Psalm 90:12-17 is a prayer in which Moses asks God to teach His people to live wisely in light of how short life is, and to bless their work and their children with His favor. The passage moves from a sober awareness of mortality to a request for compassion, joy, and lasting purpose. It belongs to the wisdom and poetry section of the Old Testament and is traditionally attributed to Moses, the man of God, which places it in the Israelite wilderness years.
12 So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 13 Relent, the LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants! 14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil. 16 Let your work appear to your servants; your glory to their children. 17 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.
Psalm 90:12-17 (WEB)
Psalm 90:12-17 Summary
The passage opens with a petition for wisdom: the psalmist wants God to teach him to number his days so that he can gain a heart that understands what matters. From there the prayer turns into a cry for mercy. The writer asks God to relent and show compassion, and then asks for a morning filled with steady love so that joy can fill the whole of life.
The final verses widen the prayer. The writer asks that the joy granted in proportion to past hardship, and that the work of God be seen both by the people who serve Him and by their children. The closing request is that the Lord’s favor rest on everything the community does, and that the work of their hands be made firm, a plea repeated for emphasis.
Context of Psalm 90:12-17
Psalm 90 is the first psalm in the fourth book of the Psalter, and it is the only one attributed to Moses. Its tone is shaped by the wilderness generation, a people who had watched their parents die under God’s judgment and who knew that human life is brief and fragile. The verses just before our passage describe the days passing in God’s wrath and the years ending like a sigh, which explains why the prayer begins with counting days.
The surrounding verses prepare the reader for the petitions in verses 12-17. Having faced the reality of human frailty and divine displeasure, the psalmist does not deny either. Instead he asks God to act with mercy within the limits of time, turning a sober view of life into a request for grace that makes the remaining days meaningful.
Psalm 90:12-17 Verse by Verse
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
This verse calls the reader to stillness and to knowing that God is God. Like Psalm 90, it places human striving in the context of God’s sovereign rule, inviting trust rather than anxious effort.
Ephesians 5:15-16
15 Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
(WEB)
Paul urges believers to walk carefully and make the most of their time because the days are evil. The passage echoes the psalm’s concern that life be lived with deliberate wisdom rather than carelessness.
A Prayer Based on Psalm 90:12-17
Lord, teach me to number my days so that I may grow in wisdom and not waste the time you have given me. I come to you with my weariness and ask you to relent and show me compassion. Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love, so that I may rejoice and be glad in every season you allow. Let your work be seen in my life and in the lives of those who will come after me. Establish the work of my hands, and let your favor rest on all that I do today. Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Psalm 90?
Psalm 90 is traditionally attributed to Moses, the man of God, which is stated in the psalm’s heading. Many scholars accept that tradition, while others date the psalm later, but the wilderness themes fit the attribution well.
What does “count our days” mean in Psalm 90:12?
It means to recognize how limited life is and to live with that awareness in view. The goal is not anxious calculation but a heart that chooses what is wise and lasting.
Why does Psalm 90:17 repeat the phrase about establishing the work of our hands?
The repetition adds emphasis to a deep desire for lasting purpose. The psalmist wants human work to be taken up into God’s enduring purposes rather than swept away by time.
