Psalms 144:4
Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Original Language Analysis
אָ֭דָם
Man
H120
אָ֭דָם
Man
Strong's:
H120
Word #:
1 of 6
ruddy i.e., a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
לַהֶ֣בֶל
to vanity
H1892
לַהֶ֣בֶל
to vanity
Strong's:
H1892
Word #:
2 of 6
emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb
דָּמָ֑ה
is like
H1819
דָּמָ֑ה
is like
Strong's:
H1819
Word #:
3 of 6
to compare; by implication, to resemble, liken, consider
יָ֝מָ֗יו
his days
H3117
יָ֝מָ֗יו
his days
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
4 of 6
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
Cross References
Psalms 102:11My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.Psalms 109:23I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.Job 8:9(For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)Ecclesiastes 12:8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.2 Samuel 14:14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
Historical Context
David, despite power and wealth, knew human frailty intimately: exile from Saul, Absalom's rebellion, Bathsheba's child's death, aging body's weakness. Life's brevity was no abstract doctrine but lived reality. James 4:14 and 1 Peter 1:24 (quoting Isaiah 40:6-8) echo this psalm, contrasting human transience with God's eternal word.
Questions for Reflection
- How does acknowledging life's brevity ('like to vanity') change your priorities and use of time?
- What practices help maintain the biblical balance between life's significance (v. 3) and transience (v. 4)?
- How does the gospel transform the despair of human mortality into hope for eternal life in Christ?
Analysis & Commentary
Man is like to vanity (אָדָם לַהֶבֶל דָּמָה)—Hevel (breath, vapor, vanity) is Ecclesiastes's key word for life's transience. Damah (is like, resembles) compares human existence to morning mist. His days are as a shadow that passeth away (yamav ketzel over)—shadows fleeting across the ground, here then gone, insubstantial and ephemeral.
This stark realism balances v. 3's wonder. Humanity is simultaneously significant (God knows us) and insignificant (we are vapor). This paradox pervades Scripture: made in God's image yet formed from dust (Genesis 2:7), crowned with glory yet mortal (Psalm 8:5), beloved by God yet 'passing away' (James 4:14, 1 John 2:17). Only union with the eternal God through Christ gives human life enduring significance.