Psalm 102:11 kjv
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
Psalm 102:11 nkjv
My days are like a shadow that lengthens, And I wither away like grass.
Psalm 102:11 niv
My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
Psalm 102:11 esv
My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
Psalm 102:11 nlt
My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows.
I am withering away like grass.
Psalm 102 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 8:9 | For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earth are a shadow. | Life's brevity and ignorance compared to a shadow. |
| Job 14:2 | He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and does not endure. | Human fragility, life as a fading flower and shadow. |
| Psa 39:5 | Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before You. | Human life is extremely brief before God. |
| Psa 90:5-6 | You sweep them away as with a flood... they are like grass that sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes... in the evening it fades and withers. | Human life is like rapidly growing and withering grass. |
| Psa 90:9 | For all our days pass away in Your wrath; we finish our years like a sigh. | Life consumed by God's wrath, fleetingly. |
| Psa 103:15-16 | As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes... then it is gone. | Human life's short-lived nature likened to grass. |
| Psa 144:4 | Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. | Human existence as ephemeral as a breath or shadow. |
| 1 Chr 29:15 | For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. | Human life is transient, a temporary stay on earth. |
| Ecc 6:12 | For who knows what is good for a man in life... For who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? | Life's uncertainty and human insignificance. |
| Ecc 7:2 | It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting... for that is the end of all mankind. | Reflection on mortality as a universal end. |
| Isa 40:6-7 | All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers... but the word of our God stands forever. | Contrast between human fragility and God's eternal word. |
| Isa 51:12 | Who are you that you are afraid of mortal man, who is like grass... | Discouraging fear of fleeting human power. |
| Jer 17:8 | He will be like a tree planted by the water... Its leaf will not wither. | Opposite imagery: steadfastness contrasted with withering. |
| Jas 1:10-11 | ...for the rich man will pass away just like flowering grass. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass. | Riches are temporary, life fades like grass. |
| 1 Pet 1:24-25 | For all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers... but the word of the Lord remains forever. | Direct echo of Isa 40, stressing word's eternality. |
| 1 Jn 2:17 | The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. | Worldly things are fleeting, God's will brings eternal life. |
| Psa 89:47-48 | Remember how short my time is; for what vanity You have created all the children of man! What man can live and not see death...? | Plea acknowledging humanity's short life and death. |
| Gen 3:19 | By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground... for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. | The origin of human mortality due to sin. |
| Heb 9:27 | And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment, | Universality and certainty of human death. |
| Ps 78:39 | He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not return. | Humanity's fragile and fleeting existence. |
| Luke 12:20 | But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you...' | The suddenness and unexpected nature of death. |
| Job 7:6 | My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to an end without hope. | Life's rapidity, leading to a hopeless end for the sufferer. |
| Lam 4:7-8 | Her princes were brighter than snow... Now their appearance is blacker than soot. | Example of reversal, fading of strength and beauty. |
Psalm 102 verses
Psalm 102 11 Meaning
Psalm 102:11 expresses the profound despair and acute awareness of the psalmist's own fleeting mortality. Plagued by intense suffering, the individual perceives their life as rapidly declining, likening it to a lengthening evening shadow which quickly vanishes, and to grass that withers and dies, symbolizing swift decay and impermanence. This highlights the ephemeral nature of human existence, especially when confronted with overwhelming affliction, contrasting implicitly with God's eternal nature declared later in the Psalm.
Psalm 102 11 Context
Psalm 102 is categorized as a communal lament, though voiced by an individual who embodies the suffering of Zion, likely during the Babylonian exile or a period of national distress. The superscription describes it as "A Prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out his complaint before the LORD."Verses 1-11 depict the psalmist's intense physical and emotional suffering. They describe isolation (v. 6-7), loss of appetite (v. 4-5), bone-deep pain (v. 3), and ridicule from enemies (v. 8). Verse 11 encapsulates the effect of this profound affliction: the perception that life is rapidly ending due to overwhelming sorrow and weakness. It stands as a climactic expression of his deep distress, preceding a dramatic shift in focus (v. 12ff) to God's enduring reign and ultimate plan for Zion's restoration, contrasting human transience with divine eternity.
Psalm 102 11 Word analysis
My days (יָמַי, yamay): Literally "my days." Refers to the span of one's entire existence, their lifetime. The psalmist perceives his life-duration itself as the subject of decay, emphasizing the totality and immediacy of his felt decline. This is not merely an incidental moment, but his whole remaining life passing away.
are like a shadow (כְּצֵל, kᵉtsel): "Like a shadow." Tsel (צֵל) refers to a shadow or shade. Biblically, shadows are frequently used as a metaphor for something fleeting, transient, insubstantial, or quickly passing. It highlights the non-material and ephemeral nature of life.
that lengthens / that is stretched out (נָטוּי, natuy): The word natuy (נָטוּי) is a passive participle of the verb נָטָה (natah), meaning "to stretch out," "extend," or "incline." When applied to a shadow, especially in this context, it often refers to a shadow cast by the declining sun – an evening shadow that grows long just before disappearing. This particular nuance emphasizes not merely a fleeting shadow, but one that is unmistakably indicating the end of the day and soon will vanish into total darkness, signifying an imminent end or death. This precise imagery enhances the sense of despair and the rapid approach of cessation.
I wither / And I myself like grass have withered (וַאֲנִי כַעֲשָׂב נִבָּל, wa'ani kha'asav nibbal): This second simile reinforces the first.
- And I (wa'ani): Emphatic "I" or "and I myself," highlighting the psalmist's personal state.
- like grass (כַעֲשָׂב, kha'asav): "Like grass." Asav (עָשָׂב) is the common word for grass or herbs. Grass is a frequent biblical metaphor for human frailty, fragility, and short lifespan due to its quick growth and equally quick withering.
- have withered (נִבָּל, nibbal): A passive participle of נָבֵל (naval), meaning "to fade," "wither," or "decay." This word conveys the process of dying, shriveling up, and losing all vitality. The psalmist feels himself to be in this very state of rapid decay, physically and emotionally exhausted to the point of extinction.
Words-group analysis:
- "My days are like a shadow that lengthens": This phrase evokes a sense of closing time, like dusk approaching, where the lengthening shadows prelude the complete disappearance of light. It speaks to a swift and unavoidable demise. It's a vivid image of decline, not merely a state of being a shadow but of becoming one that's about to be gone.
- "I wither like grass": This shifts from the image of light and dark to organic life, specifically plant life known for its quick bloom and decay. It points to an inner dying process, a loss of strength, vitality, and health, culminating in perishing. The combination of these two images portrays an extremely profound and accelerating sense of death, from external perception (shadow) to internal reality (withering body).
Psalm 102 11 Bonus section
The lament psalms often utilize vivid imagery to convey the psalmist's suffering, but Ps 102 stands out for the sheer intensity of its description of bodily and spiritual decay, which here culminates in a sense of utter existential exhaustion. This deep personal suffering also serves as a poignant expression for the corporate distress of Israel in exile. The people felt their collective "days" were like a fading shadow and "withering grass" under God's wrath or prolonged affliction. This individual lament becomes a voice for the community, underscoring the universal human experience of frailty and the shared hope in God's eternal nature as the sole constant amid a world of decay and change. The polemical undertone is subtle but present: in a world where rulers and empires sought to establish eternal legacies, the Bible constantly reminds of the fragility of all human constructs and indeed of human life itself, positioning only the Lord God as truly eternal and unchangeable (Psalm 102:24-27).
Psalm 102 11 Commentary
Psalm 102:11 encapsulates the extreme physical and spiritual exhaustion of the afflicted psalmist. It is a powerful declaration of profound existential anguish, reflecting the belief that suffering has consumed his life so entirely that his existence is quickly evaporating. The twin metaphors of "lengthening shadow" and "withering grass" are masterfully chosen from creation, as they represent the most common and clear examples of quick transience in the ancient world. The lengthening shadow suggests not merely fleetingness but an imminent end, the arrival of night and complete obscurity. The withered grass speaks to irreversible decay and the complete loss of life force. This intense awareness of impending doom serves to heighten the desperation of the psalmist's plea, emphasizing his dire need for divine intervention against his seemingly certain demise. It serves as a stark reminder of humanity's finite nature and reliance on God for sustenance and life, especially when weighed down by trials.