The Meaning of the Request in Psalm 39:5

Introduction

The Masoretic Text of Psalm 39:5 reads as follows:

הוֹדִ֘יעֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה ׀ קִצִּ֗י

וּמִדַּ֣ת יָמַ֣י מַה־הִ֑יא

אֵ֝דְעָ֗ה מֶה־חָדֵ֥ל אָֽנִי׃

The ESV represents a typical modern translation of this verse:

• O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! (ESV)

Nevertheless, the sense of these phrases – "my end" and "the measure of my days" – can be understood in different ways. They could refer to either of the following:

1. the length of the psalmist's life, or
2. the length of the psalmist's suffering.

While a number of translations make the "life" interpretation explicit, none of those consulted explicitly communicate the length of the psalmist's suffering, though this has been argued in the secondary literature. We consider the merits of both views in the following argument maps.

Argument Maps

End of life (preferred)

The first view is that the phrases "my end" and "the measure of my days" refer to the end of the psalmist's life. This view is explicit in a number of modern translations: "Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is" (NIV).

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[End of life]: The phrases "my end" and "the measure of my days" refer to the end of the psalmist's life (Malbim :C:; Delitzsch 1871, 29 :C:; Briggs & Briggs 1906, 346 :C:; Ḥakham 1979, 224 :C:; Crenshaw 2012, 182 :A:).
 + <Biblical worldview>: That God knows and decrees the number of our days is clear from other passages of Scripture.
  + [Biblical worldview]: See, e.g., "all the days (יָמִ֥ים) ordained for me were written in your book" (Ps 139:16, NIV); "Since his days (יָמָ֗יו) are determined, and the number of his months (מִֽסְפַּר־חֳדָשָׁ֥יו) is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass" (Job 14:5, ESV).
 + <Psalm 39:5c>: The clear reference to the brevity of the psalmist’s life in the third clause (v. 5c) disambiguates the phrases in the first two clauses (v. 5ab).
  + [Psalm 39:5c]: "let me know how fleeting (חָדֵ֥ל) I am!" (ESV).
  + <Syntax I>: Psalm 39:5b is best read as a parenthetical clause (see Atkinson 2025 :A:), so vv. 5a and 5c correspond semantically with their ידע verbs (Saadia, 119 :C:; Hitzig 1863, 220 :C:) and must be thematically parallel.
  + <Syntax II>: A number of manuscripts contain a ''waw'' conjunction, to create a ''weyiqtol'' verb form ואדעה, best read as result or purpose: "so that I will know how short-lived I am" (CSB); cf. the purposes clauses in the LXX, Jerome and Peshitta.
 - <Co-text>: This reading does not provide "a logical transition to vv. 6-7, where the psalmist is already conscious of the transience of his life" (Clifford 2000, 60–61 :A:; cf. Ramond 2017, 492 :A:).#dispreferred
  - <Resolve>: "More likely the suppliant is asking not for information but for the willingness to live with the facts" (Goldingay 2006, 557 :C:).
  - <Rhetoric>: "These questions are rhetorical in nature, since he already knows that his lifetime is as nothing before Yahweh, that every human is a mere breath (39:6)" (Botha 2017, 253 :A:).
  - <General request>: The questions of Psalm 39:5a-b communicate a general request to understand mortality, not his own length of days specifically (Saadia, 119 :C:; Kirkpatrick 1897, 204 :C:; Cohen-Tzemach 1996, 174 :C:).
  - <Complaint>: The questions of psalm 39:5a-b communicate a complaint (Ḥakham 1979, 224 :C:) or resignation (Böhler 2021, 713 :C:) concerning mortality generally.
  - <Thematic tension>: Such thematic shifts and tensions fit "the tenor of the psalm as a whole, which includes several such reversals (cf. vv. 7–8)" (Kynes 2012, 129; cf. Crenshaw 2012, 184); cf. vv. 13–14.
 - <Context>: "it is not clear why knowing one's life span makes it easier to bear suffering"
(Clifford 2000, 60 :A:).#dispreferred
  - <Intended perlocution>: Psalmists can employ "the depiction of human transience and fragility to win divine favor (vv. 6-7)" (Clifford 2000, 63 :A:).
   + [Intended perlocution]: Compare, for example, "Remember, Lord, what a lifespan is, for what futility you created all people! What person can live and not see death, can rescue his life from the power of Sheol? Selah. Where are your former acts of loyalty, Lord...?" (Ps 89:47–49a, CBC).
   <_ <Speech act>: "A major difference ... is ... the sufferers tell\[ing\] God of their misery, whereas \[here\] they ask God to tell them the time period" (Clifford 2000, 63 :A:).#dispreferred
 + <Intertextuality with Job>: There are a number of intertextual connections between Job and Psalm 39 (see, especially Kynes 2012, 123–125 :M:). The discourse themes discussed in the relevant Job passages speak of the end of life, rather than the end of suffering.
  + [Intertextuality with Job]: Compare "Are not my days few (הֲלֹא־מְעַ֣ט יָמַ֣י)? Then cease (וַחֲדָ֑ל; cf. Ps 39:5), and leave me alone (מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי), that I may find a little cheer (וְאַבְלִ֥יגָה) before I go (בְּטֶ֣רֶם אֵ֭לֵךְ)—and I shall not return— to the land of darkness and deep shadow" (Job 10:20–21, ESV) and Psalm 39:14: "Look away from me (מִמֶּ֣נִּי) so that I may recover (וְאַבְלִ֑יגָה), before I pass away (בְּטֶ֖רֶם אֵלֵ֣ךְ) and am no more" (CBC).
 + <Lexeme קֵץ>: Elsewhere in the Bible, קֵץ often means "end of life."
  + [Lexeme קֵץ]: "your end (קִצֵּ֖ךְ) has come; the thread of your life is cut" (Jer 51:13, ESV); "our end (קִצֵּ֛ינוּ) drew near; our days were numbered, for our end (קִצֵּֽינוּ) had come" (Lam 4:18, ESV).

End of suffering

Some scholars argue that the phrases "my end" and "the measure of my days" refer to the end of the psalmist's allotted period of suffering.

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[End of suffering]: The phrases "my end" and "the measure of my days" refer to the end of the psalmist's suffering (Clifford 2000 :A:; Jacobson & Tanner 2014, 365 :C:).#dispreferred
 + <Psalm 39:5c>: The clear reference to how the psalmist’s suffering will end in the third clause (v. 5c) disambiguates the phrases in the first two clauses (v. 5ab).#dispreferred
  + [Psalm 39:5c]: "May I know how I will cease (חָדֵ֥ל) \[from my affliction\]!" (Clifford 2000, 62 :A:). #dispreferred
   - <מָה>: This interpretation requires an interrogative "how" reading of מָה, which is implausible in the context. Rather, immediately preceding an adjective, exclamative מָה is a much more plausible interpretation.
  + <Sense of חדל>: As is clear from Isaiah 53:3 (see the lexical note), the word חדל more clearly means "ceasing" (Ramond 2017, 493 :A:), to which one should supply "ceasing \[from suffering\]" (Clifford 2000, 60 :A:), rather than "ceasing \[from existence\].#dispreferred
   + [Isaiah 53:3]: נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים "He was despised and \[ceased by ➞\] rejected by men" (ESV). #dispreferred
   - <מָה>: This interpretation requires an interrogative "how" reading of מָה, which is implausible in the context. Rather, immediately preceding an adjective, exclamative מָה is a much more plausible interpretation.
  + <Syntax I>: Psalm 39:5b is best read as a parenthetical clause (see Atkinson 2025 :A:), so vv. 5a and 5c correspond semantically with their ידע verbs (Saadia, 119 :C:; Hitzig 1863, 220 :C:) and must be thematically parallel.#dispreferred
  + <Syntax II>: A number of manuscripts contain a ''waw'' conjunction, to create a ''weyiqtol'' verb form ואדעה, best read as result or purpose: "so that I will know how short-lived I am" (CSB); cf. the purposes clauses in the LXX, Jerome and Peshitta.#dispreferred
 - <Lament formulae>: If suffering were in view, one would expect a "How long...?" phrase such as עַד מָתַי (Ps 6:4) or עַד אָנָה (Ps 13:2–3) (Crenshaw 2012, 182 :A:).
 + <Intertextuality with Job>: There are a number of intertextual connections between Job and Psalm 39, Job 6:11 and Psalm 39:5 being the only two verses in the Bible with a first-person suffixed form of קֵץ (Kynes 2012, 131 :M:). The discourse themes discussed in the relevant Job passages speak of the end of suffering, rather than the end of life (Hengstenberg 1863, 2:57 :C:).#dispreferred
  + [Intertextuality with Job]: See, e.g., Job 6:11: "What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end (קִּ֝צִּ֗י), that I should be patient? (ESV).#dispreferred
  <_ <Other suffixes>: There are other suffixed forms of קֵץ in the Bible, which also refer to death.
   + [Other suffixes]: "your end (קִצֵּ֖ךְ) has come; the thread of your life is cut" (Jer 51:13, ESV);  "our end (קִצֵּ֛ינוּ) drew near; our days were numbered, for our end (קִצֵּֽינוּ) had come" (Lam 4:18, ESV).
  <_ <Other intertextuality>: The intertextual connections with Job 10:20–21, concerning the end of life (see the previous argument map), are much more compelling than those with Job 6:11.
  - <Reference to death>: "Job’s plea \[in Job 6:11\] is for immediate death. He has no strength to wait" (Clines 1989, 175 :C:).
 + <Biblical worldview>: That God knows and decrees the allotted period of his discipline is clear from other passages of Scripture. #dispreferred
  + [Biblical worldview]: See, e.g., "the seventy years of Babylonian rule predicted by Jeremiah (25:11,12; 29:10) and the prophet Gad's allowing David to choose as punishment three years of famine or three months of fleeing enemies or three days of pestilence (2 Sam 24:13)" (Clifford 2000, 61 :A:; cf. Jacobson & Tanner 2014, 365 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Parallel passage>: The requests in the present verse contain strong parallels with Psalm 90:12, which, in context, must refer to the end of suffering. #dispreferred
  + [Psalm 90:11–13]: "Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number our days (לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֭מֵינוּ כֵּ֣ן הוֹדַ֑ע) that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants!" (ESV).#dispreferred
  - <"Number our days">: It is impossible to "number one's days" without knowing what that number is. In contrast, the average number of days is explicitly provided in v. 10.
   + [Psalm 90:10]: "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" (ESV).
  + <Lexical correspondence>: The phrase "number days" (לִמְנוֹת יָמִים) is near-synonymous with "count days" (לְסַפֵּר יָמִים), the latter of which refers to counting predetermined periods.#dispreferred
   + [Lexical correspondence]: See, e.g., 1 Kings 3:8: "too many to be numbered or counted for multitude (לֹֽא־יִמָּנֶ֛ה וְלֹ֥א יִסָּפֵ֖ר מֵרֹֽב)" (ESV); 1 Kings 8:5: "they could not be counted or numbered (לֹֽא־יִסָּפְר֛וּ וְלֹ֥א יִמָּנ֖וּ מֵרֹֽב)" (ESV).#dispreferred
   + ["To count days"]: See, e.g., "After he has become clean, they shall count seven days (שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים יִסְפְּרוּ) for him" (Ezek 44:26, ESV).#dispreferred
   <_ <"Counting days of life">: The number of days of one's life, often referred to as מִסְפַּר, is also predetermined by God.           
    + ["Counting days of life"]: See, e.g., Job 14:5: "Since his days (יָמָ֗יו) are determined, and the number of his months (מִֽסְפַּר־חֳדָשָׁ֥יו) is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass" (ESV).

Conclusion (B)

While some scholars have argued for a combination of the two interpretations suggested here, or a polysemous reference to both the end of suffering and the end of death as simultaneous, we agree with Ramond, that "the interpretation of this line as the desire to know how to finish one's tribulation has no real textual basis." This position is argued most fully by Clifford, who maintains that the requests in this verse "are requests to know the end of the period of wrath in order that an individual ... might submit in faith to the divine chastisement while preserving a lively hope in God." Nevertheless, support for this claim ultimately falls short, as shown in the argument map above.

On the other hand, the intention of Psalm 39:5a-b is illuminated by Psalm 39:5c, in which the sense of חָדֵל is more plausibly understood as ceasing [to be], that is, dying. The function of the word "end" (קֵץ) elsewhere supports this interpretation, as do the strong intertextual connections with Job 10:20–21. Perhaps the strongest objection to the "end of life" interpretation is that the psalmist claims to know just how brief his life is in the very next verse (v. 6). Nevertheless, besides a number of rhetorical or speech act motivations that have been suggested, Psalm 39 is particularly characterized by its thematic tension and abrupt shifts from one speech act and emotional tenor to another, as seen most transparently throughout vv. 7–10 and 13–14. In conclusion, we prefer the interpretation made explicit by a number of translations—namely, that the psalmist is requesting insight and awareness of the brevity of his life.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: Γνώρισόν μοι, κύριε, τὸ πέρας μου καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἡμερῶν μου, τίς ἐστιν, ἵνα γνῶ τί ὑστερῶ ἐγώ.
  • "Make known to me, Lord, my end, and the number of my days—what it is—that I may know what I lack."
• Iuxta Hebraeos: ostende mihi Domine finem meum et mensuram dierum meorum quae sit ut sciam quid mihi desit
  • "Show me, Lord, my end, and the measure of my days, what is it, so that I will know what is lacking for me."
• Peshitta: ܘܚܘܝܢܝ ܡܪܝܐ ܚܪܬܝ ܘܡܫܘܚܬܐ ܕܝܘܡ̈ܝ ܡܢܐ ܗܝ ܕܐܕܥ ܠܡܢܐ ܦܐܫ ܐܢܐ
  • "Show me my end, O Lord, and the measure of my days, what it is, so that I may understand why I remain."
• Targum: אודע לי אורח סופי ומישחתא דיומי מנא אינון אידע אימתי אפסוק מן עלמא׃
  • "Lord, make known to me my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know when I shall cease from the world."

Modern

Explicitly "life"

• O Lord, help me understand my mortality and the brevity of life. Let me realize how quickly my life will pass. (NET)
• Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. (NIV)
• Lord, how long will I live? When will I die? Tell me how soon my life will end. (GNT)
• Señor, hazme saber qué fin tendré y cuánto tiempo voy a vivir, para que comprenda cuán breve es mi vida. (DHH)
• Señor, hazme saber qué fin tendré, y cuánto tiempo me queda de vida. ¡Quiero saber cuán frágil soy! (RVC)
• Eternel, fais-moi connaître quand finira ma vie, quel est le nombre de mes jours, afin que je sache combien je suis peu de chose. (SG21; cf. NFC, PDV)

Secondary Literature

Atkinson, Ian. 2025. "Parentheticals in Biblical Hebrew Prophetic and Poetic Literature," in Vetus Testamentum.

Böhler, Dieter. 2021. Psalmen 1–50. Freiburg, Basel, Wien: Herder Verlag.

Botha, Phil. 2017. "Psalm 39 and its Place in the Development of a Doctrine of Retribution in the Hebrew Bible," OTE 30.2: 240–264.

Briggs, Charles A. & Briggs, Emilie G. 1906. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. Volume 1. New York, NY: C. Scribner’s Sons.

Clifford, Richard, J. 2000. "What does the Psalmist ask for in Psalms 39:5 and 90:12?" Journal of Biblical Literature 119.1: 59–66.

Clines, David J. A. 1989. Job 1–20. Dallas: Word Incorporated.

Cohen-Tzemach, David. 1996. "Chapter 39" (in Hebrew). Pages 172–175 in Psalms: Volume 1. Olam HaTaNaKh. Tel Aviv: דודזון–עתי.

Crenshaw, James L. 2012. "The Journey from Voluntary to Obligatory Silence (Reflections on Psalm 39 and Qoheleth)." Pages 177–191 in Focusing Biblical Studies: The Crucial Nature of the Persian and Hellenistic Periods. Essays in Honor of Douglas A. Knight. Edited by Jon L. Berquist & Alice Hunt. New York, NY: Bloomsbury.

Delitzsch, Franz. 1871. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms: Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T&T Clark.

Goldingay John. 2006. Psalms 1–41. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Ḥakham, Amos. 1979. The Book of Psalms: Books 1–2 (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.

Hengstenberg, E. W. 1863. Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2. T&T Clark: Edinburgh.

Hitzig, Ferdinand. 1863. Die Psalmen: übersetzt und ausgelegt. Erster Band. Leipzig und Heidelberg: C. F. Winterische Verlagshandlung.

Jacobson, Rolf A. & Tanner, Beth. 2014. “Book One of the Psalter: Psalms 1–41,” in The Book of Psalms (NICOT). Grand Rapids, MI; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Kirkpatrick, Alexander, F. 1897. The Book of Psalms with Introduction and Notes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kynes, Will. 2012. My Psalm Has Turned into Weeping: Job's Dialogue with the Psalms. Berlin: De Gruyter.

Malbim. Malbim on Psalms.

Radak. Radak on Psalms.

Ramond, Sophie. 2017. "L’expérience du Temps Éprouvé et le Registre Sapientiel du Psaume 39," Revue Biblique 124.4: 490–506.

Saadia = Qafaḥ, Yosef. 1965. The Psalms with Translation and Commentary of Saadia Gaon (in Hebrew). Jerusalem: The American Academy for Jewish Research.

References

39:5