Psalms 109:23
I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
Main message
Psalm 109:23 compares the speaker's fading life to a lengthening shadow and a locust shaken away.
Meaning in context
Psalm 109:21–31 · Mercy, vulnerability, and praise — The speaker asks for help in weakness, seeks vindication, and ends in public praise.
The imagery conveys instability, mortality, and disposability as felt experience.
Further teachings
Lament can describe felt disappearance
Poetry gives language to fragility without predicting a precise outcome.
Cross References: Psalm 109:23.
Applications in daily life
- 1
When you feel discarded or transient
Name the fear honestly and seek sustaining relationships and help.
Do not read the metaphor as a personal prophecy of imminent death.
Related Bible passages and resources
Common misreadings
The shadow image predicts the reader's lifespan.
It is lament poetry, not a timetable.
How to Apply Psalms 109:23
Study Psalms 109:23 in context by reading the surrounding passage in Psalms. Identify one person in your life who might be encouraged by this verse from Scripture. Share it with them and open a conversation rooted in Scripture — sometimes the most practical application is passing the Word along.
Sources & Method
Biblical text
Psalm 109:23 (en).
- Author:
- The Lord Will Editorial Team
- Reviewed by:
- Ugo Candido
- Last updated:
- Reviewed on: