Question 1

In verse 16, what two groups are mentioned, and what is asked for each group to perceive?

Accepted Answer

Two groups are named: God’s “servants” and “their children.” For the servants, the request is that God’s “work” would “appear” to them—meaning God’s activity would be recognizable and evident, not hidden or ambiguous. For the next generation, the request is that God’s “glory” would be seen. The parallel lines connect present experience with future memory and hope: the community wants God’s reality to be clear now and also to be clear to those who come after them, not lost between generations.

Question 2

How do “your work” and “your glory” relate in verse 16?

Accepted Answer

The verse places “your work” and “your glory” side by side, suggesting they are connected but not identical. “Work” points to what God does—actions that affect the community’s life. “Glory” points to the weight and significance of who God is as shown through those actions. In other words, the prayer is not only for events to happen, but for the meaning of those events to be clear: that God’s people would recognize God’s hand in what unfolds, and that the next generation would also grasp God’s greatness through it.

Question 3

What does verse 17 ask God to do before mentioning human work, and why might that order matter within the verse?

Accepted Answer

Verse 17 first asks, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us.” Only after that does it ask God to “establish the work of our hands.” The order ties lasting human outcomes to God’s favor rather than to human ability alone. The verse does not deny effort (“work of our hands”), but it frames human labor as needing God’s supportive presence to become stable and enduring. This sequencing matches Psalm 90’s larger contrast between human frailty and God’s enduring reality.

Question 4

What does “establish the work of our hands” most directly claim, and what does it leave unspecified?

Accepted Answer

Most directly, the request asks God to make human work “established”—firm, effective, and not easily undone. It implies a desire for results that last beyond temporary effort. At the same time, the wording leaves unspecified what kind of work is meant: daily labor, leadership decisions, communal building, or other shared projects could fit. It also does not define exactly how God establishes the work (through protection, guidance, provision, or other means). The emphasis is on durability and stability rather than on one particular mechanism.

Question 5

Why might the line “Establish the work of our hands” be repeated in verse 17, and what does that repetition emphasize?

Accepted Answer

The repetition functions like underlining: it signals that this is a central concern, not a passing request. Within Psalm 90, where human life is described as short and easily swept away, repeating the plea highlights anxiety that labor may evaporate with time. The community is asking for more than momentary success; it wants permanence and continuing impact. The doubled request also shows dependence: the psalm does not treat lasting significance as automatic, but as something needing God’s action to secure it.

Question 6

How do verses 16–17 serve as a conclusion to Psalm 90’s theme of human brevity and divine permanence?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 90 stresses that human years pass quickly and strength fades; that theme could lead to despair about whether anything matters. Verses 16–17 respond by turning toward two hopes: visible divine involvement in the present (“let your work appear”) and durable outcomes for human labor (“establish the work of our hands”). The conclusion does not argue that human limits disappear. Instead, it asks that God’s enduring reality would be clearly seen now and across generations, and that human effort, under God’s favor, would have lasting firmness rather than being swallowed by time.

Request for visible work and lasting results

Request for visible work and lasting results

Request for visible work and lasting results

Scripture

What this passage is saying

Request for visible work and lasting results

Scripture

What this passage is saying