Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageFor we are aliens and wanderers in Your sight, as all our fathers were — our days on earth pass like a shadow, with no certainty of tomorrow.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GFor we are gerim and toshavim before You, as all our fathers were — our days upon the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of staying.
KJV
King James VersionFor we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleFor we are foreigners and strangers in Your presence, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.
Footnotes
*Gerim* (גֵּרִים) and *toshavim* (תּוֹשָׁבִים) are distinct legal categories in ancient Israel. A *ger* is a resident alien — a foreigner with recognised standing but not native rights; a *toshav* is a temporary settler with no permanent tenure. Together they describe the condition of existing without belonging. David applies these socio-legal categories to all humanity before God — even the king of Israel is a transient guest on borrowed land. *Miqveh* (מִקְוֶה), usually 'hope' or 'expectation,' can also mean a gathered pool of water — here there is no reservoir of days to draw from. FOG preserves *gerim* and *toshavim* for their precise resonance; FOG Message renders them 'aliens and wanderers' for immediacy.
