Psalm 102:1-14 chanted in the Sarum Use by Sarah James

Themes: The complaint and miserable state of the poor Babylonian captives, the expectation of deliverance, the conversion of the heathen, the termination of the captivity, the great frailty of man, the unchangeableness of God and the permanence of the elect. The Hebrew and nearly all the versions give the following title to this psalm: A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his sighing before the Lord. There seems to be little doubt that this is the prayer of the captives in Babylon, when, towards the end of the captivity, they were almost worn out with oppression, cruelty, and distress. The psalm has been attributed to Daniel, to Jeremiah, to Nehemiah, or to some of the other prophets who flourished during the time of the captivity. (From the Adam Clarke Commentary, 1831)

In Judaism: Psalm 102 is one of 15 that are sung during the Yom Kippur (New Year’s) service by Sephardi Jews. Verse 1 is recited by the sheaves of barley in Perek Shirah (an ancient text). Verse 14 is said in Selichot, which is a compendium of penitential poems and prayers, especially those said in the period leading up to the High Holidays, and on fast days. Sephardi Jews recite verse 14 after the prayer of Ein Keloheinu (a well-known hymn) in the morning service. Psalm 102 is said in times of community crisis and as a prayer for a childless woman to give birth. In the Siddur Sfas Emes, this psalm prayed "for the well-being of a person who is ill.” (Wikipedia)

In Christianity: Verses 25-27 are quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12 as an argument that Jesus is superior to the angels and making Psalm 102 in some sense both a prayer to, and in praise of, Jesus: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak you will fold them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will not fail.”

Nine hundred years ago, the Cathedral of Salisbury, England developed a unique form of chant and liturgy known as the “Use of Salisbury,” or “Sarum Use.” Differences from the Roman rite are both melodic (more florid in the Sarum) and textual (Elizabethan English rather than Latin). The best repository of Sarum Use tones is the St. Dunstan's Plainsong Psalter, from which Sarah has sung this psalm. Additional resources on Sarum Use plainsong at https://canticasacra.org.

Graphics: “Diri Baba mausoleum, Qobustan, Azerbaijan,” an unchanged 2016 photo by Diego Delso, is a Quality image at Wikimedia Commons where it is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en.