TRV
Translation
Complete Jewish Bible
I am like a great owl in the desert, I've become like an owl in the ruins.
American Standard Version
I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am become as an owl of the waste places.
World English Bible Messianic
I am like a pelican of the wilderness. I have become as an owl of the waste places.
Young's Literal Translation
I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.
In the KJVVerse 15,528 of 31,102
Study This Verse
Commentary on Psalms 102 verses 1–11
1 ¶ A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline thine ear unto me: in the day when I call answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
4 My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 Because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
The title of this psalm is very observable; it is a prayer of the afflicted. It was composed by one that was himself afflicted, afflicted with the church and for it; and on those that are of a public spirit afflictions of that kind lie heavier than any other. It is calculated for an afflicted state, and is intended for the use of others that may be in the like distress; for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written designedly for our use. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but here, as often elsewhere, the Holy Ghost has drawn up our petition for us, has put words into our mouths. Hos 14:2, Take with you words. Here is a prayer put into the hands of the afflicted: let them set, not their hands, but their hearts to it, and present it to God. Note, 1. It is often the lot of the best saints in this world to be sorely affected. 2. Even good men may be almost overwhelmed with their afflictions, and may be ready to faint under them. 3. When our state is afflicted, and our spirits are overwhelmed, it is our duty and interest to pray, and by prayer to pour out our complaints before the Lord, which intimates the leave God gives us to be free with him and the liberty of speech we have before him, as well as liberty of access to him; it intimates also what an ease it is to an afflicted spirit to unburden itself by a humble representation of its grievances and griefs. Such a representation we have here, in which,
I. The psalmist humbly begs of God to take notice of his affliction, and of his prayer in his affliction, Psa 102:1, Psa 102:2. When we pray in our affliction, 1. It should be our care that God would graciously hear us; for, if our prayers be not pleasing to God, they will be to no purpose to ourselves. Let this therefore be in our eye that our prayer may come unto God, even to his ears (Psa 18:6); and, in order to that, let us lift up the prayer, and our souls with it. 2. It may be our hope that God will graciously hear us, because he has appointed us to seek him and has promised we shall not seek him in vain. If we put up a prayer in faith, we may in faith say, Hear my prayer, O Lord! "Hear me," that is, (1.) "Manifest thyself to me, hide not thy face from me in displeasure, when I am in trouble. If thou dost not quickly free me, yet let me know that thou favourest me; if I see not the operations of thy hand for me, yet let me see the smiles of thy face upon me." God's hiding his face is trouble enough to a good man even in his prosperity (Psa 30:7, Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled); but if, when we are in trouble, God hides his face, the case is sad indeed. (2.) "Manifest thyself for me; not only hear me, but answer me; grant me the deliverance I am in want of and in pursuit of; answer me speedily, even in the day when I call." When troubles press hard upon us, God gives us leave to be thus pressing in prayer, yet with humility and patience.
II. He makes a lamentable complaint of the low condition to which he was reduced by his afflictions. 1. His body was macerated and emaciated, and he had become a perfect skeleton, nothing but skin and bones. As prosperity and joy are represented by making fat the bones, and the bones flourishing like a herb, so great trouble and grief are here represented by the contrary: My bones are burnt as a hearth (Psa 102:3); they cleave to my skin (Psa 102:5); nay, my heart is smitten, and withered like grass (Psa 102:4); it touches the vitals, and there is a sensible decay there. I am withered like grass (Psa 102:11), scorched with the burning heat of my troubles. If we be thus brought low by bodily distempers, let us not think it strange; the body is like grass, weak and of the earth, no wonder then that it withers. 2. He was very melancholy and of a sorrowful spirit. He was so taken up with the thoughts of his troubles that he forgot to eat his bread (Psa 102:4); he had no appetite to his necessary food nor could he relish it. When God hides his face from a soul the delights of sense will be sapless things. He was always sighing and groaning, as one pressed above measure (Psa 102:5), and this wasted him and exhausted his spirits. He affected solitude, as melancholy people do. His friends deserted him and were shy of him, and he cared as little for their company (Psa 102:6, Psa 102:7): "I am like a pelican of the wilderness, or a bittern (so some) that make a doleful noise; I am like an owl, that affects to lodge in deserted ruined buildings; I watch, and am as a sparrow upon the house-top. I live in a garret, and there spend my hours in poring on my troubles and bemoaning myself." Those who do thus, when they are in sorrow, humour themselves indeed; but they prejudice themselves, and know not what they do, nor what advantage they hereby give to the tempter. In affliction we should sit alone to consider our ways (Lam 3:28), but not sit alone to indulge an inordinate grief. 3. He was evil-spoken of by his enemies, and all manner of evil was said against him. When his friends went off from him his foes set themselves against him (Psa 102:8): My enemies reproach me all the day, designing thereby both to create vexation to him (for an ingenuous mind regrets reproach) and to bring an odium upon him before men. When they could not otherwise reach him they shot these arrows at him, even bitter words. In this they were unwearied; they did it all the day; it was a continual dropping. His enemies were very outrageous: They are mad against me, and very obstinate and implacable. They are sworn against me; as the Jews that bound themselves with an oath that they would kill Paul; or, They have sworn against me as accusers, to take away my life. 4. He fasted and wept under the tokens of God's displeasure (Psa 102:9, Psa 102:10): "I have eaten ashes like bread; instead of eating my bread, I have lain down in dust and ashes, and I have mingled my drink with weeping; when I should have refreshed myself with drinking I have only eased myself with weeping." And what is the matter? He tells us (Psa 102:10): Because of thy wrath. It was not so much the trouble itself that troubled him as the wrath of God which he was under the apprehensions of as the cause of the trouble. This, this was the wormwood and the gall in the affliction and the misery: Thou hast lifted me up and cast me down, as that which we cast to the ground with a design to dash it to pieces; we lift up first, that we may throw it down with the more violence; or, "Thou hast formerly lifted me up in honour, and joy, and uncommon prosperity; but the remembrance of that aggravates the present grief and makes it the more grievous." We must eye the hand of God both in lifting us up and casting us down, and say, "Blessed be the name of the Lord, who both gives and takes away." 5. He looked upon himself as a dying man: My days are consumed like smoke (Psa 102:3), which vanishes away quickly. Or, They are consumed in smoke, of which nothing remains; they are like a shadow that declines (Psa 102:11), like the evening-shadow, or a forerunner of approaching night. Now all this, though it seems to speak the psalmist's personal calamities, and therefore is properly a prayer for a particular person afflicted, yet is supposed to be a description of the afflictions of the church of God, with which the psalmist sympathizes, making public grievances his own. The mystical body of Christ is sometimes, like the psalmist's body here, withered and parched, nay, like dead and dry bones. The church sometimes is forced into the wilderness, seems lost, and gives up herself for gone, under the tokens of God's displeasure.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–11. Public domain.
Copy as
Cyril of JerusalemAD 386
Catechetical Lecture 2:12
So then the prophet comforted David as we have seen, but that blessed man, though he received most gladly the assurance, “The Lord has put away your sin,” did not, king as he was, draw back from penitence. Indeed he put on sackcloth in place of his purple robe, and the king sat in ashes on the bare earth instead of on his gilded throne. And in ashes he did not merely sit but took them for eating, as he himself says, “I have eaten ashes as if bread and mingled my drink with weeping.” His lustful eye he wasted away with tears; as he says, “Every night I wash my bed and water my couch with my tears.” And when his courtiers exhorted him to take bread, he would not, but he prolonged his fast for seven whole days. Now if a king was apt to make confession after this manner, should not you, as a private person, make your confession? Again, after Absalom’s rebellion, when David was in flight, with many roads to choose from before him, he chose to make his escape by the Mount of Olives, as good as invoking in his own mind the Deliverer who should from there ascend into the heavens. And when Shimei cursed him bitterly, he said, “Let him be.” For he knew that forgiveness is for those who forgive.
John ChrysostomAD 407
ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 9:8
And after humility of mind, there is need of intense prayers, of many tears, tears by day and tears by night, for, he says, “every night will I wash my bed, I will water my couch with my tears. I am weary with my groaning.” And again, “For I have eaten ashes as if bread and mingled my drink with weeping.”
Paulinus of MilanAD 422
AMBROSE 9:39
Indeed, to the penitent confession alone does not suffice, unless correction of the deed follows, with the result that the penitent does not continue to do deeds that demand repentance. He should even humble his soul just as holy David, who, when he heard from the prophet, “Your sin is pardoned,” became more humble in the correction of his sin, so that “he did eat ashes like bread and mingled his drink with weeping.” THE LIFE OF ST.
Augustine of HippoAD 430
Exposition on Psalm 102
"I have become like a pelican in the wilderness, and like an owl among ruined walls" [Psalm 102:6]. Behold three birds and three places: the pelican, the owl, and the sparrow; and the three places are severally, the wilderness, the ruined walls, and the house-top. The pelican in the wilderness, the owl in the ruined walls, and the sparrow in the house-top. In the first place we must explain, what the pelican signifies: since it is born in a region which makes it unknown to us. It is born in lonely spots, especially those of the river Nile in Egypt. Whatever kind of bird it is, let us consider what the Psalm intended to say of it. "It dwells," it says, "in the wilderness." Why enquire of its form, its limbs, its voice, its habits? As far as the Psalm tells you, it is a bird that dwells in solitude. The owl is a bird that loves night. Parietinæ, or ruins, as we call them, are walls standing without roof, without inhabitants, these are the habitation of the owl. And then as to the house-top and the sparrows, you are familiar with them. I find, therefore, some one of Christ's body, a preacher of the word, sympathizing with the weak, seeking the gains of Christ, mindful of his Lord to come. [Matthew 25:26] Let us see these three things from the office of His steward. Hath such a man come among those who are not Christians? He is a pelican in the wilderness. Hath he come among those who were Christians, and have relapsed? He is an owl in the ruined walls; for he forsakes not even the darkness of those who dwell in night, he wishes to gain even these. Hath he come among such as are Christians dwelling in a house, not as if they believed not, or as if they had let go what they had believed, but walking lukewarmly in what they believe? The sparrow cries unto them, not in the wilderness, because they are Christians; nor in the ruined walls, because they have not relapsed; but because they are within the roof; under the roof rather, because they are under the flesh. The sparrow above the flesh cries out, hushes not up the commandments of God, nor becomes carnal, so that he be subject to the roof. "What ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the housetops." [Matthew 10:27] There are three birds and three places; and one man may represent the three birds, and three men may represent severally the three birds; and the three sorts of places, are three classes of men: yet the wilderness, the ruined walls, and the house-top, are but three classes of men.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 102:3
“For I forgot to eat my bread. At the sound of my groaning, my bones stuck to my flesh.” I lost appetite for any food, and was completely bereft of my former good condition, my body being consumed by the wasting of discouragement; I am but skin and bones. The word of God, then, is our soul’s bread: just as ordinary bread nourishes the body, so the word from heaven [nourishes] the soul’s substance. In passing on the prayer, Christ said as much to the apostles, “Give us this day our daily bread.” So whoever forgets to eat it, that is, to be active (action, after all, constituting the eating of the spiritual bread, as is clear from the saying of the Lord to the apostles, “Be active, not for the eating, which perishes, but for that which endures to life eternal”), this one’s heart is stricken and dried up like hay. How does hay get stricken and dry up? When rain stops falling on it. As the heart, too, when suffering from a dearth of the word, is then stricken and dries up, the flower of virtue no longer has the strength to bloom.
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.
Copy as
Continue studying Psalms 102:6 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Psalms 102:6 profoundly expresses the psalmist's overwhelming sense of isolation and desolation, portraying a soul in the depths of despair. Through vivid animal imagery, the speaker likens himself to solitary birds of barren landscapes—a pelican of the wilderness and an owl of the desert—thereby communicating a feeling of utter abandonment, spiritual parchedness, and a mournful existence far removed from comfort or companionship. This verse serves as a raw and honest articulation of extreme human suffering and loneliness.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Psalms 102:6 employs several powerful literary devices to convey the psalmist's profound distress. The most prominent is Simile, explicitly indicated by the word "like" (כְּ, kə), drawing direct comparisons between the psalmist's state and specific birds. This allows for a vivid and immediate understanding of his internal condition. The verse also utilizes Parallelism, specifically Synonymous Parallelism, where the second clause ("I am like an owl of the desert") essentially repeats and reinforces the meaning of the first ("I am like a pelican of the wilderness") using different but related imagery. This repetition emphasizes the depth and pervasive nature of his isolation. Furthermore, rich Imagery is employed, painting a sensory picture of barren landscapes and solitary, mournful birds, allowing the reader to viscerally grasp the psalmist's emotional and spiritual desolation. The choice of birds and their habitats contributes to a sense of Symbolism, where the pelican and owl represent not just physical isolation but also mourning, uncleanness, and association with ruin. Finally, the extreme nature of the comparison can be seen as a form of Hyperbole, an exaggeration of his distress to underscore the overwhelming and absolute nature of his loneliness and despair.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Psalms 102:6 offers a profound theological insight into the human experience of suffering and God's relationship with the afflicted. It validates the raw, unvarnished expression of despair before God, demonstrating that even the most extreme feelings of isolation and desolation are permissible and can be articulated within the framework of faith. The psalmist's lament, far from being a sign of weak faith, is an act of profound trust—trust that God hears, even when one feels utterly abandoned. This verse connects to the broader biblical theme of God's attentiveness to the cry of the oppressed and the brokenhearted, reminding us that no depth of human suffering is outside the scope of divine compassion. It underscores the vulnerability of the human condition and the reality that spiritual journeys often include seasons of profound "wilderness" experiences, where one feels parched and alone. Yet, the very act of lamenting to God, even in such despair, is an act of faith, acknowledging His ultimate sovereignty and ability to deliver, as the psalm eventually turns to hope in God's enduring nature.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Psalms 102:6 serves as a powerful validation for anyone experiencing profound loneliness, depression, or a sense of abandonment. In a world that often pressures us to present a facade of strength and well-being, the psalmist's raw honesty in comparing himself to solitary, mournful, and even "unclean" creatures in desolate places grants permission to acknowledge and articulate our deepest sorrows. It reminds us that our feelings of desolation are understood and can be brought before the Lord, who hears the cry of the afflicted. This verse encourages us to pour out our hearts to God, even when we feel like an outcast in a barren land, trusting that He is present even when we feel profoundly alone. It's a call to authentic lament, recognizing that true spiritual health includes acknowledging the reality of suffering and bringing our brokenness directly to the One who promises never to leave or forsake us, even when our emotions tell us otherwise.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does the psalmist choose these specific birds (pelican and owl) to describe his condition?
Answer: The psalmist deliberately chooses the pelican and the owl because of their specific characteristics and cultural associations, which powerfully amplify his feelings of isolation, desolation, and despair. Both birds are known for their solitary nature, often inhabiting desolate, ruined, or uninhabited places ("wilderness" and "desert"). The pelican, with its hunched posture, can appear mournful, while the owl is nocturnal and known for its mournful cries, further emphasizing the psalmist's hidden, pervasive sorrow. Additionally, both birds were considered "unclean" under Mosaic Law (Leviticus 11:18), which could add a layer of meaning, suggesting the psalmist feels not only physically isolated but also spiritually defiled or cast out from the community and perhaps even from God's favor. This imagery vividly conveys a state of utter abandonment and profound suffering.
Is it acceptable for a believer to feel such deep despair and isolation as expressed in this verse?
Answer: Absolutely. The Bible, particularly the book of Psalms, is replete with expressions of profound human emotion, including despair, sorrow, and a sense of abandonment. Psalms 102:6 is a testament to the validity of such feelings within the context of faith. The psalmist, a person of faith, pours out his complaint before the Lord, demonstrating that it is not only acceptable but often necessary to honestly express our deepest struggles to God. This verse, and indeed the entire Psalm, serves as a model for lament—a form of prayer that acknowledges suffering, questions God, and yet ultimately trusts in His character and enduring presence. It reminds us that God is big enough to handle our rawest emotions and that bringing our authentic selves, even our brokenness, before Him is an act of faith and vulnerability. The Christian tradition embraces this full spectrum of human experience, knowing that even Jesus cried out in anguish on the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The psalmist's profound lament in Psalms 102:6, expressing utter isolation and desolation, finds its ultimate and most poignant fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ. While the psalmist felt like a pelican of the wilderness and an owl of the desert, Jesus truly became the ultimate outcast, identifying with humanity's deepest suffering and alienation. He experienced profound loneliness in the wilderness during His temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), was abandoned by His disciples in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:56), and ultimately cried out from the cross, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). In that moment, Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, truly became like an unclean thing, bearing the sin and desolation of humanity (2 Corinthians 5:21), so that we might never be truly forsaken. His identification with the "pelican of the wilderness" and "owl of the desert" is not merely symbolic but a redemptive reality. Through His suffering, Christ entered into the very depths of human despair and isolation, offering a sympathetic High Priest who can truly empathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). Thus, the lament of Psalms 102:6 points forward to the one who was utterly alone so that all who believe in Him might know the promise: "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (John 14:18).