Psalm 102:6

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 102:1-11

The title of this psalm is very observable; it is a prayer of the afflicted. It was composed by one that was himself afflicted, afflicted with the church and for it; and on those that are of a public spirit afflictions of that kind lie heavier than any other. It is calculated for an afflicted state, and is intended for the use of others that may be in the like distress; for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written designedly for our use. The whole word of God is of use to direct... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 102:6

I am like a pelican of the wilderness ,.... It may be so called, to distinguish it from another of the same name that lives upon the waters; which has the name of "pelican" in the Greek tongue, as is said, from its smiting and piercing its breast, and letting out blood for the reviving of its young; and in the Hebrew language, from its vomiting shell fish it has swallowed down; See Gill on Leviticus 11:18 where the word is rendered a "pelican" as here, and in Deuteronomy 14:17 , the same... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:6

I am like a pelican of the wilderness - It may be the pelican or the bittern. The original, קאת kaath , is mentioned Leviticus 11:18 ; (note), and is there described. See the note. Owl of the desert - כוש cos , some species of owl; probably the night raven. See the notes referred to above. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:6

Verse 6 6I have become like a pelican of the wilderness Instead of rendering the original word by pelican, some translate it bittern, and others the cuckoo. The Hebrew word here used for owl is rendered by the Septuagint νυκτικοραξ, which signifies a bat. (141) But as even the Jews are doubtful as to the kind of birds here intended, let it suffice us simply to know, that in this verse there are pointed out certain melancholy birds, whose place of abode is in the holes of mountains and in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-11

Affliction. "Many are the afflictions of the righteous"— even of the righteous, and sometimes these are almost, if not altogether, overwhelming. We expect to find suffering and sorrow among the guilty, but experience teaches us that it is— I. THE OCCASIONAL PORTION OF THE GODLY . Seldom, indeed, is the good man reduced to such distress as that described in the text; yet it does occur; troubles do sometimes accumulate where they seem least deserved or least necessary. But... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-28

The psalm consists of three main portions: first, a complaint, prefaced by an appeal to God for aid (verses 1-11); secondly, a confident expression of an assured hope and trust in a speedy deliverance (verses 12-22); and thirdly, a contrast between human weakness and God's strength and unchangeableness, resulting in a conviction that, whatever becomes of the writer, the seed of Israel will be preserved and established before God forever (verses 23-28). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-28

Light arising in darkness. The authorship and therefore the date of this psalm cannot be certainly fixed, or whether it be a national or an individual utterance; probably it is the latter. The alternations of thought and feeling are very noteworthy. We have— I. EARNEST PRAYER . ( Psalms 102:1 , Psalms 102:2 .) There is an ascending scale, reaching to a climax. 1 . That the Lord would hear. "Hear, O Lord." 2 . For close access. "Let my cry come unto thee." Do not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:6

I am like a pelican in the wilderness. The Hebrew word here rendered "pelican" is elsewhere in our version translated by "cormorant" (Le Psalms 11:7 ; Deuteronomy 14:17 ; Isaiah 34:11 ; Zephaniah 2:14 ); but it is now generally believed that the pelican is intended. The pelican is a bird which haunts marshy and desolate places. It abounds in the Lake Huleh in Northern Galilee. I am like an owl of the desert; or, "of the ruins." The owl haunts ruins in the East no less than in our... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:6-7

The loneliness of the afflicted. Removed from the interests and activities of life, the bed ridden sufferer feels as if left alone; his very weakness and helplessness make him feel lonely; there must be long hours of the day when he is actually alone, and long, sleepless hours of the night when he seems all alone; and he must go altogether alone down into the "valley of the shadow." Here the psalmist uses as figures three birds which were regarded, in his day, as types of loneliness. The... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 102:6

I am like a pelican of the wilderness - A bird in the midst of desolation becomes a striking image of loneliness and distress. The word rendered “pelican” - קאת qâ'ath - is supposed to have been a name given to the pelican from the idea of vomiting, as it “vomits the shells and other substances which it has too voraciously swallowed.” The word occurs in the following places, where it is rendered as here “pelican:” Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; and in Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, where... read more

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