The Meaning of Psalms 103:15 Explained

Psalms 103:15

KJV: As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

YLT: Mortal man! as grass are his days, As a flower of the field so he flourisheth;

Darby: As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth:

ASV: As for man, his days are as grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[As for] man,  his days  [are] as grass:  as a flower  of the field,  so he flourisheth. 

What does Psalms 103:15 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 103:13-22 - Everlasting Loving-Kindness
The psalmist comes from the far-reaching sky to the homely image of a father's pity. God is a great King, the mighty Creator, but the Spirit witnesses that we are His children and teaches us to say, Abba, Father. The idea of dust is that of frailty. Made of dust and fragile as an earthen vessel, man by his weakness appeals to Jehovah's compassion. The thought of frailty and helplessness is still further impressed by the figure of the fading flower, scorched by the hot desert wind. But, by force of contrast, the psalmist passes from man's brief span of life to God's eternal years. And God's love is as His life. Because God is eternal, His love is eternal. When once He loves, He loves always; He never wearies, never cools, and never lets go. A parent who fears God may leave a legacy of priceless worth to his children's children. See Psalms 103:17.
From Psalms 103:19 to the end, the psalmist pulls out all the stops in the great organ of existence. Angels and hosts of other intelligent beings who perform the Lord's will, all his works animate and inanimate, all saints, all souls, stars and suns, oceans, and mountains-all must join the "Hallelujah Chorus." [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 103

1  An exhortation to bless God for his mercy
5  And for the constancy thereof

What do the individual words in Psalms 103:15 mean?

[As for] man like grass his days [are] as a flower of the field so he flourishes
אֱ֭נוֹשׁ כֶּחָצִ֣יר יָמָ֑יו כְּצִ֥יץ הַ֝שָּׂדֶ֗ה כֵּ֣ן יָצִֽיץ

אֱ֭נוֹשׁ  [As  for]  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
כֶּחָצִ֣יר  like  grass 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָצִיר 
Sense: grass, leek, green grass, herbage.
יָמָ֑יו  his  days  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
כְּצִ֥יץ  as  a  flower 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צִיץ 
Sense: flower, bloom.
הַ֝שָּׂדֶ֗ה  of  the  field 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
כֵּ֣ן  so 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
יָצִֽיץ  he  flourishes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צוּץ 
Sense: to blossom, shine, sparkle.