Psalm 102:11 NLT,NIV,ESV

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 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth ,.... Or, "that is stretched out" F19 נטוי "inclinata", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Musculus, Cocceius; "extensa", Michaelis. , which, though it may appear long, is soon at an end; as it does appear longer when the sun sets F20 "Et sol crescentes decedens duplicat umbras", Virgil. Bacol. Eclog. 2. , and departs from the earth: he reckons his life not by months and years, but by days; and these he compares to a "shadow", which has no... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth - Or rather, My days decline like the shadow. I have passed my meridian, and the sun of my prosperity is about to set for ever. There may be here an allusion to the declination of the sun towards the south, which, by shortening their days, would greatly lengthen their nights. Similar to the exclamation of a contemporary prophet, Jeremiah 8:20 ; : "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." There is now scarcely any human hope... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:11

Verse 11 11.My days are like the shadow which declineth (146) When the sun is directly over our heads, that is to say, at mid-day, we do not observe such sudden changes of the shadows which his light produces; but when he begins to decline towards the west the shadows vary almost every moment, This is the reason why the sacred writer expressly makes mention of the shadow which declineth What he attributes to the afflicted Church seems indeed to be equally applicable to all men; but he had a... 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 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth ; literally, that lengthens, as shadows do when the day declines (comp. Psalms 102:24 ). The psalmist, like his nation, is old before his time; the shades of evening have come upon him, when he should have been in his midday brightness. And I am withered like grass (comp. Psalms 102:4 ). The "I" here is emphatic ( אני )—not only is the psalmist's heart withered, but he himself is altogether scorched and dried up. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth - The shadow made by the gnomon on a sun-dial, which marks the hours as they pass. See 2 Kings 20:10. The idea is that the shadow made by the descending sun was about to disappear altogether. It had become less distinct and clear, and it would soon vanish. It would seem from this, that the dial was so made that the shadow indicating the hour ascended when the sun ascended, and declined when the sun went down. See the notes at Isaiah 38:8.And I am... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 102:11-12

Psalms 102:11-12. My days are like a shadow Which “never continueth in one stay, but is still gliding imperceptibly on, lengthening as it goes, and at last vanisheth into darkness. The period of its existence is limited to a day at farthest. The rising sun gives it birth, and in the moment when the sun sets it is no more.” Horne. And just so, the psalmist intimates, the hopes which they had sometimes entertained of a restitution were quickly cut off and disappointed. But thou shalt endure... read more

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 102:11

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:11

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 102:11

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-28

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:1-28

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 102:11

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 102:11

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 102:11-12

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