Psalms 90 and 91

Next week I will be presenting psalms 90-91 as prayer and answer to prayer at a local bible study. Ideas welcome. Where does Psalm 90 fit in the psalter? Why of Moses? What does the structure tell us? Is 91 an answer to 90? Why does the accuser quote 91 to the anointed Jesus in the temptations?

Comment		Psalm 90		Translation		Psalm 91		Translation	Comment
Psalm 90 begins Book V. Moses begins and ends Book IV and is mentioned only once outside of Book IV (psalm 77). relation to psalm 40		תְּפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים		The prayer of Moses the man of God					Psalm 91 has no inscription
Adonai - is not the tetragrammeton here. Does the poet emphasize 'attah' 'you' through the word order (lanu being so far away from ma`on)?	1	אֲדֹנָי מָעוֹן אַתָּה הָיִיתָ לָּנוּ בְּדֹר וָדֹר		You O Lord,  have become our habitation from generation to generation		יֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן		One dwelling in the secret of the Most High in the shadow of the Sufficient will remain
Verse 1 and 2 are a unit bound by Lord-you-gen-to-gen and age-to-age-you-God. What is in the middle? It is important. Our habitation + the birth of creation.	2	בְּטֶרֶם הָרִים יֻלָּדוּ וַתְּחוֹלֵל אֶרֶץ וְתֵבֵל וּמֵעוֹלָם עַד עוֹלָם אַתָּה אֵל		from ere the mountains were born or earth and the world writhed even from age to age you are God		אֹמַר לַיהוָה מַחְסִי וּמְצוּדָתִי אֱלֹהַי אֶבְטַח בּוֹ		I will say to יְהוָה my refuge and my fortress my God I will trust in him	Note how many uses of first person imperfect there are in  psalm 91 and not in psalm 90
Dust as a translation is misleading - it is not parallel to 'adam' nor is it 'aphar' but 'that which is crushed' - so poetry for contrition. Turn = repent.	3	תָּשֵׁב אֱנוֹשׁ עַד דַּכָּא וַתֹּאמֶר שׁוּבוּ בְנֵי אָדָם		you turn a human to contrition and you say Turn children of humus		כִּי הוּא יַצִּילְךָ מִפַּח יָקוּשׁ מִדֶּבֶר הַוּוֹת		For he will deliver you from a trapper's snare from a plague of desires
The crushing of the elect is represented by the lament of Psalm 89 - rehearsing 'recent days' of the promises	4	כִּי אֶלֶף שָׁנִים בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּיוֹם אֶתְמוֹל כִּי יַעֲבֹר וְאַשְׁמוּרָה בַלָּיְלָה		for a thousand years in your eyes is like a recent day for it is over as a watch in the night		בְּאֶבְרָתוֹ יָסֶךְ לָךְ וְתַחַת כְּנָפָיו תֶּחְסֶה צִנָּה וְסֹחֵרָה אֲמִתּוֹ		With his feathers he will cover you and beneath his wings you will take refuge a grappling hook and shield his truth	feathers sounds like fury
	5	זְרַמְתָּם שֵׁנָה יִהְיוּ בַּבֹּקֶר כֶּחָצִיר יַחֲלֹף		you inundate them, sleep they become in the morning like grass they grow up		לֹא תִירָא מִפַּחַד לָיְלָה מֵחֵץ יָעוּף יוֹמָם		You will not fear for dread by night for an arrow that flies by day	day and night appear in both psalms
	6	בַּבֹּקֶר יָצִיץ וְחָלָף לָעֶרֶב יְמוֹלֵל וְיָבֵשׁ		in the morning it flourishes and grows up in the evening it is cut down and withers		מִדֶּבֶר בָּאֹפֶל יַהֲלֹךְ מִקֶּטֶב יָשׁוּד צָהֳרָיִם		for the plague that walks in gloom for destruction that wastes at noon	noon sounds like mountains
	7	כִּי כָלִינוּ בְאַפֶּךָ וּבַחֲמָתְךָ נִבְהָלְנוּ		for we are consumed in your anger and in your wrath we are troubled		יִפֹּל מִצִּדְּךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ אֵלֶיךָ לֹא יִגָּשׁ		A thousand will fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand to you it will not come near
	8	שַׁתָּה עֲו‍ֹנֹתֵינוּ לְנֶגְדֶּךָ עֲלֻמֵנוּ לִמְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ		you put our iniquities in front of you our secret in the light of your face		רַק בְּעֵינֶיךָ תַבִּיט וְשִׁלֻּמַת רְשָׁעִים תִּרְאֶה		but with your eyes you will be attentive and the reward of the wicked you will see
three different words for anger - I will try to be concordant	9	כִּי כָל יָמֵינוּ פָּנוּ בְעֶבְרָתֶךָ כִּלִּינוּ שָׁנֵינוּ כְמוֹ הֶגֶה		for all our days face away from your fury we complete our years as a groan		כִּי אַתָּה יְהוָה מַחְסִי עֶלְיוֹן שַׂמְתָּ מְעוֹנֶךָ		For you יְהוָה are my refuge You have made the Most High your habitation
year is singular irregular in Hebrew - always considered plural - note the plural feminine construct	10	יְמֵי שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְאִם בִּגְבוּרֹת שְׁמוֹנִים שָׁנָה וְרָהְבָּם עָמָל וָאָוֶן כִּי גָז חִישׁ וַנָּעֻפָה		the days of our years, in them seventy years and if in strength eighty years but their pride is labor and mischief for it is cut off soon and we flutter away		לֹא  תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה וְנֶגַע לֹא קְרַב בְּאָהֳלֶךָ		evil is not allowed to come to you and illness will not come into your tent
	11	מִי יוֹדֵעַ עֹז אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךָ עֶבְרָתֶךָ		Who knows the power of your anger and for your fear your fury		כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה לָּךְ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בְּכָל  דְּרָכֶיךָ		for he will instruct his messengers about you to keep you in all your ways
	12	לִמְנוֹת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֹדַע וְנָבִא לְבַב חָכְמָה		To number our days so make known that we may come to the heart of wisdom		עַל כַּפַּיִם יִשָּׂאוּנְךָ פֶּן תִּגֹּף בָּאֶבֶן רַגְלֶךָ		in their hands they will lift you up in case you strike your foot with a stone
	13	שׁוּבָה יְהוָה עַד  מָתָי וְהִנָּחֵם עַל עֲבָדֶיךָ		Turn יְהוָה , how long? And sigh over your servants		עַל שַׁחַל וָפֶתֶן תִּדְרֹךְ תִּרְמֹס כְּפִיר וְתַנִּין		over lion and adder you will make your way you will trample young lion and dragon
	14	שַׂבְּעֵנוּ בַבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ וּנְרַנְּנָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בְּכָל יָמֵינוּ		sustain us in the morning of your loving kindness and we will rejoice and be glad all our days		כִּי בִי חָשַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵהוּ אֲשַׂגְּבֵהוּ כִּי יָדַע שְׁמִי		Because he loved me so I will deliver him I will set him on high for he has known my name	chashak - an interesting word - used of the building of the tabernacle and translated as desire and longing in various places
	15	שַׂמְּחֵנוּ כִּימוֹת עִנִּיתָנוּ שְׁנוֹת רָאִינוּ רָעָה		Make us glad for days you afflicted us years we have seen evil		יִקְרָאֵנִי וְאֶעֱנֵהוּ עִמּוֹ אָנֹכִי  בְצָרָה אֲחַלְּצֵהוּ וַאֲכַבְּדֵהוּ		he will call me and I will answer him I am with him in trouble I will rescue him and I will glorify him
	16	יֵרָאֶה אֶל עֲבָדֶיךָ פָעֳלֶךָ וַהֲדָרְךָ עַל  בְּנֵיהֶם		Let your work appear to your servants and your honor to their children		אֹרֶךְ יָמִים אַשְׂבִּיעֵהוּ וְאַרְאֵהוּ בִּישׁוּעָתִי		With length of days I will satisfy him and I will show him in my salvation
Notice the palindrome with verse 1 - find an English word that might do this?	17	וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה עָלֵינוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנֵהוּ		And let be the beauty of the Lord our God be on us and the work of our hands establish on us and the work of our hands establish