(א) תְּפִלָּה֮ לְמֹשֶׁ֢ה אִֽישׁ־הָאֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים
אֲֽדֹנָ֗י מָע֣וֹן אַ֭תָּה הָיִ֥יתָ לָּ֗נוּ בְּדֹ֣ר וָדֹֽר׃
(ב) בְּטֶ֤רֶם ׀ הָ֘רִ֤ים יֻלָּ֗דוּ וַתְּח֣וֹלֵֽל אֶ֣רֶץ וְתֵבֵ֑ל וּֽמֵעוֹלָ֥ם עַד־ע֝וֹלָ֗ם אַתָּ֥ה אֵֽל׃
(ג) תָּשֵׁ֣ב אֱ֭נוֹשׁ עַד־דַּכָּ֑א וַ֝תֹּ֗אמֶר שׁ֣וּבוּ בְנֵֽי־אָדָֽם׃
(ד) כִּ֤י אֶ֪לֶף שָׁנִ֡ים בְּֽעֵינֶ֗יךָ כְּי֣וֹם אֶ֭תְמוֹל כִּ֣י יַֽעֲבֹ֑ר וְאַשְׁמוּרָ֥ה בַלָּֽיְלָה׃
(ה) זְ֭רַמְתָּם שֵׁנָ֣ה יִהְי֑וּ בַּ֝בֹּ֗קֶר כֶּחָצִ֥יר יַחֲלֹֽף׃ (ו) בַּ֭בֹּקֶר יָצִ֣יץ וְחָלָ֑ף לָ֝עֶ֗רֶב יְמוֹלֵ֥ל וְיָבֵֽשׁ׃
ז) כִּֽי־כָלִ֥ינוּ בְאַפֶּ֑ךָ וּֽבַחֲמָתְךָ֥ נִבְהָֽלְנוּ׃
(ח) שַׁתָּ֣ עֲוֺנֹתֵ֣ינוּ לְנֶגְדֶּ֑ךָ עֲ֝לֻמֵ֗נוּ לִמְא֥וֹר פָּנֶֽיךָ׃
(ט) כִּ֣י כׇל־יָ֭מֵינוּ פָּנ֣וּ בְעֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ כִּלִּ֖ינוּ שָׁנֵ֣ינוּ כְמוֹ־הֶֽגֶה׃
(י) יְמֵֽי־שְׁנוֹתֵ֨ינוּ בָהֶ֥ם שִׁבְעִ֪ים שָׁנָ֡ה וְאִ֤ם בִּגְבוּרֹ֨ת ׀ שְׁמ֘וֹנִ֤ים שָׁנָ֗ה וְ֭רׇהְבָּם עָמָ֣ל וָאָ֑וֶן כִּי־גָ֥ז חִ֝֗ישׁ וַנָּעֻֽפָה׃
(יא) מִֽי־י֭וֹדֵעַ עֹ֣ז אַפֶּ֑ךָ וּ֝כְיִרְאָתְךָ֗ עֶבְרָתֶֽךָ׃
יב) לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֭מֵינוּ כֵּ֣ן הוֹדַ֑ע וְ֝נָבִ֗א לְבַ֣ב חׇכְמָֽה׃
(יג) שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הֹוָה עַד־מָתָ֑י וְ֝הִנָּחֵ֗ם עַל־עֲבָדֶֽיךָ׃
(יד) שַׂבְּעֵ֣נוּ בַבֹּ֣קֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וּֽנְרַנְּנָ֥ה וְ֝נִשְׂמְחָ֗ה בְּכׇל־יָמֵֽינוּ׃
(טו) שַׂ֭מְּחֵנוּ כִּימ֣וֹת עִנִּיתָ֑נוּ שְׁ֝נ֗וֹת רָאִ֥ינוּ רָעָֽה׃
(טז) יֵרָאֶ֣ה אֶל־עֲבָדֶ֣יךָ פׇעֳלֶ֑ךָ וַ֝הֲדָרְךָ֗ עַל־בְּנֵיהֶֽם׃
(יז) וִיהִ֤י ׀ נֹ֤עַם אֲדֹנָ֥י אֱלֹהֵ֗ינוּ עָ֫לֵ֥ינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָ֭דֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָ֥ה עָלֵ֑ינוּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָ֝דֵ֗ינוּ וֹנְנֵֽהוּ׃ {פ}
(1) A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
O Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation.
(2) Before the mountains came into being,
before You brought forth the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity You are God.
(3) You return man to dust;aOr “contrition.”
You decreed, “Return you mortals!”
(4) bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that has passed, like a watch of the night.
(5) You engulf men in sleep;-b
at daybreak they are like grass that renews itself;
(6) at daybreak it flourishes anew;
by dusk it withers and dries up.
.............................................................................
(7) So we are consumed by Your anger,
terror-struck by Your fury.
(8) You have set our iniquities before You,
our hidden sins in the light of Your face.
(9) All our days pass away in Your wrath;
we spend our years like a sigh.
(10) The span of our life is seventy years,
or, given the strength, eighty years;
but the bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.best of them-b are trouble and sorrow.
They pass by speedily, and we cOr “fly away.”are in darkness.-c
(11) Who can know Your furious anger?
Your wrath matches the fear of You.
...........................................................................
(12) Teach us to count our days rightly,
that we may obtain a wise heart.
(13) Turn, O LORD! How long? Show mercy to Your servants.
(14) Satisfy us at daybreak with Your steadfast love that we may sing for joy all our days. (15) Give us joy for as long as You have afflicted us, for the years we have suffered misfortune.
(16) Let Your deeds be seen by Your servants,
Your glory by their children. (17) May the favor of the Lord, our God, be upon us;
let the work of our hands prosper,
O prosper the work of our hands!
Radak (Narbonne, Provence; 1160-1235) to 1:1: "David found this prayer already composed and it was accepted as being composed by Moshe Rabeinu, so he [David] wrote it [i.e., included it] in is his book. The Gaon Rav Saadia explained that "of Moshe" is to be understood as meaning "to the descendents of Moshe...who were the Levites who sang in the Holy Temple."
Professor Yair Hoffman (TAU): The psalm contains three parts:
1b - 6: contrast between divine and mortal time (as expressed by the terms used);
7 - ll: man, due to his brief lifespan, fears death and divine punishment by the God of eternity;
12 - 17: concluding petition that God will have compassion for his servants and grant them joy in whatever their lifespan may be.
Moshe at prayer in Humash:
(יא) וַיְחַ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וַיֹּ֗אמֶר
לָמָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ יֶחֱרֶ֤ה אַפְּךָ֙ בְּעַמֶּ֔ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵ֙אתָ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם בְּכֹ֥חַ גָּד֖וֹל וּבְיָ֥ד חֲזָקָֽה׃
(יב) לָ֩מָּה֩ יֹאמְר֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם לֵאמֹ֗ר בְּרָעָ֤ה הֽוֹצִיאָם֙ לַהֲרֹ֤ג אֹתָם֙ בֶּֽהָרִ֔ים וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה שׁ֚וּב מֵחֲר֣וֹן אַפֶּ֔ךָ וְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־הָרָעָ֖ה לְעַמֶּֽךָ׃
(יג) זְכֹ֡ר לְאַבְרָהָם֩ לְיִצְחָ֨ק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל עֲבָדֶ֗יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתָּ לָהֶם֮ בָּךְ֒ וַתְּדַבֵּ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אַרְבֶּה֙ אֶֽת־זַרְעֲכֶ֔ם כְּכוֹכְבֵ֖י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְכׇל־הָאָ֨רֶץ הַזֹּ֜את אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֗רְתִּי אֶתֵּן֙ לְזַרְעֲכֶ֔ם וְנָחֲל֖וּ לְעֹלָֽם׃
(יד) וַיִּנָּ֖חֶם יְהֹוָ֑ה עַל־הָ֣רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת לְעַמּֽוֹ׃ {פ}
Moshe's biblical prayers were:
- In response to specific cases, causes or situations.
- Many were debates with God in defense of Israel after He rejected them due to their sinful or rebellious acts (golden calf, spy report, seductive Midianite women, plagues, snakes, etc.).
- Psalm 90 does not mention Israel or ideas associated with or derived from the Torah, such as Mitzvot, Mikdash, the Israelites, sacrifices, etc.
- It seems to deal with a universal idea and one that is not necessarily a Jewish matter.
Commentary by Prof. Robert Alter:
v. 14: Such an act would enable a different kind of flourishing from the grass that sprouts in the morn and then withers. God's kindness has the power to move human joy beyond the fleeting framework of a few hours to ":all our days."
v. 15: God's kindness to humanity makes possible a different order of human temporality,in which the days add up to the years in a round of joyful fulfillment, even wtihin the limited span of seventy or eighty years of a human life.
v. 17: ....The verb konen, "firmly found," is strategically important. It is the word used for keeping dynasties or building unshaken. Against the dismaying ephemerality of human existence, in which a life sprouts and withers like grass, God can give fleeting human experience solid substantiality.
The attribution to Moshe
The final verses of Deuteronomy record Moshe's "great might and awesome power" and that when he died, "his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated." Yet, despite his long life of 120 years, which exceeded the normal range of 70-80 years, he died without fulfilling a major goal of bringing his people in to the Promised Land.
Psalm 90 teaches that despite the limited existence of mortal man, God's loving sustenance can enable us to experience within our own lives a joy and satisfaction that can make life sweet and, in the modern terms of Victor Frankel, meaningful. If we've experienced true joy in our life, and the "work of our hands" has made worthy contributions to humanity, our brief sojourn can be a source of deep pleasure...even if we left undone some of our major goals.
This belief is one which only a Moshe Rabbeinu could comprehend and propound. In this sense, Psalm 90 is a "Psalm of Moshe, the man of God."