Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, May 4th, 2025
the Third Sunday after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

1 Chronicles 29:15

We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Joy;   Life;   Praise;   Psalms;   Thompson Chain Reference - Life;   Life-Death;   Pilgrimage;   Time;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;   Pilgrims and Strangers;   Prayer, Public;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Shadow;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Foreigner;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Citizenship;   Day;   Foreigner;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chronicles, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Synagogue;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Meat-offering;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Intercession;   Proselyte;   Shade;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
Hebrew Names Version
For we are strangers before you, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the eretz are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
King James Version
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
English Standard Version
For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
New Century Version
We are like foreigners and strangers, as our ancestors were. Our time on earth is like a shadow. There is no hope.
New English Translation
For we are resident foreigners and nomads in your presence, like all our ancestors; our days are like a shadow on the earth, without security.
Amplified Bible
"For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope [of remaining].
New American Standard Bible
"For we are strangers before You, and temporary residents, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
World English Bible
For we are strangers before you, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For we are stragers before thee, & soiourners, like all our fathers: our dayes are like ye shadowe vpon the earth, & there is none abiding.
Legacy Standard Bible
For we are sojourners before You, and foreign residents, like all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
Berean Standard Bible
For we are foreigners and sojourners in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
Complete Jewish Bible
For in your presence we are temporary residents, just passing through, as all our ancestors were — our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
Darby Translation
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no hope [of life].
Easy-to-Read Version
We are only strangers traveling through this world like our ancestors. Our time on earth is like a passing shadow, and we cannot stop it.
George Lamsa Translation
For we are like the proverb of vapor and of the potter, and we are sojourners before thee and a small people in the world, but thou didst rule over our fathers of old, and thou didst command them by which way they should walk and live.
Good News Translation
You know, O Lord , that we pass through life like exiles and strangers, as our ancestors did. Our days are like a passing shadow, and we cannot escape death.
Lexham English Bible
For we are strangers before you and sojourners like all our ancestors. Our days are like the shadow upon earth, and there is no hope of abiding.
Literal Translation
for we are strangers before You, and settlers, like all our fathers; our days on the land are like a shadow, and there is none abiding.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For we are but pilgrems & straugers before the, as were all oure fathers. Oure life vpon earth is as a shadowe, and here is no abydinge.
American Standard Version
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
Bible in Basic English
For we, as all our fathers were, are like men from a strange country before you, who have got a place for a time in the land; our days on the earth are like a shade, and there is no hope of going on.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For we be but straungers before thee, and soiourners, as were al our fathers: Our dayes on the earth also are but as a shadowe, and there is none abiding.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
King James Version (1611)
For we are strangers before thee, and soiourners, as were all our fathers: Our dayes on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
for we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days upon the earth are as a shadow, and there is no remaining.
English Revised Version
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For we ben pilgrimes and comelyngis bifor thee, as alle oure fadris; oure daies ben as schadewe on the erthe, and `no dwellyng is.
Update Bible Version
For we are strangers before you, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
Webster's Bible Translation
For we [are] strangers before thee, and sojourners, as [were] all our fathers: our days on the earth [are] as a shadow, and [there is] no abiding.
New King James Version
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope.
New Living Translation
We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.
New Life Bible
We are strangers before You. We are just staying here for a time, as all our fathers did. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and without hope.
New Revised Standard
For we are aliens and transients before you, as were all our ancestors; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
for, sojourners, are we before thee, and strangers, like all our fathers, - like a shadow, are our days upon the earth, and there is no hope.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For we are sojourners before thee, and strangers, as were all our fathers. I Our days upon earth are as a shadow, and there is no stay.
Revised Standard Version
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
Young's Literal Translation
for sojourners we [are] before Thee, and settlers, like all our fathers; as a shadow [are] our days on the land, and there is none abiding.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.

Contextual Overview

10 Then, in front of everyone, David sang praises to the Lord : I praise you forever, Lord ! You are the God our ancestor Jacob worshiped. 11 Your power is great, and your glory is seen everywhere in heaven and on earth. You are king of the entire world, 12 and you rule with strength and power. You make people rich and powerful and famous. 13 We thank you, our God, and praise you. 14 But why should we be happy that we have given you these gifts? They belong to you, and we have only given back what is already yours. 15 We are only foreigners living here on earth for a while, just as our ancestors were. And we will soon be gone, like a shadow that suddenly disappears. 16 Our Lord God, we have brought all these things for building a temple to honor you. They belong to you, and you gave them to us. 17 But we are happy, because everyone has voluntarily given you these things. You know what is in everyone's heart, and you are pleased when people are honest. 18 Always make us eager to give, and help us be faithful to you, just as our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob faithfully worshiped you. 19 And give Solomon the desire to completely obey your laws and teachings, and the desire to build the temple for which I have provided these gifts.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For we: Genesis 47:9, Psalms 39:12, Psalms 119:19, Hebrews 11:13-16, 1 Peter 2:11

our days: Job 14:2, Psalms 90:9, Psalms 102:11, Psalms 144:4, Ecclesiastes 6:12, Isaiah 40:6-8, James 4:14

abiding: Heb. expectation

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:34 - General Genesis 23:4 - stranger Exodus 2:22 - for he said Leviticus 25:23 - for ye are 1 Chronicles 17:11 - when thy 2 Chronicles 6:10 - I am risen Job 8:9 - we are but Psalms 109:23 - gone 2 Corinthians 5:6 - whilst Ephesians 3:8 - is this 1 Peter 1:17 - pass

Cross-References

Genesis 31:7
and that he keeps cheating me by changing my wages time after time. But God has protected me.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers,.... For though they were in possession of the land of Canaan, yet they held it not in their own right, but as the Lord's,

who said, the land is mine, Leviticus 25:23, they were but tenants in it, and were not to abide long here; they belonged to another city and country; the consideration of which might tend to set them loose to worldly things, and the more easily to part with them for the service of God, and the honour of his name:

our days on the earth are as a shadow; man's life is expressed by days, not months and years, being so short; and by days on earth, in distinction from the days of heaven, or eternity; and these said to be as a shadow, of a short continuance, empty, mutable, and uncertain, dark and obscure, quickly gone, like the shadow of the sun; and not only like that, or of a mountain, tree or wall; but, as the Targum, of a bird that is flying, which passes away at once:

and [there is] none abiding; not long, much less always, being but sojourners as before; so Cato in Cicero p is represented as saying,

"I depart out of this life as from an inn, and not an house; for nature has given us an inn to sojourn, not a place to dwell in:''

or "there is no hope or expectation" q; of living long, of recalling time, and of avoiding death.

p De Senectute, c. 23. q אין מקוה "non est expectatio sive spes", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Chronicles 29:15. For we are strangers — We have here neither right nor property.

And sojourners — Lodging as it were for a night, in the mansion of another.

As were all our fathers — These were, as we are supported by thy bounty, and tenants at will to thee.

Our days on the earth are as a shadow] They are continually declining, fading, and passing away. This is the place of our sojourning, and here we have no substantial, permanent residence.

There is none abiding. — However we may wish to settle and remain in this state of things, it is impossible, because every earthly form is passing swiftly away, all is in a state of revolution and decay, and there is no abiding, מקוה mikveh, no expectation, that we shall be exempt from those changes and chances to which our fathers were subjected. "As the shadow of a bird flying in the air [ avir] of heaven, such are our days upon the earth; nor is there any hope to any son of man that he shall live for ever." - Targum.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile