Mazmur 90:11-12

90:11 Who can really fathom the intensity of your anger? ¹ 

Your raging fury causes people to fear you. ² 

90:12 So teach us to consider our mortality, ³ 

so that we might live wisely. ⁴ 

[90:11]  ¹ tn Heb “Who knows the strength of your anger?”

[90:11]  ² tn Heb “and like your fear [is] your raging fury.” Perhaps one should emend וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ (ukhyir’otekh, “and like your fear”) to יִרְאָתְךְ (yir’otkh, “your fear”), understanding a virtual dittography (אַפֶּךָ וּכְיִרְאָתְךְ, ’apekha ukhyir’otekh) to have occurred. In this case the psalmist asserts “your fear [is] your raging fury,” that is, your raging fury is what causes others to fear you. The suffix on “fear” is understood as objective.

[90:12]  ³ tn Heb “to number our days,” that is, to be aware of how few they really are.

[90:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and we will bring a heart of wisdom.” After the imperative of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with the conjunction indicates purpose/result. The Hebrew term “heart” here refers to the center of one’s thoughts, volition, and moral character.