What does Psalm 90:5 mean by "You whisk them away in their sleep"? Text And Immediate Translation “You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the morning grass.” The Hebrew reads: תִּזְרְפֵם שֵׁנָה (tizrephém shēnâ). • תִּזְרְפֵם – 2 ms imperfect plus 3 mp suffix of זָרַף, “to sweep away, wash away, carry off in a torrent.” • שֵׁנָה – “sleep,” but often a euphemism for death (cf. 1 Kings 1:21; Daniel 12:2). Thus, “You carry them off like a flood while they ‘sleep’ — that is, while life’s fragility remains unnoticed.” --- Literary Context: A Prayer Of Moses Psalm 90 opens Book IV of the Psalter and is explicitly “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God” (Psalm 90:1, superscription). Moses contrasts God’s eternity (“from everlasting to everlasting,” v. 2) with human frailty and brevity (vv. 3-11). Verses 5-6 supply three rapid-fire images: 1. Swept away in sleep (v. 5a) 2. Morning grass that sprouts (v. 5b) 3. Grass that withers by evening (v. 6) The sweeping action (“You whisk”) continues the previous verse: “You return man to dust” (v. 3). The same Creator who formed Adam (Genesis 2:7) now swiftly reverses that process after the Fall (Genesis 3:19). --- Sleep As Death In Scripture OT usage: Deuteronomy 31:16; Job 7:21; Psalm 13:3; Daniel 12:2. NT confirmation: John 11:11-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. Death is a temporary “sleep” awaiting resurrection or judgment (Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:13). Moses foreshadows this theology: despite life’s brevity, future awakening is assumed by his invocation of God’s “return” (v. 3) and later plea for divine “favor” (v. 17). --- Comparative Ane History Egyptian funeral texts (e.g., The Book of the Dead) treat death as a perilous night voyage; Mesopotamian laments depict gods sending floods to wipe out populations. Moses transforms such ideas: the true God—not capricious deities—controls life’s flood; He alone is “our dwelling place in all generations” (v. 1). --- Theological Emphasis: Human Frailty Vs. Divine Sovereignty 1. God’s action: “You whisk,” “You return,” “You set” (vv. 3-8). 2. Human limitation: lifespan “seventy… eighty” (v. 10). 3. Moral dimension: death linked to divine wrath against sin (vv. 7-11; Romans 6:23). The verse confronts readers with mortality, preparing hearts for the only remedy: the resurrection secured by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Historical bedrock for that event is established by multiple independent sources—early creed in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5, empty-tomb accounts in all four Gospels, and post-resurrection appearances attested both by friend and foe (e.g., Paul, James). --- Intertextual Parallels • Job 27:20—“Terrors overtake him like a flood; a storm snatches him away in the night.” • Isaiah 28:18—“…an overwhelming scourge will sweep through.” • Matthew 24:39—“The flood came and swept them all away.” Each text underscores sudden judgment and the need for preparedness. --- Practical Application Because lives can be ended while we “sleep,” wisdom dictates: • “Teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12). • Seek reconciliation through the risen Christ today (2 Corinthians 6:2). • Invest remaining days in God-glorifying labor (Psalm 90:17; Ephesians 2:10). --- Answer Summarized “You whisk them away in their sleep” declares that God can terminate human life as effortlessly and abruptly as a nighttime flash-flood sweeps away unconscious sleepers. The metaphor emphasizes mortality, God’s sovereign judgment on sin, and the urgency of finding refuge in His everlasting nature—ultimately fulfilled in the death-defeating resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
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