Psalms 102

King James Version

Full text for Psalms Chapter 102

1¶ A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

2Hide not thy face from me in the day [when] I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day [when] I call answer me speedily.

3For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.

4My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

5By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.

6I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.

7I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.

8Mine enemies reproach me all the day; [and] they that are mad against me are sworn against me.

9For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,

10Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.

11My days [are] like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

12¶ But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

13Thou shalt arise, [and] have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come.

14For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.

15So the heathen shall fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth thy glory.

16When the LORD shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory.

17He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.

18This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

19For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary; from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

20To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;

21To declare the name of the LORD in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem;

22When the people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

23¶ He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.

24I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years [are] throughout all generations.

25Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands.

26They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

27But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.

28The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The psalmist, overwhelmed by affliction, pours out a lament, describing his physical and emotional decay and the reproaches of enemies. He then shifts to a declaration of God's eternal nature and an earnest prayer for the restoration of Zion, believing God will hear the destitute and gather nations to His praise. The psalm concludes by contrasting the psalmist's fleeting life with God's everlasting existence, upon which the hope for His servants' posterity is founded.

Medium Summary

Psalm 102 begins with a profound prayer of an afflicted individual, expressing deep distress, physical wasting, and social isolation, feeling consumed like smoke and withered like grass. The psalmist attributes his suffering to divine indignation and feels cast down. However, a pivotal shift occurs as the psalmist declares God's eternal nature and enduring remembrance, expressing fervent hope for the restoration of Zion. He anticipates God's mercy upon Zion, believing the set time has come, and that this rebuilding will lead to the nations and kings fearing the LORD and His glory. God is expected to hear the prayers of the destitute and gather peoples to serve Him in Jerusalem. The psalm then returns to the psalmist's personal frailty, acknowledging his shortened days, but contrasts this with God's unchanging and everlasting existence, upon which the continuation of His servants' descendants is assured.

Long Summary

Psalm 102 opens as a prayer of one deeply afflicted and overwhelmed, who pours out his complaint before the LORD, pleading for a swift answer and God's attention. The psalmist vividly describes his physical and emotional deterioration, feeling his days consumed like smoke, his bones burned, and his heart withered, leading to a loss of appetite and extreme emaciation. He likens himself to solitary desert birds, indicating profound isolation, and laments constant reproach from enemies. Attributing his suffering to God's indignation and wrath, he feels lifted up only to be cast down, with his life fading like a declining shadow. A significant turning point occurs as the psalmist shifts from personal lament to a declaration of God's eternal nature and enduring remembrance across all generations. He expresses a fervent hope for God's mercy upon Zion, believing that the appointed time for her favour has arrived, evidenced by the affection His servants hold for her very stones and dust. The psalmist anticipates that when the LORD rebuilds Zion, He will appear in His glory, causing heathen nations and kings to fear His name. He affirms that God will regard the prayer of the destitute and will look down from heaven to hear the groaning of prisoners and release those appointed to death, all to declare His name and praise in Zion when peoples and kingdoms gather to serve Him. The psalm then returns to the psalmist's personal plight, acknowledging that his strength has been weakened and his days shortened. He pleads with God not to take him away in the midst of his life, contrasting his mortality with God's eternal years. The psalmist affirms God as the unchanging Creator, who laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens, declaring that while creation will perish and wear out like a garment, God remains the same, with years that have no end. This eternal nature of God provides the ultimate assurance that the children of His servants shall continue and be established before Him.

Core Concepts

  • Affliction and LamentThe psalmist expresses profound personal suffering, describing physical decay, emotional distress, social isolation, and a sense of being consumed by God's wrath.
  • Divine IndignationThe psalmist attributes his intense suffering and feeling of being "cast down" directly to God's indignation and wrath, acknowledging a divine hand in his distress.
  • God's Eternal NatureA central theme is the contrast between the psalmist's fleeting mortality and God's everlasting, unchanging existence, who endures forever and whose years have no end.
  • Restoration of ZionThe psalm shifts to a fervent prayer and prophecy concerning God's mercy upon Zion, anticipating her rebuilding, the gathering of nations to serve the LORD, and the manifestation of His glory.
  • Hope for PosterityDespite personal frailty, the psalmist finds assurance in God's eternal nature, believing that the children of His servants will continue and be established before Him.
  • Hearing the DestituteThe psalm emphasizes God's attentiveness to the prayers of the afflicted, the groaning of prisoners, and His willingness to deliver those appointed to death.