Psalms 78:39

New Living Translation

For he remembered that they were merely mortal, gone like a breath of wind that never returns.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Thus He remembered that they were but flesh,A wind that goes and does not return.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Thus He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For he considered that they were but fleshe, and that they were euen a winde that passeth away & cometh not againe.

Darby Translation
And he remembered that they were flesh, a breath that passeth away and cometh not again.

New King James Version
For He remembered that they were but flesh, A breath that passes away and does not come again.

Literal Translation
For He remembered that they were flesh, a breath passing away, and not returning.

Easy-to-Read Version
He remembered that they were only people, like a wind that blows and then is gone.

World English Bible
He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes away, and doesn't come again.

King James Version (1611)
For he remembred that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and commeth not againe.

King James Version
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yee many a tyme turned he his wrath awaye, and wolde not suffre his whole displeasure to aryse.

Amplified Bible
For He [graciously] remembered that they were mere [human] flesh, A wind that goes and does not return.

American Standard Version
And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Bible in Basic English
So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.

Update Bible Version
And he remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes away, and does not come again.

Webster's Bible Translation
For he remembered that they [were but] flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

New English Translation
He remembered that they were made of flesh, and were like a wind that blows past and does not return.

Contemporary English Version
God remembered that they were made of flesh and were like a wind that blows once and then dies down.

Complete Jewish Bible
So he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that blows past and does not return.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For he remebred that they were flesh: yea, a winde that passeth and commeth not againe.

George Lamsa Translation
For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passes away and comes not again.

Hebrew Names Version
He remembered that they were but flesh, A wind that passes away, and doesn't come again.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

New Life Bible
He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he remembered that they are flesh; a wind that passes away, and returns not.

English Revised Version
And he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.

Berean Standard Bible
He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.

New Revised Standard
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then he remembered, That, Flesh, they were, A Wind departing, that returneth not.

Douay-Rheims Bible
(77-39) And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.

Lexham English Bible
for he remembered that they were flesh, a passing wind that does not return.

English Standard Version
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

New American Standard Bible
So He remembered that they were only flesh, A wind that passes and does not return.

New Century Version
He remembered that they were only human, like a wind that blows and does not come back.

Good News Translation
He remembered that they were only mortal beings, like a wind that blows by and is gone.

Christian Standard Bible®
He remembered that they were only flesh, a wind that passes and does not return.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he bithouyte, that thei ben fleische; a spirit goynge, and not turnynge ayen.

Young's Literal Translation
And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not.

Revised Standard Version
He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.

Contextual Overview

⁹ The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle. ¹⁰ They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his instructions. ¹¹ They forgot what he had done— the great wonders he had shown them, ¹² the miracles he did for their ancestors on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt. ¹³ For he divided the sea and led them through, making the water stand up like walls! ¹⁴ In the daytime he led them by a cloud, and all night by a pillar of fire. ¹⁵ He split open the rocks in the wilderness to give them water, as from a gushing spring. ¹⁶ He made streams pour from the rock, making the waters flow down like a river! ¹⁷ Yet they kept on sinning against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert. ¹⁸ They stubbornly tested God in their hearts, demanding the foods they craved.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For he: Psalms 103:14-16, Genesis 6:3, John 3:6

a wind: Or, as the Hebrew rooach holaich welo yashoov may be rendered, "the spirit goeth away and returneth not again." To this purpose the Arabic, "He remembered that they were flesh; and a spirit which when it departs, returneth not again." The human being is composed of flesh and spirit, or body and soul: these are easily separated, and when separated, the body turns to dust, and the spirit returns no more to animate the body in a state of probation. Job 7:7, Job 7:16, James 4:14

Reciprocal: Psalms 90:10 - for Isaiah 57:16 - I will not

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For he remembered that they [were but] flesh,.... Or "children of flesh", as the Targum; poor, frail, weak, mortal creatures, unable to bear the weight of his displeasure, the stroke of his hand, and the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his wrath; that they must be crushed before him, and would sink, and fail, and die; see Psalms 103:14, or that they were naturally sinful and corrupt, prone to evil, easily drawn into sin; it was what their depraved natures inclined unto; they were impotent to that which is good, and unable to withstand temptations to evil; all which was taken notice of and considered by the Lord in his condescending goodness, and therefore he dealt gently with them; see Genesis 6:3,

a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again; such is the life of man; it may be fitly compared to the wind, which moves swiftly, and, passing on, loses its strength and subsides; so the life of man is quickly gone, his days move swiftly on, he dies, and returns not again to his former state, to a mortal life; and though the spirit returns to the body again, yet not till the resurrection; and then not of itself, but by the power of God; see Job 7:7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For he remembered that they were but flesh - That they were human; that they were weak; that they were prone to err; that they were liable to fall into temptation. In his dealings with them he took into view their fallen nature; their training; their temptations; their trials; their weaknesses; and he judged them accordingly. Compare Psalms 103:14. So it was with the Saviour in his treatment of his disciples, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Matthew 26:41. God will judge people as they are; he will not in his judgments forget that they are people, and that they are weak and feeble. People often judge their fellow-men with much more harshness, with much less allowance for their infirmities and weaknesses, than God shows in his dealings with mankind. And yet such are the very people who are most ready to blame God for his judgments. If God acted on the principle and in the manner according to which they act, they could hope for no mercy at his hand. It is well for them that there is not one like themselves on the throne of the universe.

A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again - Which blows by us, and is gone forever. What a striking description is this of man! How true of an individual! How true of a generation! How true of the race at large! God remembers this when he thinks of people, and he deals with them accordingly. He is not harsh and severe, but kind and compassionate. To man, a being so feeble - to the human race, so frail - to the generations of that race, so transitory, so soon passing off the stage of life - he is ever willing to show compassion. He does not make use of his great power to crush them; he prefers to manifest his mercy in saving them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 78:39. He remembered that they were but flesh — Weak mortals. He took their feeble perishing state always into consideration, and knew how much they needed the whole of their state of probation; and therefore he bore with them to the uttermost. How merciful is God!

A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. — I believe this to be a bad translation, and may be productive of error; as if when a man dies his being were ended, and death were an eternal sleep. The original is, רוח הולך ולא ישוב ruach holech velo yashub: and the translation should be, "The spirit goeth away, and it doth not return." The present life is the state of probation; when therefore the flesh-the body, fails, the spirit goeth away into the eternal world, and returneth not hither again. Now God, being full of compassion, spared them, that their salvation might be accomplished before they went into that state where there is no change; where the pure are pure still, and the defiled are defiled still. All the Versions are right; but the polyglot translator of the Syriac, [Syriac] rocho, has falsely put ventus, wind, instead of spiritus, soul or spirit. The Arabic takes away all ambiguity: [---Arabic---] "He remembered that they were flesh; and a spirit which, when it departs, does not again return." The human being is composed of flesh and spirit, or body and soul; these are easily separated, and, when separated, the body turns to dust, and the spirit returns no more to animate it in a state of probation. Homer has a saying very like that of the psalmist: -

Ανδρος δε ψυχη παλιν ελθειν ουτε ληἱστη,

Ουθ' ἑλετη, επει αρ κεν αμειψεται ἑρκος οδοντων.

IL. ix., ver., 408.

"But the soul of man returns no more; nor can it be acquired nor caught after it has passed over the barrier of the teeth."

Pope has scarcely given the passage its genuine meaning: -

"But from our lips the vital spirit fled

Returns no more to wake the silent dead."

And the Ossian-like version of Macpherson is but little better: "But the life of man returns no more; nor acquired nor regained is the soul which once takes its flight on the wind." What has the wind to do with the ερκοςοδοντων of the Greek poet?

Several similar sayings may be found among the Greek poets; but they all suppose the materiality of the soul.