Psalms 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
days	יָ֭מַי Ya.mai	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix
shadow	כְּצֵ֣ל ke.Tzel	H6738	shade · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
declineth	נָט֑וּי na.Tui	H5186	to stretch or spread out · verb, qal passive participle, masculine singular absolute
withered	אִיבָֽשׁ 'i.Vash	H3001	to be ashamed · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
grass	כָּעֵ֥שֶׂב ka.'E.sev	H6212	grass (or any tender shoot) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Job 14:2 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Psalms 109:23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
Psalms 144:4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
1 Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
Isaiah 40:6-8 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
James 1:10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vani…
Psalms 39:5-6 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether v…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 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 us in prayer; but here, as often elsewhere, the Holy Ghost has drawn up our petition for us, has put words into our mouths. Hos 14:2, Take with you words. Here is a prayer put into the hands of the affli…

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John Gill on Psalms 102:11

My days are like a shadow that declineth,.... Or, "that is stretched out" (s), which, though it may appear long, is soon at an end; as it does appear longer when the sun sets (t), 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 substance in it; his age being as nothing before the Lord, and has much darkness and obscurity in it; his days being days of darkness, affliction, and trouble, and quickly gone, as man's life is; there is no abiding; see 1 Chronicles 29:15. Pindar (u) calls man the dream of a shadow: and I am withered like grass; which in the morning is flourishing, is cut down at noon, and wither…

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John Calvin on Psalms 102:8-11

Psalm 102:8-11 8. My enemies have reviled me daily; and those who are mad against me have sworn by me. [143] 9. For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, [or, with my tears,] 10. On account of thy indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down. 11. My days are like a shadow which declineth; and I am dried up like the grass. 8. My enemies have reviled me daily The faithful, to excite the compassion of God towards them, tell him that they are not only objects of mockery to their enemies, but also that they swore by them. The indignity complained of is, that the ungodly so shamefully triumphed over God's chosen people, as even to borrow fro…

The Church Fathers

My days have declined like a shadow. If my days, how much more my nights? that is, if the light, how much more the darkness? And I have withered like grass. For as grass, so man passes away, and is dried up.
— Jerome, Homily 28, on Psalm 101

"My days have declined like a shadow" [Psalm 102:11]....He had said above, "My days are consumed away like smoke;" and he now says, "My days have declined like a shadow." In this shadow, day must be recognised; in this shadow, light must be discerned; lest afterward it be said in late and fruitless repentance, "What has pride profited us? Or what good has riches with our vaunting brought us? All those things are passed away like a shadow." [Wisdom 5:8-9] Say at this season, all things will pass away like a shadow, and you may not pass away like a shadow. "My days have declined like a shadow, and I am withered like grass." For he had said above, "my heart is smitten down, and I am withered like grass." But the grass bedewed with the Saviour's blood will flourish afresh. "I have withered like grass;" I, that is, man, after that disobedience; this I have suffered from Your just judgment: but what are You?
— Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 102

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Life · BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF — BREVITY AND UNCERTAINTY OF

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Psalms 102:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 102:1-11

John Gill on Psalms 102:11

John Calvin on Psalms 102:8-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Psalms 102:11

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Psalms 102:1-11

John Gill on Psalms 102:11

John Calvin on Psalms 102:8-11

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Keil & Delitzsch on Psalms 102:9-11

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Psalms 102:11

Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 102:11