Psalms 102:11. My days are like a shadow that declineth— My days are as a shadow which is gone down. The shadow which is gone down, seems not so much to describe a common shadow, as the shadow of a dial; which in that of Ahaz is said to go down, (the same original word) as the hour goes on. Mudge. read more
11. shadow . . . declineth—soon to vanish in the darkness of night. read more
Psalms 102Another anonymous writer poured out his personal lament to Yahweh (cf. Psalms 22, 69, 79). He felt overwhelmed due to an enemy’s reproach. He called out for help from the God he knew would not forsake him. This is another penitential psalm as well as a personal lament (cf. Psalms 6; Psalms 32; Psalms 38; Psalms 51; Psalms 103; Psalms 143). read more
2. Description of the affliction 102:3-11 read more
He felt his condition was the result of divine discipline. He believed his life was ending, as the lengthening shadows signal the approaching end of a day. read more
This Ps. belongs to the closing days of the exile, and utters the hope of Israel’s restoration (Psalms 102:13-22). The Psalmist has been supposed by some to speak simply in the name of the nation, but it is more probable that he describes his personal distress, though this was caused by the captivity and humiliation of his people. In Psalms 102:14 he speaks of his fellow-countrymen in the plural, and his shrinking from premature death (Psalms 102:11, Psalms 102:23-24) breathes a distinctly... read more
(11) A shadow that declineth.—Rather, a lengthening shadow, growing longer as the day declines, and therefore soon to vanish altogether. (Comp. Psalms 109:23.)“And now the sun had stretched out all the hills.”MILTON: Lycidas,See also Note, Song of Solomon 2:17. read more
An Unfinished Life Psalms 102:24 I. The inscription of this Psalm is unique. It describes the inner subject of the Psalm and makes a very beautiful heading. A prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. The afflictions are those of the nation and of the Psalmist himself, who added to his own sorrows the sorrow of his people. The elegy moves with mournful strain as he describes the bitterness of his pain. He has eaten ashes like bread, and... read more
Psalms 102:1-28Psalms 102:13-14 show that the psalm was written when Zion was in ruins and the time of her restoration at hand. Sadness shot with hope, as a cloud with sunlight, is the singer’s mood. The pressure of present sorrows points to the time of the Exile; the lightening of these, by the expectation that the hour for their cessation has all but struck, points to the close of that period. There is a general consensus of opinion on this, though Baethgen is hesitatingly inclined to adopt... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 102:1-28
Psalms 102:0 The changeless GodJerusalem is in ruins, God’s people are in captivity, and a weary sufferer pours out his complaint to God (see heading to the psalm; also v. 13-17). The opening part of the prayer describes the psalmist’s afflictions in a style similar to that of many psalms in the early part of the book. The writer is ill and dying, partly because he is unable to eat (1-5). He is lonely and cannot sleep (6-7). He is persecuted by his enemies and feels he has been deserted by God... read more