Psalms 102:1

Psalm 102 ¹ 

The prayer of an oppressed man, as he grows faint and pours out his lament before the Lord.

102:1 O Lord, hear my prayer!

Pay attention to my cry for help! ² 

Psalms 102:12

102:12 But you, O Lord, rule forever, ³ 

and your reputation endures. ⁴ 

Psalms 102:15-16

102:15 The nations will respect the reputation of the Lord, ⁵ 

and all the kings of the earth will respect ⁶  his splendor,

102:16 when the Lord rebuilds Zion,

and reveals his splendor,

Psalms 102:18-19

102:18 The account of his intervention ⁷  will be recorded for future generations;

people yet to be born will praise the Lord.

102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; ⁸ 

from heaven the Lord will look toward earth, ⁹ 

Psalms 102:21-22

102:21 so they may proclaim the name of the Lord in Zion,

and praise him ¹⁰  in Jerusalem, ¹¹ 

102:22 when the nations gather together,

and the kingdoms pay tribute to the Lord. ¹² 

[102:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 102. The psalmist laments his oppressed state, but longs for a day when the Lord will restore Jerusalem and vindicate his suffering people.

[102:1]  ² tn Heb “and may my cry for help come to you.”

[102:12]  ³ tn Heb “sit” (i.e., sit enthroned, see Ps 9:7). The imperfect verbal form highlights the generalization.

[102:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and your remembrance [is] for a generation and a generation.”

[102:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “will fear the name of the Lord.” To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for his revealed reputation which in turn motivates one to obey God’s commands (see Ps 86:11).

[102:15]  ⁶ tn The verb “will fear” is understood by ellipsis in the second line (see the preceding line).

[102:18]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[102:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”

[102:19]  ¹⁰ 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.

[102:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his praise.”

[102:21]  ¹² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[102:22]  ¹³ tn “and the kingdoms to serve the Lord.”