translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PSA

label: NET study note

text: . In this communal lament the worship leader affirms that the eternal God and creator of the world has always been Israel’s protector. But God also causes men, who are as transient as grass, to die, and in his fierce anger he decimates his covenant community, whose brief lives are filled with suffering and end in weakness. The community asks for wisdom, the restoration of God’s favor, a fresh revelation of his power, and his blessing upon their labors.


text: The divisions of the nighttime . The ancient Israelites divided the night into distinct periods, or “watches.”


text: We fly away . The psalmist compares life to a bird that quickly flies off (see Job 20:8 ).


text: Morning is used metaphorically for a time of renewed joy after affliction (see Pss 30:5; 46:5; 49:14; 59:16; 143:8 ).