KJV ORIGINAL
I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
I am fading away like a shadow when the sun goes down: I am being thrown around like a grasshopper in the wind.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is describing how weak and insignificant he feels, like he's disappearing and being tossed around helplessly.
📚 Historical Context
This psalm is attributed to David and is known as an imprecatory psalm, where the writer calls for God's judgment on enemies. In this particular verse, David is describing his own physical and emotional state - likely weakened by persecution, illness, or old age. The imagery of declining shadows and locusts being blown about would have been vivid metaphors to ancient readers familiar with the harsh realities of desert life.
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