Psalm 102 4

Psalm 102:4 kjv

My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.

Psalm 102:4 nkjv

My heart is stricken and withered like grass, So that I forget to eat my bread.

Psalm 102:4 niv

My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food.

Psalm 102:4 esv

My heart is struck down like grass and has withered; I forget to eat my bread.

Psalm 102:4 nlt

My heart is sick, withered like grass,
and I have lost my appetite.

Psalm 102 verses

Psalm 102 4 Meaning

Psalm 102:4 vividly portrays a psalmist overwhelmed by severe affliction. His inner being, his heart, is so intensely struck and damaged that it is likened to grass that swiftly withers under scorching conditions. This internal decay is so profound that it impacts his most basic biological needs, causing him to neglect or "forget" to consume his daily sustenance, his bread. It is an expression of deep physical debilitation and profound emotional and spiritual despair that extinguishes even the primal drive for self-preservation.

Psalm 102 4 Context

Psalm 102 is explicitly titled "A Prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the LORD." This verse, Psalm 102:4, fits perfectly within this description, representing one of the deepest points of the psalmist's suffering. The chapter opens with a desperate cry for God to hear his prayer and not hide His face. The psalmist details a litany of personal distress, including physical decay (bones cleaving to skin, wasted away), social isolation, sleeplessness, and the metaphor of heart consumed like a hearth. This verse highlights the physical manifestation of deep emotional and spiritual anguish. It precedes a shift in the psalm where the sufferer turns from personal lament to expressing profound trust in God's eternal nature and His future restoration of Zion, a perspective gained even from the depths of personal agony. The historical context for such a lament could be the Babylonian exile or a time of great national or personal crisis leading to extreme hardship and despair.

Psalm 102 4 Word analysis

• My heart (לִבִּי, libbi): From לֵב (lev), the Hebrew word for "heart." In biblical thought, the heart is not merely an organ but the seat of intellect, emotion, will, and conscience—the core of a person's inner life and being. So, "my heart" means my very essence, my inner person.
• is struck down (הֻכָּה, hukkah): This is a Niphal perfect verb from the root נָכָה (nakah), meaning "to strike," "to smite," "to beat." The Niphal stem denotes a passive voice, indicating that the action is done to the psalmist's heart, not by it. It suggests an external, forceful, and destructive blow, implying deep harm inflicted by a source beyond himself, possibly God's judgment, or severe trial.
• like grass (כָּעֵשֶׂב, ka'esev): This is a simile. עֵשֶׂב ('esev) refers to "grass," "herbage," or "vegetation." Grass in the ancient Near East was known for its rapid growth and equally rapid wilting under intense sun or drought (Isa 40:6-8; Ps 90:5-6). The comparison emphasizes the psalmist's extreme frailty, transience, and the rapid, devastating decay of his inner being and vitality.
• and has withered (וַיִּבָשׁ, vayyibash): This verb is יָבַשׁ (yabash), meaning "to dry up," "to wither," "to shrivel." It directly follows the simile of "like grass" and powerfully reinforces the image of depletion of life force, dehydration, and a shriveled, dying state. It points to a complete loss of vigor and life's moisture, indicating total desolation.
• I forget (שָׁכַחְתִּי, shakhakhti): This is a verb from שָׁכַח (shakach), meaning "to forget," "to neglect," "to fail to remember." Here, it's not a mere memory lapse but a deep disinterest or incapacitation so severe that a fundamental survival instinct is ignored. It reflects a profound level of despair, where the will to live is eroded, leading to a neglect of basic needs.
• to eat my bread (מֵאֲכֹל לַחְמִי, me'akhol lachmi): לֶחֶם (lechem), "bread," represents food in general, daily sustenance, the most fundamental necessity for life and livelihood. "To eat my bread" signifies the basic act of self-preservation. Neglecting this speaks volumes about the depth of the psalmist's sorrow and despondency; his physical hunger is overshadowed by his inner torment.

Words-group analysis:

• "My heart is struck down like grass and has withered": This phrase combines a physical impact (struck down) with organic decay (withered), portraying an inner vitality that is brutally assaulted and rapidly diminishing. It suggests that his emotional and mental suffering is so intense it is physically consuming him, reducing him to a dried, fragile husk, mirroring his own perception of human transience.
• "I forget to eat my bread": This expresses an ultimate level of despair or psychological incapacitation. When the basic drive for survival (eating) is abandoned or neglected, it signals a complete absorption in suffering, a state where life itself seems undesirable or impossible to maintain. It is a powerful illustration of the link between profound spiritual/emotional distress and physical breakdown.

Psalm 102 4 Bonus section

• The Niphal participle "is struck down" (הֻכָּה, hukkah) in Hebrew carries a passive sense, implying that this severe blow is inflicted upon the psalmist, rather than being self-induced. This could be interpreted as a trial permitted by God, a consequence of circumstances, or an attack from unseen forces, highlighting the psalmist's helplessness.
• The progression from internal "heart" being "struck down" and "withered" to the external, tangible consequence of "forgetting to eat" demonstrates the biblical understanding of psychosomatic unity—how spiritual and emotional states deeply impact the physical body. This is a common theme throughout the Psalms and the book of Job, where inner anguish frequently manifests as physical decline.
• This verse can also be seen as a human echo of the spiritual hunger and thirst, reminding us that while physical sustenance is vital, there is a deeper, spiritual sustenance (like the "bread of life" Jesus speaks of in Jn 6:35) that truly nourishes the inner man, which, when absent or ignored, can lead to this same kind of deep spiritual and existential withering.

Psalm 102 4 Commentary

Psalm 102:4 offers a deeply poignant portrait of a person overwhelmed by suffering. The psalmist's "heart"—his very inner core, intellect, and emotion—is depicted as having received a devastating blow, causing it to "wither" like sun-scorched grass. This imagery underscores the extreme vulnerability of human life and the swift, destructive impact of severe affliction. The choice of "grass" as a simile emphasizes not only transience but also the sudden, non-recovering nature of this inner decay; the life has simply drained away.

The subsequent declaration, "I forget to eat my bread," provides a raw, visceral illustration of the spiritual and psychological toll. Eating bread is not just an action; it represents life-sustaining nourishment. To neglect such a fundamental necessity indicates a complete disengagement from the will to live, or an incapacitation so profound that the individual is no longer governed by basic instincts. It speaks to a level of despair that blinds one to self-preservation, where the inward agony completely eclipses outward realities and physical needs. This verse beautifully sets the stage for the subsequent desperate cries to God, emphasizing that from the lowest depths of human experience, true help and hope must come from a source beyond oneself.