103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, 1
so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers. 2
103:14 For he knows what we are made of; 3
he realizes 4 we are made of clay. 5
103:15 A person’s life is like grass. 6
Like a flower in the field it flourishes,
103:16 but when the hot wind 7 blows by, it disappears,
and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.
103:17 But the Lord continually shows loyal love to his faithful followers, 8
and is faithful to their descendants, 9
1 tn Or “sons,” but the Hebrew term sometimes refers to children in general.
2 tn Heb “those who fear him.”
3 tn Heb “our form.”
4 tn Heb “remembers.”
5 tn Heb “we [are] clay.”
6 tn Heb “[as for] mankind, like grass [are] his days.” The Hebrew noun אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) is used here generically of human beings. What is said is true of all mankind.
7 tn Heb “[the] wind.” The word “hot” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
8 tn Heb “but the loyal love of the
9 tn Heb “and his righteousness to sons of sons.”