not just fading like an evening shadow, but violently tossed about, like a swarm of locusts agitated by a strong wind. This isn't a peaceful departure; it's a chaotic, helpless scattering that highlights his extreme vulnerability and lack of control.
This psalm is a desperate cry for help against vicious enemies who have falsely accused and attacked the psalmist, leaving him feeling utterly broken and near death. He describes his suffering in vivid imagery, conveying a sense of rapid decline and instability, before turning to plead with God for justice and deliverance. The psalmist’s intense suffering and plea frame this verse as a raw expression of his fragility in the face of relentless persecution.
This psalm is a desperate cry for help against vicious enemies who have falsely accused and attacked the psalmist, leaving him feeling utterly broken and near death. He describes his suffering in vivid imagery, conveying a sense of rapid decline and instability, before turning to plead with God for justice and deliverance. The psalmist’s intense suffering and plea frame this verse as a raw expression of his fragility in the face of relentless persecution.
"I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust." — The psalmist feels utterly unstable, not just fading like an evening shadow, but violently tossed about, like a swarm of locusts agitated by a strong wind. This isn't a peaceful departure; it's a cha…
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Last reviewed October 2026