TRV
Translation
King James Version
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.
Complete Jewish Bible
I plead, "God, your years last through all generations; so don't take me away when my life is half over!
Berean Standard Bible
I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
American Standard Version
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations.
World English Bible Messianic
I said, “My God, don’t take me away in the midst of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.
Geneva Bible (1599)
And I sayd, O my God, take me not away in the middes of my dayes: thy yeeres endure from generation to generation.
Young's Literal Translation
I say, `My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations are Thine years.
In the KJVVerse 15,546 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 102 verses 23–28
23 ¶ He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
24 I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
We may here observe,
I. The imminent danger that the Jewish church was in of being quite extirpated and cut off by the captivity in Babylon (Psa 102:23): He weakened my strength in the way. They were for many ages in the way to the performance of the great promise made to their fathers concerning the Messiah, longing as much for it as ever a traveller did to be at his journey's end. The legal institutions led them in the way; but when the ten tribes were lost in Assyria, and the two almost lost in Babylon, the strength of that nation was weakened, and, in all appearance, its day shortened; for they said, Our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts, Eze 37:11. And then what becomes of the promise that Shiloh should arise out of Judah, the star out of Jacob, and the Messiah out of the family of David? If these fail, the promise fails. This the psalmist speaks of as in his own person, and it is very applicable to two of the common afflictions of this time: - 1. To be sickly. Bodily distempers soon weaken our strength in the way, make the keepers of the house to tremble and the strong men to bow themselves. 2. To be short-lived. Where the former is felt, this is feared; when in the midst of our days, according to a course of nature, our strength is weakened, what can we expect but that the number of our months should be cut off in the midst? and what should we do but provide accordingly? We must own God's hand in it (for in his hand our strength and time are), and must reconcile it to his love, for it has often been the lot of those that have used their strength well to have it weakened, and of those that could very ill be spared to have their days shortened.
II. A prayer for the continuance of it (Psa 102:24): "O my God! take me not away in the midst of my days; let not this poor church be cut off in the midst of the days assigned it by the promise; let it not be cut off till the Messiah shall come. Destroy it not, for that blessing is in it," Isa 65:8. She is a criminal, but, for the sake of that blessing which is in her, she pleads for a reprieve. This is a prayer for the afflicted, and which, with submission to the will of God, we may in faith put up, that God would not take us away in the midst of our days, but that, if it be his will, he would spare us to do him further service and to be made riper for heaven.
III. A plea to enforce this prayer taken from the eternity of the Messiah promised, Psa 102:25-27. The apostle quotes these verses (Heb 1:10-12) and tells us, He saith this to the Son, and in that exposition we must acquiesce. It is very comfortable, in reference to all the changes that pass over the church, and all the dangers it is in, that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and for ever. Thy years are throughout all generations, and cannot be shortened. It is likewise comfortable in reference to the decay and death of our own bodies, and the removal of our friends from us, that God is an everliving God, and that therefore, if he be ours, in him we may have everlasting consolation. In this plea observe how, to illustrate the eternity of the Creator, he compares it with the mutability of the creature; for it is God's sole prerogative to be unchangeable. 1. God made the world, and therefore had a being before it from eternity. The Son of God, the eternal Word, made the world. It is expressly said, All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made; and therefore the same was in the beginning from eternity with God, and was God, Joh 1:1-3; Col 1:16; Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2. Earth and heaven, and the hosts of both, include the universe and its fulness, and these derive their being from God by his Son (Psa 102:25): "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, which is founded on the seas and on the floods and yet it abides; much more shall the church, which is built upon a rock. The heavens are the work of thy hands, and by thee are all their motions and influences directed;" God is therefore the fountain, not only of all being, but of all power and dominion. See how fit the great Redeemer is to be entrusted with all power, both in heaven and in earth, since he himself, as Creator of both, perfectly knows both and is entitled to both. 2. God will unmake the world again, and therefore shall have a being to eternity (Psa 102:26, Psa 102:27): They shall perish, for thou shalt change them by the same almighty power that made them, and therefore, no doubt, thou shalt endure; thou art the same. God and the world, Christ and the creature, are rivals for the innermost and uppermost place in the soul of man, the immortal soul; now what is here said, one would think, were enough to decide the controversy immediately and to determine us for God and Christ. For, (1.) A portion in the creature is fading and dying: They shall perish; they will not last so long as we shall last. The day is coming when the earth and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up; and then what will become of those that have laid up their treasure in it? Heaven and earth shall wax old as a garment, not by a gradual decay, but, when the set time comes, they shall be laid aside like an old garment that we have no more occasion for: As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed, not annihilated, but altered, it may be so that they shall not be at all the same, but new heavens and a new earth. See God's sovereign dominion over heaven and earth. He can change them as he pleases and when he pleases; and the constant changes they are subject to, in the revolutions of day and night, summer and winter, are earnests of their last and final change, when the heavens and time (which is measured by them) shall be no more. (2.) A portion in God is perpetual and everlasting: Thou art the same, subject to no change; and thy years have no end, Psa 102:27. Christ will be the same in the performance that he was in the promise, the same to his church in captivity that he was to his church at liberty. Let not the church fear the weakening of her strength, or the shortening of her days, while Christ himself is both her strength and her life; he is the same, and has said, Because I live you shall live also. Christ came in the fulness of time, and set up his kingdom in spite of the power of the Old Testament Babylon, and he will keep it up in spite of the power of the New Testament Babylon.
IV. A comfortable assurance of an answer to this prayer (Psa 102:28): The children of thy servants shall continue; since Christ is the same, the church shall continue from one generation to another; from the eternity of the head we may infer the perpetuity of the body, though often weak and distempered, and even at death's door. Those that hope to wear out the saints of the Most High will be mistaken. Christ's servants shall have children; those children shall have a seed, a succession, of professing people; the church, as well as the world, is under the influence of that blessing, Be fruitful and multiply. These children shall continue, not in their own persons, by reason of death, but in their seed, which shall be established before God (that is, in his service, and by his grace); the entail of religion shall not be cut off while the world stands, but, as one generation of good people passes away, another shall come, and thus the throne of Christ shall endure.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 23–28. Public domain.
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Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
HOMILIES ON GENESIS 15:6
That which is said is also fulfilled in the saint: "I will recall you from there in the end." For the end is considered to be the perfection of things and the consummation of virtues. Indeed for this reason also another saint said, "Don't recall me in the midst of my days." And again the Scripture bestows testimony on the great patriarch Abraham since "Abraham died full of days." This statement, therefore, "I will recall you from there in the end," is as if he had said, Since "you have fought a good fight, you have kept the faith, you have finished the course," I will now recall you from this world to the future blessing, to the perfection of eternal life, to "the crown of justice that the Lord will give in the end of the ages to all who love him."
Dionysius of AlexandriaAD 264
FRAGMENT 1:3.11
And this is true. For no one is able to comprehend the works of God altogether. Moreover, the world is the work of God. No one, then, can find out as to this world what is its space from the beginning and to the end, that is to say, the period appointed for it and the limits before determined for it; in view of the fact that God has set the whole world as a realm of ignorance in our hearts. And thus one says, “Declare to me the shortness of my days.” In this manner, and for our profit, the end of this world [age]—that is to say, this present life—is a thing of which we are ignorant.
Athanasius of AlexandriaAD 373
DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT 14
For although it is hidden and unknown to all, what period of time is allotted to each and how it is allotted, yet every one knows this, that as there is a time for spring and for summer, and for autumn and for winter, so, as it is written, there is a time to die and a time to live. And so the time of the generation that lived in the days of Noah was cut short, and their years were contracted, because the time of all things was at hand. But to Hezekiah were added fifteen years. As God promises to them that serve him truly, “I will fulfill the number of your days,” Abraham dies “full of days,” and David urgently begged God, saying, “Don’t take me away in the midst of my days.” And Eliphaz, one of the friends of Job, being assured of this truth, said, “You shall come to your grave like ripe corn, gathered in due time, and like as a shock of corn comes in its season.” Solomon, confirming his words, says, “The souls of the unrighteous are untimely taken away.” And therefore he exhorts in the book of Ecclesiastes, saying, “Don’t be too wicked, neither be hard: why should you die before your time?”
Athanasius of AlexandriaAD 373
DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT 15
Now as these things are written in the Scriptures, the case is clear, that the saints know that a certain time is measured to every person, but that no one knows the end of that time is plainly intimated by the words of David, “Declare to me the shortness of my days.” He desired information about that which he did not know. Accordingly the rich man also, while he thought that he had still a long time to live, heard the words, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” And the Preacher speaks confidently in the Holy Spirit and says, “A person also does not know his time.” Wherefore the patriarch Isaac said to his son Esau, “Behold, I am old, and I know not the day of my death.”
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 102
Let not therefore heretics flatter themselves against me, because I said, "the shortness of my days," as if they would not last down to the end of the world. For what has he added? "O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days" [Psalm 102:24]. Deal Thou not with me according as heretics speak. Lead me on unto the end of the world, not only to the middle of my days; and finish my short days, that You may afterwards grant unto me eternal days. Wherefore then have you asked concerning the shortness of your days? Wherefore? Do you wish to hear? "Your years are in the generation of generations." This is why I asked concerning those short days, because although my days should endure unto the end of the world, yet they are short in comparison of Your days. For "Your years are in the generation of generations." Wherefore does he not say, Your years are unto worlds of worlds; for thus rather is eternity usually signified in the holy Scriptures; but he says, "Your years are in the generation of generations"? But what are your years? What, but those which do not come, and then pass away? What, but they which come not, so as to cease again? For every day in this season so comes as to cease again; every hour, every month, every year; nothing of these is stationary; before it has come, it is to be; after it has come, it will not be. Those everlasting years of yours, therefore, those years that are not changed, "are in the generation of generations." There is a "generation of generations;" in that shall your years be. There is one such, and if we acknowledge it aright, we shall be in it, and the years of God shall be in us. How shall they be in us? Just as God Himself shall be in us: whence it is said, "That God may be all in all." [1 Corinthians 15:28] For the years of God, and God Himself, are not different: but the years of God are the eternity of God: eternity is the very substance of God, which has nothing changeable; there nothing is past, as if it were no longer: nothing is future, as if it existed not as yet. There is nothing there but, Is: there is not there, Was, and Will be; because what was, is now no longer: and what will be, is not as yet: but whatever is there, simply Is....Behold this great I Am! What is man's being to this? To this great I Am, what is man, whatever he be? Who can understand that To Be? Who can share it? Who can pant, aspire, presume that he may be there? Despair not, human frailty! "I am," He says, "the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." You have heard what I am in Myself: now hear what I am on your account. This eternity then has called us, and the Word burst forth from eternity. It is now eternity, it is now the Word, and no longer time.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Psalms 102:24 is a poignant lament from an afflicted soul, expressing a desperate plea to God for preservation from an untimely death, even as the psalmist acknowledges the profound contrast between their own fleeting existence and God's eternal, unchanging nature. This verse serves as a pivot in the psalm, moving from deep personal suffering to a foundational declaration of divine timelessness, offering an anchor of hope amidst human transience.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 102:24 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful message. The most prominent is Juxtaposition, where the psalmist's acute awareness of human mortality ("take me not away in the midst of my days") is set in stark contrast to the absolute and unending eternity of God ("thy years [are] throughout all generations"). This contrast profoundly amplifies both the poignancy of human fragility and the magnificent transcendence of the divine. The direct address, "O my God," is an example of Apostrophe, a figure of speech where the speaker addresses an absent person or an abstract idea. Here, it conveys the psalmist's intimate and desperate appeal to a personal God. The lament itself is a form of Supplication, a humble and earnest prayer, reflecting the psalmist's deep distress and reliance on divine intervention. The phrase "in the midst of my days" can also be seen as a form of Merism, where two contrasting parts represent a whole (here, the "midst" implies the whole span of life, and the fear is of not reaching its natural end), or even a subtle Hyperbole, exaggerating the feeling of a life cut short to emphasize the intensity of the suffering and the perceived injustice of an untimely end.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 102:24 profoundly connects the brevity of human life with the enduring nature of God, a central theme throughout biblical theology. It underscores the theological truth of God's immutability and eternal sovereignty, providing a stable foundation for faith amidst the transient realities of human existence. The psalmist's plea, though deeply personal, invites all believers to anchor their hopes not in the fleeting nature of their own lives, but in the unchanging character of the Almighty. This divine constancy ensures that God's covenant promises, His redemptive plan, and His ultimate victory over sin and death will surely come to pass, regardless of individual lifespans. It is a powerful reminder that while our days are numbered, God's purposes are eternal and His faithfulness spans all generations.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 102:24 offers a profound model for navigating moments of deep personal anguish and fear. It reminds us that our faith journey is not one of perpetual strength, but often one of honest lament and vulnerability before God. When faced with our own mortality, the fear of unfulfilled potential, or the crushing weight of suffering that seems to prematurely age us, this verse invites us to pour out our hearts to the God who sees, hears, and understands. The psalmist's pivot from personal despair to a declaration of God's eternal nature teaches us to reframe our struggles within the larger context of God's unwavering sovereignty. Our lives may be fleeting, our days numbered, but God's years are "throughout all generations." This truth provides an unshakeable anchor, reminding us that our ultimate hope is not in the extension of our earthly days, but in the eternal God who holds all time in His hands and whose purposes will ultimately prevail. This perspective cultivates trust, resilience, and a deeper appreciation for the preciousness of each moment, lived in light of His everlasting presence and enduring faithfulness.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does the psalmist fear being "taken away in the midst of my days"?
Answer: The psalmist's fear stems from a combination of intense physical and emotional suffering, which has led to a profound sense of their life force diminishing rapidly. In ancient cultures, a long life was often seen as a blessing, while premature death could be viewed as a tragedy, a sign of divine displeasure, or a failure to complete one's purpose. The phrase "in the midst of my days" emphasizes a feeling of being cut short, of not having lived a full life or completed what they believed God intended for them. It's a deeply human cry against the perceived injustice of an untimely end, especially when burdened by affliction and the feeling that their potential or purpose might remain unfulfilled.
How does God's eternal nature offer comfort to someone facing mortality?
Answer: God's eternal nature, as declared in the second part of the verse ("thy years [are] throughout all generations"), offers profound comfort by providing an unshakeable anchor in a world of transience. While human life is fleeting and fragile, God is constant, unchanging, and sovereign over all time. This means His promises are eternal, His purposes will never be thwarted, and His faithfulness endures beyond any individual's lifespan. For the believer, this truth transforms the fear of death into a hope rooted in God's everlasting covenant. It assures us that even if our earthly days are cut short, our ultimate destiny is secure in the hands of an eternal God who has conquered death itself through Christ, as promised in John 11:25-26.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Psalms 102:24, with its poignant contrast between human mortality and divine eternity, finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The psalmist's plea, "take me not away in the midst of my days," resonates with the universal human experience of finitude, yet Christ, the eternal Son of God, willingly embraced mortality. He was indeed "taken away in the midst of His days," crucified at the young age of approximately 33, seemingly cutting short a life of profound purpose. However, His death was not a defeat but the very means by which God's eternal plan of salvation was accomplished. The psalmist's declaration, "thy years [are] throughout all generations," points directly to the nature of Christ, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom that will never pass away. Through His resurrection, Jesus conquered the very power of death that the psalmist feared, transforming the human lament over a cut-short life into a triumphant hope of eternal life for all who believe in Him (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). In Christ, our transient lives are united with His eternal life, ensuring that even if our earthly days are few, our ultimate future is secure in the one whose "years are throughout all generations" and who promises that whoever lives and believes in Him will never die.