Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 102

Hear my prayer, O Lord - The prayer which I offer in view of my personal trials; the prayer which I offer as one of an afflicted people. Compare Psalm 4:1; Psalms 17:1; Psalms 18:6.

And let my cry come unto thee - My prayer, accompanied with an outward expression of my earnestness. It was not a silent, or a mental prayer; it was a loud and earnest cry. Psalms 5:2; Psalms 18:6, Psalms 18:41; Psalms 30:2; Psalms 72:12; Job 35:9; Job 36:13.

Hide not your face from me - The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, “Do not turn away your face from me.” The sense is essentially the same. The prayer is that God would not refuse to look graciously upon him, that He would turn His attention to him, and that He would regard his supplications. See the notes at (Psalms 10:1); compare (Psalms 13:1), (Psalms 27:9), (Job 13:24), (Job 34:29), and (Deuteronomy 31:17).

In the day when I am in trouble - When sorrows come upon me; when I need your gracious help. Literally, “When there is distress to me.”

Incline your ear to me - See (Psalms 5:1, note) and (Psalms 17:6, note); compare (Psalms 17:1), (Psalms 55:1), (Psalms 86:6), and (Psalms 39:12).

In the day when I call, answer me speedily - Grant my requests at once; give me immediate evidence that my prayer is heard. The psalmist believed in an immediate answer to prayer.

He often had evidence that his prayer was answered at once: his mind became calm; he had comfort and peace; he obtained the blessing which he earnestly sought.

No one can doubt that prayer may be answered at once; no one who prays can fail to find such answers in his own case—in his peace, his calmness, his joy. In multitudes of cases, blessings are granted in such a way that there can be no doubt that they have come in answer to prayer. Compare the notes at (Daniel 9:20–23).

For my days are consumed like smoke - Margin, “into smoke.” Literally, “in smoke.” That is, they vanish as smoke; they pass away and become nothing; they are spent in affliction and seem to accomplish nothing.

The idea is that in his affliction, he seemed to accomplish none of the ends of life. His life seemed to be wasted.

This is often the feeling in trial. Yet, in trial, a person may be more useful; they may do more to accomplish the real ends of life; they may do more to illustrate the power and excellence of religion than they ever did in days of prosperity.

And my bones are burned as an hearth - Or rather, as firewood or fuel. Literally, “They are burned as a burning.” The idea is that in his troubles, his very bones, the most solid and substantial part of himself, seemed to be consumed and to waste away. See the notes on Psalm 31:10.

My heart is smitten – Broken; crushed with grief. We now speak of “a broken heart.” Even death is often caused by such excessive sorrow as to crush and break the heart.

And withered like grass – It is dried up as grass is by drought, or as when it is cut down. It loses its support; and having no strength of its own, it dies.

So that I forget to eat my bread – I am so absorbed in my trials; they so entirely engross my attention, that I think of nothing else, not even of those things which are necessary to the support of life. Grief has the effect of taking away the appetite, but this does not seem to be the idea here. It is that of such a complete absorption in trouble that everything else is forgotten.

By reason of the voice of my groaning - By suffering and trouble, so great as to produce groaning, my flesh is wasted away.

My bones cleave to my skin - Margin, “flesh.” The Hebrew word means “flesh.” The effect described is that of a wasting away or an emaciation of flesh from deep distress, so that the bones became prominent and had nothing to hide them from view. As a result, they seemed to adhere fast to the flesh itself. See the notes on Job 19:20.