The exact words
“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”Psalm 90:12, King James Version (1611)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
A gloomy verse about death.
A gloomy verse about death.
Closer to the original
Counting our days is meant to lead somewhere hopeful: to a wise heart. The psalm ends by asking God to make the work of our hands last.
Counting our days is meant to lead somewhere hopeful: to a wise heart. The psalm ends by asking God to make the work of our hands last.
Timeline
- Ancient IsraelPsalm 90 is the only psalm headed “A Prayer of Moses the man of God.” It contrasts God's eternity with the brevity of human life, “threescore years and ten.”
- 1611The King James Version gives the verse its familiar wording.
Use it in a speech
The psalm says, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Another year numbered, and wiser than ever. Happy birthday.
~8 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in a card
Best spotthe birthday card
Psalm 90 asks, teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. That's my prayer for this new year: to count the days, and make them count.
~9 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “number our days”
Best spota New Year grace or toast
The psalmist prayed, teach us to number our days. He numbered his well. Every one of them was spent on the people in this room.
~8 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “number our days”
Best spotthe closing words
Questions people ask
Where is “teach us to number our days” in the Bible?
Psalm 90:12.
What does it mean to number our days?
To realize how limited our time is, so that we use it wisely.
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLAThe Bible. Authorized King James Version, 1611. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10.
APAThe Holy Bible, King James Version. (1611/2026). Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
IN TEXT (APA)(The Bible, Psalm 90:12, King James Version)