Psalms 102 (NET)

Psalm 1021

102

1 The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help!2

2 Do not ignore me in my time of trouble!3

Listen to me!4

When I call out to you, quickly answer me!

3 For my days go up in smoke,5

and my bones are charred like a fireplace.6

4 My heart is parched7 and withered like grass,

for I am unable8 to eat food.9

5 Because of the anxiety that makes me groan,

my bones protrude from my skin.10

6 I am like an owl11 in the wilderness;

I am like a screech owl12 among the ruins.13

7 I stay awake;14

I am like a solitary bird on a roof.

8 All day long my enemies taunt me;

those who mock me use my name in their curses.15

9 For I eat ashes as if they were bread,16

and mix my drink with my tears,17

10 because of your anger and raging fury.

Indeed,18 you pick me up and throw me away.

11 My days are coming to an end,19

and I am withered like grass.

12 But you, O Lord, rule forever,20

and your reputation endures.21

13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion.22

For it is time to have mercy on her,

for the appointed time has come.

14 Indeed,23 your servants take delight in her stones,

and feel compassion for24 the dust of her ruins.25

15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord,26

and all the kings of the earth will respect27 his splendor,

16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute,28

and does not reject29 their request.30

18 The account of his intervention31 will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above;32

from heaven the Lord will look toward earth,33

20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,

and to set free those condemned to die,34

21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,

and praise him35 in Jerusalem,36

22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord.37

23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life;38

he has cut short my days.

24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life!39

You endure through all generations.40

25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

26 They will perish,

but you will endure.41

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear.42

27 But you remain;43

your years do not come to an end.

28 The children of your servants will settle down here,

and their descendants44 will live securely in your presence.”45

1sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people. 2tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.” 3tn Heb “do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble.” The idiom “to hide the face” can mean “to ignore” (see Pss 10:11; 13:1; 51:9) or carry the stronger idea of “to reject” (see Pss 29:7; 30:7; 88:14). 4tn Heb “turn toward me your ear.” 5tn Heb “for my days come to an end in smoke.” 6tn The Hebrew noun מוֹ־קֵד (mo-qed, “fireplace”) occurs only here, in Isa 33:14 (where it refers to the fire itself), and perhaps in Lev 6:2. 7tn Heb “struck, attacked.” 8tn Heb “I forget.” 9sn I am unable to eat food. During his time of mourning, the psalmist refrained from eating. In the following verse he describes metaphorically the physical effects of fasting. 10tn Heb “from the sound of my groaning my bone[s] stick to my flesh.” The preposition at the beginning of the verse is causal; the phrase “sound of my groaning” is metonymic for the anxiety that causes the groaning. The point seems to be this: Anxiety (which causes the psalmist to groan) keeps him from eating (v. 4). This physical deprivation in turn makes him emaciated – he is turned to “skin and bones,” so to speak. 11tn The Hebrew term קָאַת (qa’at) refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (see Zeph 2:14). Modern translations have frequently rendered this as some type of owl (NIV, REB “desert owl”; NRSV “owl”). 12tn The Hebrew term כוֹס (khos) refers to a bird (see Lev 11:17; Deut 14:16), probably a type of owl (cf. NIV, REB “owl”; NRSV “little owl”). 13sn By comparing himself to a screech owl among the ruins, the psalmist may be highlighting his loneliness (see v. 7), though he may also be comparing his cries for help to the owl’s screech. 14tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2). 15tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become. 16sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5). 17tn Heb “weeping.” 18tn Or “for.” 19tn Heb “my days [are] like an extended [or “lengthening”] shadow,” that is, like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. 20tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization. 21tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.” 22tn The imperfect verbal forms are understood as expressing the psalmist’s confidence in God’s intervention. Another option is to take them as expressing the psalmist’s request or wish, “You, rise up and have compassion!” 23tn Or “for.” 24tn The Poel of חָנַן (khanan) occurs only here and in Prov 14:21, where it refers to having compassion on the poor. 25tn Heb “her dust,” probably referring to the dust of the city’s rubble. 26tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11). 27tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line). 28tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”). 29tn Heb “despise.” 30tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15. 31tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. 32tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.” 33tn The perfect verbal forms in v. 19 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 18. 34tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die. 35tn Heb “his praise.” 36map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4. 37tn “and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.” 38tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24). 39tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.” 40tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.” 41tn Heb “stand.” 42tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement. 43tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the Lord’s affirmation “I am he” in Isa 41:4; 43:10, 13; 46:10; 48:12. In each of these passages the affirmation emphasizes the fact that the Lord transcends time limitations, the very point being made in Ps 102:27. 44tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.” 45tn Heb “before you will be established.”