Psalms 102:23-27

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; ¹ 

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! ² 

You endure through all generations. ³ 

102:25 In earlier times you established the earth;

the skies are your handiwork.

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure. ⁴ 

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. ⁵ 

102:27 But you remain; ⁶ 

your years do not come to an end.

[102:23]  ¹ 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).

[102:24]  ² tn Heb “do not lift me up in the middle of my days.”

[102:24]  ³ tn Heb “in a generation of generations [are] your years.”

[102:26]  ⁴ tn Heb “stand.”

[102:26]  ⁵ 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.

[102:27]  ⁶ tn Heb “you [are] he,” or “you [are] the one.” The statement may echo the Lord’s affirmation “I am he” in Isa 41:4; 43:10, 13; 46:10; 48:12. In each of these passages the affirmation emphasizes the fact that the Lord transcends time limitations, the very point being made in Ps 102:27.