The Meaning of Psalms 90:2 Explained

Psalms 90:2

KJV: Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

YLT: Before mountains were brought forth, And Thou dost form the earth and the world, Even from age unto age Thou art God.

Darby: Before the mountains were brought forth, and thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from eternity to eternity thou art God.

ASV: Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Before the mountains  were brought forth,  or ever thou hadst formed  the earth  and the world,  even from everlasting  to  everlasting,  thou [art] God. 

What does Psalms 90:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 90:1-17 - The Message Of The Passing Years
The majestic music of this great psalm separates it from all the rest. It is like the deep bass stop of a mighty organ. Moses' authorship is stamped upon it. It is worthy of the man who had seen God face to face.
Psalms 90:1-6. The transitoriness of human life is contrasted with the stability of God. He is the asylum and home of all the generations of mankind, Deuteronomy 33:27. The earth and its mountains the universe and its worlds, were born of Him; but He Himself had no origin, no beginning. Time is but a sigh, a breath, the swift rush of the mountain-torrent, a tale told by the camp-fire at night, the grass of a morning's growth.
Psalms 90:7-12. A wail is borne in these verses from the forty years of wanderings. The ceaseless succession of graves was the bitter harvest of Israel's rebellions. Oh, that we might apply our hearts to wisdom that we may not fail of God's rest!
Psalms 90:13-17. In the closing words Moses utters a sublime prayer which includes us all. Let us seek to do some good work before we go, and may our children be a nobler generation than ourselves! But all beauty of character and permanence of work must emanate from God. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 90

1  Moses, setting forth God's providence
3  Complains of human fragility
7  Divine chastisement
10  and brevity of life
12  He prays for the knowledge and sensible experience of God's good providence

What do the individual words in Psalms 90:2 mean?

Before the mountains were brought forth Or ever You had formed the earth and the world and Even from everlasting to everlasting You [are] God
בְּטֶ֤רֶם ׀ הָ֘רִ֤ים יֻלָּ֗דוּ וַתְּח֣וֹלֵֽל אֶ֣רֶץ וְתֵבֵ֑ל וּֽמֵעוֹלָ֥ם עַד־ ע֝וֹלָ֗ם אַתָּ֥ה אֵֽל

בְּטֶ֤רֶם ׀  Before 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adverb
Root: טֶרֶם  
Sense: before, not yet, before that.
הָ֘רִ֤ים  the  mountains 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
יֻלָּ֗דוּ  were  brought  forth 
Parse: Verb, QalPass, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
וַתְּח֣וֹלֵֽל  Or  ever  You  had  formed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חוּל 
Sense: to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained.
אֶ֣רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְתֵבֵ֑ל  and  the  world 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֵּבֵל  
Sense: world.
וּֽמֵעוֹלָ֥ם  and  Even  from  everlasting 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
ע֝וֹלָ֗ם  everlasting 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
אַתָּ֥ה  You  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
אֵֽל  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.