As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field;
Parallel translations
- WEB As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
- KJV As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
- NKJV As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
- NASB ¶As for man, his days are like grass; Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
- NLT Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Human life is fleeting, like grass and a wildflower that quickly flourishes. Our brief days highlight our dependence on God.
Overview
David contrasts frail, short-lived humanity with the eternal God just described. Like grass and field flowers, people bloom briefly and fade. This sobering truth, echoed in 1 Peter 1:24, drives us to find lasting hope not in passing life but in the everlasting love of God in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Pet 1:24For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
- Jas 1:10–11But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
- Isa 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?
- Isa 28:1Woe to the majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards, to the fading flower of his glorious splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, the pride of those overcome by wine.
- Isa 40:6–8A voice says, “Cry out!” And I asked, “What should I cry out?” “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field.
- Job 14:1–3“Man, who is born of woman, is short of days and full of trouble.
- Nah 1:4He rebukes the sea and dries it up; He makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither, and the flower of Lebanon wilts.
- Ps 90:5–6You whisk them away in their sleep; they are like the new grass of the morning—
- Isa 28:4The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, set on the summit above the fertile valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest: Whoever sees it will take it in his hand and swallow it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 103:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.