102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; 1
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth, 2
102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die, 3
102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,
and praise him 4 in Jerusalem, 5
102:22 when the nations gather together,
and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. 6
102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; 7
he has cut short my days.
102:24 I say, “O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! 8
You endure through all generations. 9
102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;
the skies are your handiwork.
102:26 They will perish,
but you will endure. 10
They will wear out like a garment;
like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. 11
102:27 But you remain; 12
your years do not come to an end.
102:28 The children of your servants will settle down here,
and their descendants 13 will live securely in your presence.” 14
1 tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
2 tn 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.
3 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
4 tn Heb “his praise.”
5 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
6 tn “and the kingdoms to serve the
7 tn 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).
8 tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”
9 tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”
10 tn Heb “stand.”
11 tn 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.
12 tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the
13 tn Or “offspring”; Heb “seed.”
14 tn Heb “before you will be established.”