Psalms 102:11 — Word Study
WLCיָ֭מַי כְּצֵ֣ל נָט֑וּי וַ֝אֲנִ֗י כָּעֵ֥שֶׂב אִיבָֽשׁ׃
BSAfacepânîym indignationzaʻam wrathqetseph forkîy to liftnâsâʼ to throwshâlak
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יָ֭מַי | days my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| כְּצֵ֣ל | [are] like a shadow | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| נָט֑וּי | extended | Verb, Qal, participle (passive) masculine singular |
| וַ֝אֲנִ֗י | and I | Conjunction, pronoun |
| כָּעֵ֥שֶׂב | like vegetation | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| אִיבָֽשׁ׃ | I am withering | Verb, Qal, imperfect first person common singular |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass. |
| KJV | My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. |
| ASV | My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass. |
| YLT | My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I — as the herb I am withered. |
| WEB | My days are like a long shadow. I have withered like grass. |
| BBE | My days are like a shade which is stretched out; I am dry like the grass. |
Where they part company is in the choice of words for אִיבָשׁ — see How Translations Differ.
The structure features a main clause followed by comparisons, emphasizing the psalmist's feelings of decline.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectהוּא
verbוְ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 102:11
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Lament of the Afflictedgenerated
Psalm 102:11 expresses the psalmist's deep sense of despair and the fleeting nature of life. He compares his days to shadows that stretch and fade, emphasizing the transient quality of existence. This lament highlights the emotional weight of feeling abandoned and the inevitability of decline, resonating with themes found throughout the Psalms, such as in Psalm 39:5-6 and Job 14:2.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 102:3 | For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. |
| 2 | Psalm 39:5–6 | You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah |
| 3 | Psalm 109:23 | I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. |
| 4 | Psalm 144:4 | Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. |
| 5 | Job 14:2 | Like a flower, he comes forth, then withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 11 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אִיבָשׁ, 'i.Vashgenerated
The verb יָבֵשׁ (yabesh) means 'to wither' or 'to dry up.' It conveys the idea of losing vitality, much like a plant deprived of water. The parsing indicates it is a first-person singular imperfect verb, showing an ongoing state of being — the psalmist is not merely stating a fact but expressing a current experience of decline.
This word captures the essence of the psalmist's lament, as he identifies himself with the imagery of withering grass. It illustrates the fragility of life and the emotional weight of feeling diminished and abandoned.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb governing the verse is אִיבָשׁ, I am withering, which serves as the main action. The subject is אֲנִי, I, and the rest of the verse elaborates on the state of the speaker's days and their comparison to shadows and grass.
The structure emphasizes the contrast between the fleeting nature of life (the shadows) and the speaker's current state (withering), creating a poignant image of decline.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the verb יָבֵשׁ is rendered as ἐπάρας, which means 'to lift up' or 'to raise.' This choice may suggest a different emphasis, focusing on the act of rising or being elevated, contrasting with the Hebrew sense of decline.
This translation choice indicates a potential interpretive shift, moving from a direct expression of withering to an implication of being raised up, perhaps hinting at hope amidst despair.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 102:11 compares the psalmist's days to shadows that stretch out and fade away, highlighting the temporary nature of life. He feels like grass that withers, emphasizing his sense of decline and despair.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist uses this imagery to express the fleeting nature of life, indicating that just as shadows lengthen and eventually disappear, so too do his days pass quickly.
This feeling reflects his emotional state of despair and abandonment, as he experiences a decline in vitality and hope.
Similar themes of transience and despair appear throughout the Psalms, where the authors often reflect on the brevity of life and the need for divine intervention.
The psalmist's lament encourages readers to acknowledge their feelings of despair while also seeking hope and restoration in God.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways have I experienced the fleeting nature of life, similar to the psalmist's reflections?
- How can I find hope in times of despair, as the psalmist does?
- What does it mean to me that my days are like shadows?
- How can I support others who may feel like they are withering away?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early church fathers, like Augustine of Hippo, referenced this verse to discuss themes of life's brevity and the psalmist's lament.
"My days have declined like a shadow" [Psalms 102:11]....He had said above, "My days are consumed away like smoke;" and he now says,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 102 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 102:11 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleMy days are like a shadow that declineth,.... Or, "that is stretched out" (s), which, though it may appear long, is soon at an end; as it does appear longer when the sun sets (t), and departs from
Read John Gill on Psalms 102 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryMy days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 102 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleMy days; my hopes, and comforts, and happiness; days being oft put for happy days, or a happy state, as , as elsewhere they are put more generally for the events which happen in those days; in both which cases it is a metonymy of the adjunct. That declineth; or, that is extended or stretched out to its utmost length, as it is when the sun is setting, when it speedily and totally vanisheth. And just so the hopes of our restitution, which sometimes we have, are quickly cut off and disappointed.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 102 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 102:11 My days [are] like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.Ver. 11. My days are like a shadow that declineth] As at sunset the shadows are at longest, but not longlasting. And I am withered like grass] Mown down, and laid a drying.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 102 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(11) A shadow that declineth.—Rather, a lengthening shadow, growing longer as the day declines, and therefore soon to vanish altogether. (Comp. Psalms 109:23.) “And now the sun had stretched out all the hills.” MILTON: Lycidas,See also Note, Son 2:17.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 102 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 11. My days are like a shadow that declineth] Or rather, My days decline like the shadow. I have passed my meridian, and the sun of my prosperity is about to set for ever. There may be here an allusion to the declination of the sun towards the south, which, by shortening their days, would greatly lengthen their nights. Similar to the exclamation of a contemporary prophet, Jeremiah 8:20: "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." There is now scarcely any human hope of our deliverance.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 102 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges11. like a shadow that declineth] Or, like a shadow stretched out (Jeremiah 6:4) towards evening, and about to disappear altogether as the sun sinks below the horizon. I am withered like grass] Rather, I am withering away like grass. The common emblem for frail and transitory mortality. Cp. Isaiah 40:7; James 1:11.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 102 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleMy days are like a shadow that declineth - The shadow made by the gnomon on a sun-dial, which marks the hours as they pass. See 2 Kings 20:10.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 102 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
My days are like a long shadow. I have withered like grass.
My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.
My days are coming to an end, and I am withered like grass.
Tyndale line
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
My days are like a shadow that declineth; And I am withered like grass.
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass.
My dayes are like a shadowe that fadeth, and I am withered like grasse.
Strictly literal
My days are like a lengthened-out shadow, and I, I am withered like grass.
My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I — as the herb I am withered.
My days [are] stretched out as a shadow, || And I am withered as the herb.
(102:12) My days are like a shadow that declineth; and like the herb I wither.
My days are like a shadow that fades, and I have withered like grass.
From the Latin
For according to the height of the heaven above the earth: he hath strengthened his mercy towards them that fear him.
Simplified
My life is fading away like a shadow that lengthens—I'm withering away like grass.
My days are like a shade which is stretched out; I am dry like the grass.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text matches the Septuagint closely, with all six words corresponding directly. The Dead Sea Scrolls, however, show some restoration, indicating damage and loss, particularly in the phrase expressing the psalmist's plight.
יָ֭מַי כְּצֵ֣ל נָט֑וּי וַ֝אֲנִ֗י כָּעֵ֥שֶׂב אִיבָֽשׁ׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
[מפני] [זעמ׳ך] וקצפ׳ך [כי] נשאת׳ני ותשליכ׳ני
2 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 3 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 102:11
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.
יוֹם 2285 n.m. day
day, opp. night
Day as division of time
יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
Pl. days of anyone
Days
יוֹם = time
Phrases
base
H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night
. Day as division of time
. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
. Pl. days of anyone
. Days
. יוֹם = time
. Phrases
3117 yowm yome
from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm
hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one
sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by
an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +
chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)
day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +
(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as
(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,
presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,
then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,
weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole
(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.
יוֹם (yom) — day.
: day/when/time/period
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: old.
: old/(full/many)[days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: year.
: year[of_days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
HNcmpc/Sp1bs — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
צֵל (tsel) means 'shadow' or 'shade,' encompassing both literal and figurative uses. It can refer to a physical shadow, as well as a protective shade or a symbol of life's transience. The word is derived from a root meaning to shade, and it is related to another term, צֵלֶל (tselel), which also means 'shadow.'
H6738 צֵל shadow
6738 tsel tsale
from 6751; shade, whether literal or figurative:--defence,
shade(-ow).
see HEBREW for 06751
צֵל (tsel) — shadow.
1) shadow, shade
1a) shadow (on dial)
1b) shadow, shade (as protection)
1c) shadow (symbolic of transitoriness of life)
Also means: tse.lel (צֵלֶל "shadow" H6752)
HR/Ncmsa — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
Sometimes denotes intense darkness and gloom, Ps 23:4, and sometimes a cool retreat, Isa 33:2, or perfect protection, Ps 17:8 Isa 49:2 Da 4:12.
The long shadows cast by the declining sun are alluded to in Job 7:2 Jer 6:4. The swift, never ceasing motion of a shadow is an emblem of human life, 1Ch 29:15 Ps 102:11.
נָטָה (natah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stretch out, spread out, or extend. It encompasses a wide range of actions, including bending, inclining, and pitching a tent. The word can also imply moral deflection or turning aside. The entries suggest various applications, from physical actions to metaphorical uses, but do not indicate significant disagreement among the lexicons.
נָטָה 215 vb. stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend
Qal
stretch out, extend, hand, rod
stretch line and plummet
= offer
Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent
Bend, turn, incline
Niph. be stretched out
Hiph.
rarely stretch out, hand
rarely spread out cloth on rock
usu. turn, incline
base
H5186 נָטָה stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend .. . stretch out, extend, hand, rod
. stretch line and plummet
. = offer
. Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent
. Bend, turn, incline
. be stretched out
. . rarely stretch out, hand
. rarely spread out cloth on rock
. usu. turn, incline
5186 natah naw-taw'
a primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication,
to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great
variety of application (as follows):--+ afternoon, apply, bow
(down, - ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down,
be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched,
overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread
(out), stretch (forth, out), take (aside), turn (aside, away),
wrest, cause to yield.
נָטָה (na.tah) — to stretch.
1) to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to stretch out, extend, stretch, offer
1a2) to spread out, pitch (tent)
1a3) to bend, turn, incline
1a3a) to turn aside, incline, decline, bend down
1a3b) to bend, bow
1a3c) to hold out, extend (fig.)
1b) (Niphal) to be stretched out
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to stretch out
1c2) to spread out
1c3) to turn, incline, influence, bend down, hold out, extend, thrust aside, thrust away
HVqsmsa — Verb · Qal · participle (passive) masculine singularHVqsmsa
אֲנִי, transliterated as aniy, is a first-person singular pronoun meaning 'I' or 'me.' It is often used for emphasis and can also imply possession, as in 'mine' or 'myself.' The word is derived from a form that indicates self-reference, and it appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי pron. 1s. comm. I
base
H589 אֲנִי, אָ֑נִי I
589 'aniy an-ee'
contracted from 595; I:--I, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, X
which, X who.
see HEBREW for 0595
אֲנִי (a.ni) — I.
I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)
HC/Pp1bs — Conjunction · pronounHC/Pp1bs
עֵ֫שֶׂב (‘eseb) refers to herbs, grass, or any tender green plants. The word is derived from a root meaning to glisten or be green. It encompasses vegetation in general, and its Aramaic equivalent is עֲשַׂב (‘asav), which also means grass.
עֵ֫שֶׂב n.m. herb, herbage
base
H6212 עֵ֫שֶׂב herb, herbage
6212 `eseb eh'seb
from an unused root meaning to glisten (or be green); grass
(or any tender shoot):--grass, herb.
עֵ֫שֶׂב (e.sev) — vegetation.
herb, herbage, grass, green plants
Aramaic equivalent: a.sav (עֲשַׂב "grass" H6211B)
HRd/Ncmsa — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
יָבֵשׁ (yabesh) primarily means to be dry or to wither. It can refer to something that is dried up or lacking moisture, as well as the act of drying something out. The word has different forms, including Qal (to be dry), Piel (to make dry), and Hiphil (to dry up). It conveys a sense of desiccation or loss of vitality.
יָבֵשׁ vb. be dry, dried up, withered
Qal
be dry, dried up without moisture
be dried up
Pi. make dry, dry up
Hiph. dry up, make dry
dry up water
make dry, wither
exhibit dryness
base
H3001 יָבֵשׁ be dry, dried up, withered
3001 yabesh yaw-bashe'
a primitive root; to be ashamed, confused or disappointed;
also (as failing) to dry up (as water) or wither (as
herbage):--be ashamed, clean, be confounded, (make) dry (up),
(do) shame(-fully), X utterly, wither (away).
יָבֵשׁ (ya.vesh) — to wither.
1) to make dry, wither, be dry, become dry, be dried up, be withered
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be dry, be dried up, be without moisture
1a2) to be dried up
1b) (Piel) to make dry, dry up
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to dry up, make dry
1c1a) to dry up (water)
1c1b) to make dry, wither
1c1c) to exhibit dryness
HVqi1cs — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common singularHVqi1cs