Psalms 78:33
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble.
Original Language Analysis
וַיְכַל
did he consume
H3615
וַיְכַל
did he consume
Strong's:
H3615
Word #:
1 of 5
to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
בַּהֶ֥בֶל
in vanity
H1892
בַּהֶ֥בֶל
in vanity
Strong's:
H1892
Word #:
2 of 5
emptiness or vanity; figuratively, something transitory and unsatisfactory; often used as an adverb
יְמֵיהֶ֑ם
Therefore their days
H3117
יְמֵיהֶ֑ם
Therefore their days
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
3 of 5
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
Numbers 14:35I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.Numbers 14:29Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me,
Historical Context
The wilderness generation (ages 20+ at Kadesh) died over the next 38 years, their corpses littering the desert as Hebrews 3:17 grimly notes: 'And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?' Only Joshua and Caleb survived to enter Canaan.
Questions for Reflection
- What activities consume your 'days in vanity'—time invested in what ultimately doesn't matter?
- How does Christ's promise of 'abundant life' contrast with the emptiness of living for temporary satisfaction?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Therefore their days did he consume in vanity, and their years in trouble—the verdict of Numbers 14:33-34: 'Your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years... forty years, a year for each day.' The Hebrew hebel (vanity) means vapor, emptiness, futility—the same word Ecclesiastes repeats 38 times. Their years became behālâ (trouble, sudden terror), living under death sentence, watching their generation die off one by one.
This describes Christless existence: 'having no hope and without God in the world' (Ephesians 2:12). Paul laments those who 'live as enemies of the cross... Their end is destruction... with minds set on earthly things' (Philippians 3:18-19). Yet Christ redeems even vanity: 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly' (John 10:10). Where Adam brought futility (Romans 8:20), Christ brings eternal purpose.