Psalm 102:23 kjv
He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
Psalm 102:23 nkjv
He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.
Psalm 102:23 niv
In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.
Psalm 102:23 esv
He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.
Psalm 102:23 nlt
He broke my strength in midlife,
cutting short my days.
Psalm 102 23 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 32:39 | "...See now that I myself am He! ...I kill and I make alive..." | God's absolute power over life and death |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up." | Divine sovereignty over destiny |
| Job 14:5 | "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You..." | God sets limits on human lifespan |
| Ps 39:4-5 | "Show me, Lord, my life’s end... my life is as nothing before You." | Acknowledgement of human brevity |
| Ps 90:10 | "The days of our years are seventy... soon we fly away." | Briefness of human life |
| Isa 38:5 | "...I will add fifteen years to your days." | God's power to extend life (opposite) |
| Prov 10:27 | "The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened." | Divine influence on lifespan through actions |
| Heb 9:27 | "...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment..." | Divine appointment of death |
| Ps 6:2-3 | "Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me..." | Lament over physical and emotional distress |
| Ps 31:10 | "...my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away." | Strength failing due to affliction |
| Ps 38:8 | "I am feeble and sorely broken; I groan because of the commotion..." | Psalmist describes extreme personal weakness |
| Ps 42:3 | "My tears have been my food day and night..." | Deep emotional distress affecting vitality |
| Ps 88:3-4 | "...my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted... a man who has no strength." | Nearing death and profound weakness |
| Lam 3:16 | "He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes..." | Severe suffering causing physical decay |
| Isa 40:29 | "He gives power to the faint, and... increases strength." | God restores strength (counterpoint) |
| Job 30:21 | "You have turned cruel to me; with the might of Your hand You persecute me." | Feeling of divine affliction causing suffering |
| Ps 38:17 | "For I am ready to fall, and my pain is ever before me." | Feeling of impending demise |
| Job 7:6 | "My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to their end..." | Sense of life fleeting rapidly |
| Ps 103:15-16 | "Man, his days are like grass... it is gone..." | Human frailty and transience |
| Jas 4:14 | "You are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes." | New Testament perspective on life's brevity |
| Luke 12:20 | "Fool! This night your soul is required of you..." | Unexpected and divinely appointed end of life |
| Ps 22:15 | "My strength is dried up like a potsherd..." | Describes extreme physical debilitation |
| 2 Cor 4:16 | "Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed..." | Physical decay contrasted with spiritual renewal |
| Phil 3:10 | "...that I may know Him... and the fellowship of His sufferings..." | Suffering accepted in Christ |
Psalm 102 verses
Psalm 102 23 Meaning
Psalm 102:23 expresses the psalmist's profound distress, asserting that God has directly caused his physical vitality to diminish and his life's journey to be prematurely shortened. This deeply personal lament articulates a sense of impending death and total loss of strength, which the suffering individual attributes to divine intervention. It highlights a critical moment of despair where the psalmist perceives God as actively withdrawing the blessings of health and longevity.
Psalm 102 23 Context
Psalm 102 is a "prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out his lament before the Lord." The chapter begins with the psalmist crying out to God from his profound misery (vv. 1-2). He vividly describes his physical decay, emotional isolation, and intense suffering, portraying himself as wasting away, consumed by sorrow, and experiencing the signs of rapid aging (vv. 3-11). Verse 23 deepens this personal complaint, asserting that God Himself is the agent behind this perceived curtailment of life. This direct accusation leads into a pivotal contrast in the psalm, where the psalmist then shifts from his own transient suffering to reflect on God's eternal nature and immutable reign (vv. 12-22). The lament serves not only as a personal plea but often symbolizes the suffering of Israel, possibly during or after the Babylonian exile, a community experiencing the weakening of their national strength and a feeling that their existence was being cut short. The psalm’s movement from deep despair to hope is predicated on God's unchanging character and promise to rebuild Zion.
Psalm 102 23 Word analysis
He weakened: From the Hebrew root kachash (כָּחַשׁ), which means "to become lean, thin, waste away." In the Piel stem, as used here (kikkēsh), it actively means "He caused to waste away" or "He made weak." This implies a deliberate and effective action by God leading to the psalmist’s debilitating physical and spiritual state, not merely a natural process of aging. It points to a profound diminution of vital energy and health.
my strength: Hebrew kochi (כֹּחִי), referring to power, vigor, might, or vital force. It encompasses physical ability, endurance, and overall life energy. The psalmist feels that his very capacity to live and function is being drained.
in the way: Hebrew ba-derekh (בַּדֶּרֶךְ), literally "on the road" or "on the path." Metaphorically, this refers to "in the course of my life's journey" or "in the midst of my appointed life span." It signifies that the weakening and shortening are occurring during his progression through life, prematurely interrupting his journey rather than at its natural culmination.
He shortened: Hebrew kiṭṣēr (קִצֵּר), meaning "to cut short, to diminish, to prune." This is an active and decisive verb, suggesting a deliberate act of truncation, preventing the full measure of life.
my days: Hebrew yamay (יָמַי), meaning "my days," signifying his lifespan or the allotted period of his life.
"He weakened my strength": This phrase speaks of an internal and progressive decay of vitality. The active role of God is paramount; the psalmist attributes his internal wasting away directly to divine agency, not merely to natural disease or old age. This points to a theological interpretation of suffering.
"He shortened my days": This parallel clause speaks of the truncation of life itself, implying that his expected lifespan is being cut short. Together, the two clauses emphasize a comprehensive divine assault on his physical being and his temporal existence, magnifying the psalmist’s desperate plight and deep sense of abandonment.
Psalm 102 23 Bonus section
- The radical honesty of the psalmist in accusing God of shortening his life reveals a core aspect of Israelite lament psalms: permission to vent deepest sorrow and frustration directly to God without fear of reprisal, rooted in covenant relationship.
- This verse stands in tension with covenant promises of long life for obedience (e.g., Ex 20:12; Deut 5:33). The psalmist's complaint here suggests that from his perspective, these blessings are clearly not being experienced, indicating either his or the community's suffering under perceived divine discipline.
- The personal anguish articulated here for a prematurely curtailed life might resonate with contemporary experiences of chronic illness, terminal diagnoses, or unfulfilled potential due to debilitating circumstances.
- The "way" (derekh) not only signifies the path of life but often holds ethical implications in Psalms (e.g., "the way of the righteous," "the way of the wicked"). While here literal lifespan is primary, the implication of the course of his existence being affected by God remains.
Psalm 102 23 Commentary
Psalm 102:23 captures the apex of the psalmist's personal anguish, where suffering is understood as a direct imposition by God. It is a bold theological assertion in the midst of despair: the psalmist perceives God not as distant or indifferent, but as the active agent causing his strength to wane and his life to be prematurely cut off. This intimate attribution of suffering to God reflects the psalmist's deep relationship with Him, allowing for raw honesty in complaint. The verse underscores the fragility of human life and our dependence on God for breath and days. Yet, this lament, placed amidst pleas for Zion's restoration and the contemplation of God's eternal nature (vv. 12, 24-28), sets up a powerful contrast. It positions human transience against divine immutability, creating the theological ground for the psalmist to appeal to God's unchanging character as the basis for hope, despite current affliction. The paradox lies in finding hope for an extended life from the very Being who seems to be shortening it, ultimately trusting in God's faithfulness beyond immediate suffering.