Henry Ainsworth on Psalms 102

PSAL. CII.

A praier for the poore afflicted when he shall be overwhelmed, and shall powre forth his meditation before Iehovah.

IEhovah heare my praier, and let my cry come unto thee. Hide not thy face from me in the day of distresse upon me, incline thine eare unto me; in the day I cal, make hasle, answer me. For my daies are consumed as smoke, and my bones are burnt as an hearth. Mine heart is smitten as grasse and withered, that I forget to eat my bread. For the voice of groning, my bone cleaveth to my flesh. I am like to a Pelican of the wildernesse: I am as an Owle of the desarts. I watch and am as a Sparrow, solitary upon the house roofe. All the day mine enemies doe reproach mee, they that rage against me, have sworne against me. For I eat ashes as bread, and mingle my drinkes with weeping. Because of thine angry threat and thy fervent wrath, for thou hast heaved me up, and cast me downe. My daies are as a shadow declined, and I am withered as grasse. And thou Iehovah sittest for ever, and thy memoriall to generation and generation. Thou wilt arise, wilt have tender meroy upon Sion, for the time to be gracious unto it, for the appointed time is come.

For thy servants delight in the stones thereof, and doe pitty the dust thereof. And the heathens shall feare the name of Iehovah, and all the Kings of the earth thy glory. When Iehovah shall build up Sion, shall appeare in his glory. Shall turne unto the praier of the lowly, and not despise their praier. This shall be written for the generation after, and the people created shall praise Iah.

For he hath looked downe from the height of his holinesse, Iehovah from the heavens did behold the earth. To heare the groaning of the prisoner, to loose the sonnes of death.

To tell in Sion the name of Iehovah, and his praise in Ierusalem. When the peoples shall be gathered together, & the kingdomes to serve Iehovah. Hee hath afflicted my strength in the way, hee hath shortened my daies. I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, thy yeers are through generation of generations. Afore-time thou hast founded the earth, and the heavens are the worke of thine hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt stand; and they all shall wex old as a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy yeeres shall not be ended. The sonnes of thy servants shall dwell, and their seed shal be established before thee.

Annotations. FOr the poore] agreeing to his estate; or, of the poore. overwhelmed] with feares, cares, sorrowes, &c. see Psal. 61. 3. Vers. 4. as smoke] or, with the smoke, vanishing in the aire, so Psal. 37. 20. The Hebrew letters [non-Latin text not transcribed] beth, with, and [non-Latin text not transcribed] caph, as, are one like another, & sometime put one for another, as 2 Sam. 5. 24. with 1 Chron. 14. 15. an hearth] the place whereon fire burneth. Compare Iob 30. 30. Vers. 5. as grasse] or as the herbs smitten with blasting, Amos 4. 9. to eat my bread] The Chaldee applieth this to the bread of the soule, the Law of God. Vers. 6. to my flesh] that is, my skin, as Iob 19. 20. so elsewhere skin is put for flesh, Iob 18. 13. See also Lam. 4. 8. V. 7. a Pelican] a bird living in wilde & desolate places, Zeph. 2. 14. Esa. 34. 11. It seemeth to have the name in Hebrew of vomiting, and to be that fowle which we call the shovelard, which swalloweth shell-fishes, and after vomiteth them to get the fish. It was a bird uncleane by the law, Levit. 11. 18. Some thinke it to be the bittour, which maketh a loud and dolefull noise. Compare Iob 30. 29. Vers. 9. rage against me] or vaunt against; or, would make a foole of mee: the Greeke saith, that praise me; meaning fainedly. The word signifieth to lift up with praise and glory; and also ingloriously to vaunt, rage, or be mad: see Psal. 5. 6. and 75. 5. The word against is here to be understood: as in Prov. 8. 35. he that sinneth against me. An example of such raging madnesse, see against Christ, Luke 6. 11. Vers. 12. declined] or stretched out; as the shadow of the Sunne, when it is neere downe, which though it seeme longer, yet soone passeth away. So Psal. 109. 23. and 144. 4. Vers. 13. sittest] that is, continuest, as the Greeke explaineth it: for sitting and standing (as after in vers. 27.) are often used for sure and setled abiding. The Chaldee addeth, sittest for ever in heaven. thy memoriall] or remembrance of thee: so Psa. 135. 13. from Exod. 3. 15. Vers. 14. the appointed time] promised for restauration of the Church, as Dan. 9. 2. 24, 25. &c. Ier. 29. 10. Vers. 15. delight] or doe favour the stones, though ruinous: as Nehem. 2. 13, &c. and 4. 2. Zach. 1. 12. Vers. 18. the lowly] so the Greeke here turneth it, which elsewhere we call heath, that groweth in the wildernesse, Ier. 17. 6. and 48. 6. by the name in Hebrew, it seemeth to be some naked shrub, and so a fit resemblance of Gods afflicted people, made low, naked, and desolate by their enemies. Or we may turne it, the broken downe, or ruined, from Ier. 51. 58. Vers. 19. This shall be] or, Let this be written, to wit, for remembrance to ages after, as Ex[illegible: 1 letter], 17. 14. Deut. 31. 19. 21. This sheweth these to be prophesses for our times. created] that is, restored and made a new; as Ps. 104. 30. Esa. 65. 18. created in Christ Iesus unto good workes, Eph. 2. 10. So, a people borne, Psal. 22. 32. Vers. 20. the height of his holinesse] that is, his holy high place, or his high sanctuary, meaning heaven. This is taken from Deut. 26. 15. Vers. 21. groaning] or mournfull cry: so Psal. 79. 11. sonnes of death] appointed to die, as Psal. 79. 11. Vers. 24. in the way] in the course of my life; see Psal. 2. 12. He respecteth the affliction of Israel, in the way that God led them thorow the wildernesse, Deut. 8. 2, 3. Vers. 25. take me not away] or, make me not ascend: see Iohn 12. 32. The Chaldee addeth, take mee not away out of this world, bring mee unto the world that is to come. Vers. 26. Afore-time] that is, At the beginning, as Heb. 1. 10. where these things spoken to God, are applied to Christ, to prove his god head. Vers. 27. shalt stand] that is, endure or continue, as the Greeke expresseth it, Heb. 1. 11. change them] by folding them up, as the Greeke explaineth, Heb. 1. 12. for the heavens when they are changed shall be folden like a booke, Esa. 34. 4. V. 28. art the same] or, art he, that is, unchangeable, Mal. 3. 6. Iam. 1. 17. Vers. 29. shall dwell] to wit, in Sion, vers. 14. 22. as is also expressed, Psal. 69. 36, 37. before thee] that is, so long as thou dost dure, meaning for ever, as the Greeke well explaineth it. So, before the Moone and Sunne, Psal. 72. 5. 17. is so long as the Moone and Sunne endure.