Psalms 102:23

KJV

¶ He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.

KJV (with Strong's)

He weakened {H6031} my strength {H3581} in the way {H1870}; he shortened {H7114} my days {H3117}.

Complete Jewish Bible

He has broken my strength in midcourse, he has cut short my days.

Berean Standard Bible

He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days.

American Standard Version

He weakened my strength in the way; He shortened my days.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Psalms 102:23 presents a poignant lament from an afflicted psalmist, expressing a profound sense of physical and existential decline. The speaker attributes this weakening of strength and shortening of days directly to God's sovereign hand, a raw and honest cry from one overwhelmed by suffering who feels their life force diminishing and their time on earth prematurely curtailed. This verse encapsulates intense personal anguish, serving as a desperate plea for divine intervention and a backdrop to the psalm's broader prayer for the restoration of Zion.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Psalm 102 is uniquely titled "A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD." It firmly belongs to the genre of individual lament psalms, which typically feature a cry of distress, a vivid description of suffering, a plea for divine help, an expression of trust, and often a vow of praise. The psalm commences with a visceral depiction of the psalmist's personal agony and physical decay, likening himself to a smoldering fire and a solitary bird (vv. 1-11). However, it then undergoes a dramatic and hopeful pivot, shifting focus from personal despair to a fervent intercession for the restoration of Zion and a profound affirmation of God's eternal nature (vv. 12-22). Verse 23 marks a poignant return to the psalmist's personal suffering, emphasizing that despite the preceding theological affirmations and corporate hope, his individual affliction remains pressing and unresolved. This juxtaposition highlights a common tension found throughout the Psalter: the struggle between personal despair and the enduring faithfulness of God.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In ancient Israelite society, a long life was universally regarded as a profound divine blessing and a tangible sign of God's favor, often explicitly linked to obedience to the covenant (e.g., the promise of long life for honoring parents in [Exodus 20:12](/exodus/20-12 "Exodus 20:12 - The Fifth Commandment") or for wisdom in [Proverbs 3:2](/proverbs/3-2 "Proverbs 3:2 - Length of Days")). Conversely, a shortened life, or one marked by severe suffering, could be interpreted as a sign of divine judgment or a profound misfortune. The psalmist's direct attribution of his suffering to God ("He weakened... he shortened") reflects a deeply ingrained monotheistic worldview where God is understood as ultimately sovereign over all circumstances, whether perceived as good or ill (cf. [Isaiah 45:7](/isaiah/45-7 "Isaiah 45:7 - God Creates Good and Evil - God's Sovereignty")). The psalmist's complaint is not an accusation of malice but an honest, raw grappling with the reality of suffering under the hand of an omnipotent God. The phrase "in the way" likely refers to the journey of life, suggesting that the psalmist's vitality is being sapped mid-course, perhaps unexpectedly or unjustly, hindering his ability to continue his life's path.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several foundational themes within Psalm 102 and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it starkly underscores **Divine Sovereignty in Suffering**, portraying God as the active agent behind the psalmist's affliction, a challenging but foundational truth in biblical theology that asserts God's ultimate control over all things. Secondly, it expresses the **Profound Despair and Helplessness** of the human condition when confronted with overwhelming physical and temporal decline. The psalmist's cry is one of existential vulnerability, highlighting the inherent **Fragility of Human Life** and its susceptibility to hardship and a premature end. This theme resonates with other psalms that meditate on human transience, such as [Psalm 90:10](/psalms/90-10 "Psalm 90:10 - The Brevity of Life"). Finally, by contrasting the psalmist's fleeting existence with God's eternal, unchanging nature later in the psalm (e.g., [Psalms 102:25-27](/psalms/102-25-27 "Psalms 102:25-27 - God's Eternal Nature and Unchanging Character")), verse 23 implicitly sets the stage for a deeper understanding of **Hope in God's Enduring Faithfulness**, even in the face of personal transience and the perceived shortening of one's days.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Weakened (Hebrew, _‘ânâh'_):** From H6031, a primitive root meaning "to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive." This verb implies a deliberate, active process of causing distress, diminishing, or humbling someone's state. It is not merely a passive loss of strength but an active, oppressive action that saps one's vital energy and capability, suggesting a profound and intentional divine involvement in the psalmist's plight.
* **Strength (Hebrew, _kôach'_):** From H3581, meaning "vigor, literally (force, in a good or a bad sense) or figuratively (capacity, means, produce)." This term refers to power, vital energy, or ability, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual vitality. When the psalmist states his "strength" is weakened, it signifies a comprehensive diminishment of his entire being—his capacity to live, endure, and function.
* **Shortened (Hebrew, _qâtsar'_):** From H7114, a primitive root meaning "to dock off, i.e. curtail (transitive or intransitive, literal or figurative); especially to harvest (grass or grain)." This verb conveys a sense of abruptness and prematurity. In the context of "days," it speaks to the fear of a life being curtailed before its natural span, or so burdened by suffering that it feels unfulfilled and abruptly ended.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"He weakened my strength in the way":** This clause reveals the psalmist's direct attribution of his physical and vital decline to God. The pronoun "He" refers to the LORD, acknowledging divine sovereignty even in affliction. "Weakened my strength" describes a profound loss of vitality and capability, a sapping of life force that impacts his entire being. "In the way" suggests this weakening is occurring during the course of his life's journey or path, perhaps implying an unexpected or undeserved affliction in the midst of his existence. It paints a vivid picture of someone whose very capacity to navigate life is being actively diminished.
* **"he shortened my days":** This parallel clause intensifies the lament, moving from a loss of vitality to a fear concerning the duration of life itself. The psalmist perceives that his life is being cut short, either literally facing premature death or experiencing such overwhelming suffering that his days feel drastically reduced in quality and potential. This expresses a deep existential fear, as a long life was highly valued in ancient Israel and its curtailment was seen as a grave misfortune or divine judgment.

#### Literary Devices
The profound lament in Psalms 102:23 is amplified through several carefully employed literary devices. The most prominent is **Parallelism**, specifically a form of synonymous or intensifying parallelism. The two clauses, "He weakened my strength in the way" and "he shortened my days," convey a similar core idea of diminishment and decline, with the second clause intensifying the temporal aspect of the psalmist's suffering from a loss of vitality to a fear of premature death. This repetition with variation emphasizes the comprehensive nature of the affliction, impacting both the quality and perceived length of life. The psalmist also employs **Anthropomorphism** by attributing human-like, active verbs—weakening and shortening—to God, underscoring the direct and active role he perceives God playing in his distress. Furthermore, the language likely contains elements of **Hyperbole**, a common feature in lament psalms, where the psalmist expresses the *feeling* of being at death's door or having his life cut short, even if not literally on his deathbed, to convey the overwhelming depth of his despair and the severity of his suffering. The phrase "my strength in the way" can also be seen as a **Metaphor** for the energy, resilience, and vital capacity needed to navigate the challenges and progression of the journey of life.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 102:23 stands as a raw testament to the human experience of suffering and the theological wrestling that often accompanies it. The psalmist's direct attribution of his weakened state and shortened days to God highlights a robust understanding of divine sovereignty, where God is seen as ultimately in control of all circumstances, even those that bring pain and distress. This perspective, while challenging to modern sensibilities, provided a framework for honest lament in ancient Israel, allowing the sufferer to bring their deepest grievances directly to the One they believed held all power. It underscores that true faith does not deny the reality of pain or shy away from questioning God's ways, but rather brings those questions into the divine presence. The verse also implicitly sets the stage for the psalm's later shift to God's eternal nature, contrasting the fleeting, fragile existence of humanity with the unchanging, everlasting God, thereby grounding the psalmist's ultimate hope not in his own strength or longevity, but in the enduring character and faithfulness of the Creator.

* [Job 1:21](/job/1-21 "Job 1:21 - Job's Response to Suffering and God's Sovereignty")
* [Deuteronomy 32:39](/deuteronomy/32-39 "Deuteronomy 32:39 - God's Power Over Life and Death")
* [Psalm 39:4](/psalms/39-4 "Psalm 39:4 - Prayer for Understanding Life's Brevity")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 102:23 offers a profound invitation for believers to engage honestly with their suffering and vulnerability. It validates the experience of feeling overwhelmed, physically drained, and as though life's vitality is being prematurely sapped. The psalmist's direct, unvarnished complaint to God, even attributing his distress to divine action, teaches us that authentic faith does not require us to sanitize our emotions or pretend that God is absent from our pain. Instead, it encourages us to bring our rawest laments, deepest fears, and most perplexing questions before Him, trusting that He hears and cares. This verse reminds us that our lives, our strength, and the very length of our days are ultimately in God's sovereign hands, a truth that can be both profoundly humbling and deeply comforting. While we may not always understand the reasons for our suffering or the brevity of our days, acknowledging God's ultimate control can paradoxically lead to deeper trust, surrender, and a more profound reliance on His enduring character rather than our fleeting circumstances. It also serves as a poignant reminder of the fragility of human existence, prompting us to live with purpose, intentionality, and an eternal perspective, seeking to honor God in the time and strength He has given us, regardless of its perceived length or the trials encountered along the way.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does acknowledging God's sovereignty in suffering, as the psalmist does, challenge or comfort your understanding of divine control in your own life?**
* **In what ways do you currently feel your "strength weakened" or your "days shortened" by life's trials, burdens, or circumstances?**
* **What does the psalmist's honest and direct lament teach you about expressing your deepest emotions, fears, and complaints to God?**
* **Considering the fragility and brevity of human life highlighted in this verse, what does it prompt you to prioritize or re-evaluate in your own life and spiritual walk?**

### FAQ
**Why does the psalmist attribute his suffering directly to God?**

Answer: In ancient Israelite theology, God was understood as supremely sovereign over all things, both good and bad. This comprehensive worldview meant that nothing was seen as happening outside of God's ultimate control or allowance. Therefore, when suffering or misfortune occurred, it was often attributed directly to God's hand, not necessarily as a malicious act of cruelty, but as part of His divine governance, judgment, or mysterious purposes. The psalmist's statement is a raw, honest expression of a suffering individual grappling with a deep theological conviction that God is actively involved in all aspects of life, even the most painful. It signifies a profound trust that even in the midst of affliction, the psalmist's complaint is directed to the only One who has the power to intervene and restore. This perspective is echoed in other biblical texts, such as [Job 1:21](/job/1-21 "Job 1:21 - Job's Response to Suffering") where Job declares, "The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

**What does "in the way" mean here?**

Answer: The phrase "in the way" (Hebrew: בַּדֶּרֶךְ, _baderekh_) can have several layers of meaning. Most commonly, it refers to the journey or course of one's life. Thus, "He weakened my strength in the way" suggests that the psalmist's vitality is being sapped or diminished *during* his life's progression, perhaps unexpectedly or prematurely, as he walks his path. It could also imply that the weakening occurred *on* his path of righteousness or duty, making the suffering even more perplexing or seemingly unjust. In essence, it intensifies the sense that his affliction is not merely an end-of-life decline but an active, ongoing process that is hindering his ability to continue his life's journey with vigor and purpose.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 102:23, with its poignant cry of weakened strength and shortened days, finds its ultimate and profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the psalmist laments his personal suffering, Jesus, the perfect Man, truly experienced the ultimate weakening and shortening of days for the sake of humanity. He was indeed a "man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" ([Isaiah 53:3](/isaiah/53-3 "Isaiah 53:3 - Jesus, a Man of Sorrows")), whose strength was utterly sapped in Gethsemane as He wrestled with the crushing weight of the world's sin, crying out, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death" ([Matthew 26:38](/matthew/26-38 "Matthew 26:38 - Jesus' Anguish in Gethsemane")). His life was undeniably "shortened" by a brutal, premature death on the cross, a death He willingly embraced not for His own sin, but as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")). Yet, unlike the psalmist's lament over personal affliction, Christ's suffering was uniquely redemptive. He, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Sin for Us")). Through His weakened strength and shortened days, He conquered sin, death, and the power of the grave, offering eternal life and true spiritual strength to all who believe. His experience validates our laments and assures us that we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses ([Hebrews 4:15](/hebrews/4-15 "Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus, Our Sympathetic High Priest")), ultimately promising a future where God will wipe away every tear and there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain ([Revelation 21:4](/rev/21-4 "Revelation 21:4 - No More Death or Suffering")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Psalms 89:38

¶ But thou hast cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with thine anointed.

Psalms 89:47

Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

2 Thessalonians 2:3

¶ Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

2 Thessalonians 2:12

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

1 Timothy 4:1

¶ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

1 Timothy 4:3

Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1

¶ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.