Psalms 90:5-6
You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
While the verse uses beautiful imagery of floods and grass, its core message isn't just about life's brevity, but about our insignificance in God's grand, unstoppable timeline. We're like dreams or morning grass, here one moment and swept away by His power, completely unnoticed in the vastness of His eternal perspective.
The psalm begins by reflecting on the fleeting nature of human life, contrasting it with God's eternal perspective. This verse expands on that theme, vividly illustrating how quickly generations are swept away, much like a destructive flood, and how their existence often feels as insubstantial and brief as a dream or the ephemeral life of grass that springs up and then quickly withers. The verses that follow will continue to emphasize this transience, connecting it to God's judgment and human sinfulness.
Ever feel like life just sweeps you away? The Psalmist uses a powerful image to describe how our lives are carried off, often without us even realizing it.
The verse paints a vivid picture of human life being taken away "as with a flood." This isn't just a gentle stream; it's an overwhelming, unexpected force.
The Flood Metaphor
This image calls us to recognize the fragility of our existence and the limited time we have.
We spend so much time living, planning, and striving. But what if our lives are more like a dream than we realize?
The Psalmist compares human life to a "dream." This comparison highlights several key aspects of our earthly experience:
Life as a Fleeting Dream
Understand the original words
zerem · Hebrew Noun
A natural occurrence of overwhelming power; often used in the Bible as a symbol of divine judgment, destruction, or the sudden, irresistible sweeping away of humanity.
shenah · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for the transient, unsubstantial, and quickly passing nature of human life, which appears real but vanishes rapidly from the consciousness of time.
chatsir · Hebrew Noun
Vegetation that grows rapidly but withers quickly in the heat; a common biblical metaphor for the fragility, brevity, and mortality of human life.
This passage echoes the sentiment of Psalms 90:5 by emphasizing the brevity and fragility of human life, comparing humans to a flower that quickly fades and passes away.
Isaiah 40:6-8Similar to the imagery of grass, this passage highlights the temporary nature of human glory and strength, contrasting it with the enduring word of God.
1 Peter 1:24-25This New Testament passage directly quotes Isaiah 40:6-8, reinforcing the idea that human life, like grass, is fleeting, and urging believers to focus on the eternal word of God.
James 4:14This verse offers a stark parallel by describing human life as a 'mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes,' capturing the same sense of transience and unreliability found in the 'dream' and 'grass' imagery of Psalms 90:5.
bensonPsalms 90:5: "Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up."
Psalm 90:5-6 . Thou carriest them away — Namely, mankind, of whom he spake Psalm 90:3 . As with a flood — Unexpectedly, violently, and irresistibly. They are as a sleep — Short and vain as sleep is, and not minded till it be past. Or, like a dream, when a man sleepeth, wherein there may be some real pleasure, but never any satisfaction; or some real trouble, but neve…
ellicottPsalms 90:5: "Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up."
(5, 6) The following is suggested as the most satisfactory rendering of these verses: Time (literally, a year; but the root-idea is the repetition or change of the seasons ) carries them away with its flood; they are in the morning like grass sprouting; in the morning it flourishes and sprouts, in the evening it is cut down and withered. This is obtained by taking th…
While the verse uses beautiful imagery of floods and grass, its core message isn't just about life's brevity, but about our insignificance in God's grand, unstoppable timeline. We're like dreams or morning grass, here one moment and swept away by His power, completely unnoticed in the vastness of His eternal perspective.
The psalm begins by reflecting on the fleeting nature of human life, contrasting it with God's eternal perspective. This verse expands on that theme, vividly illustrating how quickly generations are swept away, much like a destructive flood, and how their existence often feels as insubstantial and brief as a dream or the ephemeral life of grass that springs up and then quickly withers. The verses that follow will continue to emphasize this transience, connecting it to God's judgment and human sinfulness.
The psalm begins by reflecting on the fleeting nature of human life, contrasting it with God's eternal perspective. This verse expands on that theme, vividly illustrating how quickly generations are swept away, much like a destructive flood, and how their existence often feels as insubstantial and brief as a dream or the ephemeral life of grass that springs up and then quickly withers. The verses that follow will continue to emphasize this transience, connecting it to God's judgment and human sinfulness.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Psalms 90:5-6 is available in the Sola app.
The verse offers one last, powerful image: morning grass. It’s beautiful, vibrant, and yet… incredibly temporary. What does this teach us about our own growth and decline?
The comparison of human life to "grass that is renewed in the morning" is a poignant illustration of our life cycle.
The Ephemeral Nature of Growth
"You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers." — While the verse uses beautiful imagery of floods and grass, its core message isn't just about life's brevity, but about our insignificance in God's grand, unstoppable timeline. We're like dreams or…
