The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The text emphasizes that even the "strength" of advanced age – those extra years past seventy – are not a prize but a burden of hardship and sorrow. These prolonged years don't just fade slowly; they pass with a swiftness that feels like taking flight, highlighting life's ultimate brevity regardless of its length.
The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm, attributed to Moses, is a somber reflection on the brevity of human life, particularly in contrast to God's eternal nature. Amidst the Israelites' wilderness wandering, Moses laments their diminished lifespan, which now averages seventy or eighty years, a stark decline from earlier generations. He highlights that even these extended years are marked by toil and suffering, concluding that life passes incredibly quickly, like a bird in flight, before inevitably ending.
We often think of life spans as long, but does the Bible agree? What does it mean that our strength is ultimately 'toil and trouble'?
The Psalmist sets a stark limit on human life: seventy years is the norm, and eighty is a rare, robust exception. But this isn't just about numbers; it's about the quality of those years. Even when granted extra strength, that extended life is characterized by "toil and trouble." This isn't a comment on poverty or hardship specifically, but on the inherent weariness, the physical decline, and the increasing proximity to death that mark even the strongest old age. It’s a sober reminder that our physical strength, our greatest earthly assets, are temporary and ultimately insufficient to overcome our mortality.
Life feels like it lasts forever sometimes, then suddenly it's gone. What does the Bible mean when it says we 'fly away'?
The final image of this verse is incredibly vivid: 'we fly away.' This isn't a slow, gradual departure. The original language hints at a swift, almost startling movement, like a bird taking flight. It means our time here is brief and often passes with surprising speed. The years that were marked by toil and trouble are suddenly over, and we find ourselves beyond this earthly existence. This imagery compels us to see life not as a slow journey, but as a rapid ascent towards eternity, urging us to consider where we are flying.
Understand the original words
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amal · Hebrew Noun
Hard, painful labor or exhausting effort. Biblically, it is often associated with the fallen state of humanity and the futility of human striving apart from God's grace.
aven · Hebrew Noun
Affliction, hurt, or misery. It characterizes the fallen human experience as marked by pain and difficulty.
This psalm reflects on the frailty of life, with the context of the Israelites' 40-year judgment in the wilderness providing a stark, real-time example of how quickly life could be cut short, even for God's people.
c. 1446 BC
Exodus from Egypt
The Israelites depart from slavery in Egypt, marking the beginning of their 40-year wilderness journey.
c. 1406 BC— this verse
Wilderness Census and Decree
A census reveals that all Israelites aged 20 and over who left Egypt, except for Caleb and Joshua, perished in the wilderness as God decreed due to their unbelief.
c. 1406 BC
Moses' Psalm of Life's Brevity
Likely written after the decree of death in the wilderness, this psalm reflects on the shortened lifespan of the Israelites and the transient nature of human life.
c. 1366 BC
Conquest of Canaan Begins
Under Joshua's leadership, the Israelites begin the conquest of the Promised Land, having entered it after the 40-year period of judgment.
This passage echoes the sentiment of Psalm 90:10, describing human life as short, fleeting, and full of trouble, like a flower that is quickly cut down.
Ecclesiastes 1:4This verse presents a similar theme of the transient nature of life, stating that generations come and go, emphasizing the quick passage of time in the grand scheme of things.
Genesis 6:3This verse sets a precedent for a shortened human lifespan after the flood, providing historical context to Moses' reflection on the brevity of life in Psalm 90.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus' parable of the rich fool highlights the folly of focusing on material wealth and longevity when life can be cut short unexpectedly, a theme resonant with Psalm 90:10's reminder of life's brevity.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31The Apostle Paul reminds believers that time is short and encourages them to live with urgency and detachment from worldly things, reflecting the spirit of Psalm 90:10's call to recognize life's fleeting nature.
bensonPsalms 90:10: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
Psalm 90:10 . The days of our years — Of the generality of mankind, in that and all following ages, some few persons excepted, are threescore years and ten — Which time the ancient heathen writers also fixed as the usual space of men’s lives. And if by reason of strength — That is, more than or…
ellicottPsalms 90:10: "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
(10) Yet is their strength . . . —The LXX. (and so Vulg.) appear to have had a slightly different reading, which gives much better sense: “Yet their additional years are but labour and sorrow.” The old man has no reason to congratulate himself on passing the ordinary limit, of life. For it is s…
The text emphasizes that even the "strength" of advanced age – those extra years past seventy – are not a prize but a burden of hardship and sorrow. These prolonged years don't just fade slowly; they pass with a swiftness that feels like taking flight, highlighting life's ultimate brevity regardless of its length.
This psalm, attributed to Moses, is a somber reflection on the brevity of human life, particularly in contrast to God's eternal nature. Amidst the Israelites' wilderness wandering, Moses laments their diminished lifespan, which now averages seventy or eighty years, a stark decline from earlier generations. He highlights that even these extended years are marked by toil and suffering, concluding that life passes incredibly quickly, like a bird in flight, before inevitably ending.
This psalm, attributed to Moses, is a somber reflection on the brevity of human life, particularly in contrast to God's eternal nature. Amidst the Israelites' wilderness wandering, Moses laments their diminished lifespan, which now averages seventy or eighty years, a stark decline from earlier generations. He highlights that even these extended years are marked by toil and suffering, concluding that life passes incredibly quickly, like a bird in flight, before inevitably ending.
"The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away." — The text emphasizes that even the "strength" of advanced age – those extra years past seventy – are not a prize but a burden of hardship and sorrow. These prolonged years don't just fade slowly; they…
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Last reviewed October 2026