And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.
- BSB May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!
- NKJV And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.
- NASB May the kindness of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
- NLT And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!
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
Moses prays for God's favor to rest on His people and to make their work lasting and fruitful.
Overview
The psalm closes asking that God's gracious favor establish "the work of our hands." Human labor gains enduring meaning only when God blesses and confirms it. In Christ, our labor is "not in vain" (1 Cor. 15:58), for He gives eternal significance to lives lived under God's favor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Prov 16:3Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
- 1 Cor 3:7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
- 2 Th 2:16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
- Job 22:28Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
- Isa 26:12LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
- Ps 118:25Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD: O LORD, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.
- Ps 68:28Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
- Ps 80:3Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
- Ps 80:7Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
- 1 Jn 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
- Ps 50:2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
- Ps 110:3Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
- 2 Cor 3:18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the LORD.
- Ps 27:4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 90:17 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.