Psalms 102:27 — Word Study
WLCוְאַתָּה־ ה֑וּא וּ֝שְׁנוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִתָּֽמּוּ׃
BSABut Youʼattâh [the unchanging One, remaining forever]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּה־ | and you | Conjunction, pronoun |
| ה֑וּא | [are] he | Pronoun |
| וּ֝שְׁנוֹתֶ֗יךָ | and years your | Conjunction, noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
| לֹ֣א | not | Particle |
| יִתָּֽמּוּ׃ | they will come to an end | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | But You remain the same, and Your years will never end. |
| KJV | But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. |
| ASV | But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end. |
| YLT | And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished. |
| WEB | But you are the same. Your years will have no end. |
| BBE | But you are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end. |
Where they part company is יִתָּֽמּוּ — see How Translations Differ.
The sentence structure emphasizes the contrast between God's eternal nature and the temporary nature of creation.





6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Trapp, AdamClarke & more — read them ›
clause
subjectאָבַד
verbהוּא
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 102:27
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 — The Eternal Nature of Godgenerated
Psalms 102:27 expresses the contrast between the fleeting nature of creation and the enduring existence of God. The psalmist reflects on how the heavens and the earth will perish, but God remains steadfast and unchanging. This theme resonates throughout Scripture, affirming God's eternal nature as seen in Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Malachi 3:6 | “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. |
| 2 | John 8:58 | “Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am! ” |
| 3 | Hebrews 13:8 | Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. |
| 4 | James 1:17 | Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow. |
| 5 | Revelation 1:8–17 | “I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אַתָּה, attahgenerated
The word אַתָּה (attah) is a second-person pronoun used to address someone directly, in this case, God. It emphasizes the personal relationship between the speaker and the Divine. The parsing indicates that it is in the masculine singular form, reflecting the singular nature of God in the context of this verse.
This pronoun is foundational in Hebrew, as it establishes direct communication and acknowledgment of the subject, which in this verse is God, the unchanging One.
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 verse consists of one main clause with a subject and predicate: אַתָּה (you) as the subject and ה֑וּא (are) as the predicate. The structure emphasizes the constancy of God in contrast to the fleeting nature of time.
The verb יִתָּֽמּוּ (they will come to an end) serves as the focal point, indicating the action that contrasts with God's eternal existence.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word used for אַתָּה is ἀπολοῦνται (apolountai), which conveys a sense of destruction or loss, aligning with the theme of perishing creation. This translation highlights the contrast between the permanence of God and the impermanence of the world.
The choice of διαμενεῖς (diamenēs) for יִתָּֽמּוּ emphasizes God's enduring nature, reinforcing the idea that while creation may fade, God remains.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 102:27 tells us that while everything else will perish, God remains unchanged and eternal. This verse reminds us of God's steadfastness and the assurance that His years will never end.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that God's nature and character do not change, providing a constant source of hope and stability.
It emphasizes God's eternal existence and sovereignty over time, contrasting with the temporary nature of creation.
This verse directly supports the idea that God is unchanging in His essence, promises, and purposes.
We learn that while the world is transient and subject to change, God is eternal and unchanging, which can be a source of comfort in our lives.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How does understanding God's unchanging nature impact my faith and trust in Him?
- In what areas of my life do I need to remember that God remains the same?
- How can I find comfort in the fact that God's years will never end?
- What does it mean for me personally that God is eternal and unchanging?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers have commented on this verse, emphasizing God's eternal nature and its implications for believers.
Perhaps by the heavens we here may understand, without being far-fetched, the righteous themselves, the saints of God, abiding in whom God has thundered in His commandments, lightened in His miracles,Early Church Fathers on Psalms 102 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 102:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleBut thou art the same,.... That hast created them, as the Targum adds; or "thou art he" (h), the everlasting I AM, the unchangeable Jehovah; immutable in his nature and perfections; in his love and
Read John Gill on Psalms 102 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryThis shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 102 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 102:27 But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.Ver. 27. But thou art the same] Tu es tu (Arabic). Therefore immutable, because eternal, ut nihil tibi possit accedere vel decidere,
Read John Trapp on Psalms 102 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 27. But thou art the same] ואתה הוא veattah HU, but thou art HE, that is, The ETERNAL; and, consequently, he who only has immortality. Thy years shall have no end.] לא יתמו lo yittammu, "they shall not be completed." Every thing has its revolution-its conception, growth, perfection, decay, dissolution, and death, or corruption. It may be said that regeneration restores all these substances; and so it does in a measure, but not without deterioration. The breed of animals, as well as vegetables, wears out; but God's eternal round has no completion. I repeat it, - what is necessarily eternal is unchangeable and imperishable; all created beings are perishable and mutable, because not…
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 102 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges27. thou art the same] Lit., as in Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 48:12, Thou art He, an emphatic assertion of the personality of Jehovah, which is in its very nature unchanging. Psalms 102:25-27 are quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12, from the LXX, and applied to Christ. The Psalmist is addressing Jehovah, Whom he expects to manifest Himself as the Redeemer of Israel. As the mystery of the Godhead was disclosed in the progress of revelation, it was seen that the words might be applied with equal right to the Eternal Word through Whom all things were made, and Who was manifested for the redemption of the world.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 102 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible27. But thou art the same—Hebrew, But thou art he. Equal to, Thou art the unchangeable One. Compare “I am he,” Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 46:4
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 102 →The verse in English, compared — 16 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
But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
But you are the same. Your years will have no end.
But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.
But you remain; your years do not come to an end.
Tyndale line
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end.
But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
But thou art the same, and thy years will have no end.
But thou art the same, and thy yeeres shall not fayle.
Strictly literal
But thou art the Same, and thy years shall have no end.
And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished.
And You [are] the same, and Your years are not finished.
(102:28) But thou art ever the same, and thy years will have no end.
But you are the same, and your years will have no end.
Simplified
But you are the one who always is; your years never come to an end.
But you are the unchanging One, and your years will have no end.
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 states, "But You remain the same, and Your years will never end," which is supported by the Septuagint, as all five words match in a word-by-word correspondence, though the order is different. The Dead Sea Scrolls (11Q5) present a similar idea but differ in wording, with phrases that suggest a comparison to clothing that wears out, while also including some words that are restored by an editor. The other Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q84) provide a more complete text that closely aligns with the Masoretic Text, affirming the central theme of God's unchanging nature.
וְאַתָּה־ ה֑וּא וּ֝שְׁנוֹתֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִתָּֽמּוּ׃
5 of the 5 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.
[המה] [יאבדו] [ואתה] [תעמד] וכול׳ם כבגד יבלו וכלבוש [תחליפ׳ם] [ויחלפו]
4 words on the leather — 6 supplied entire by an editor.
המה יאבדו ואתה תעמד וכל׳ם כבגד יבלו כלבוש תחליפ׳ם ויחלפו
10 words on the leather.
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 102:27
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.
אַתָּ֫ה (attah) is a second-person pronoun in Hebrew, used to address someone directly. It has masculine and feminine forms: אַתָּה for singular masculine, אַתְּ for singular feminine, אַתֶּם for plural masculine, and אַתֵּן for plural feminine. The entries indicate variations in form and usage, reflecting the pronoun's grammatical complexity.
אַתָּ֫ה, אָ֑תָּה pron. 2 s. m. thou
base
אתי, i.e. אתִּי, the older & more original form of אַתְּ thou (fem.)
base
אַתְּ, אָ֑תְּ pron. 2 s. f. thou (fem.)
base
אַתֶּם pron. 2 m. pl. you (masc.)
base
אַתֵּן pron. 2 f. pl. you (fem.)
base
H859a אַתָּ֫ה, אָ֑תָּה pron. 2 s. m. thou H859b אתי, i.e. אתִּי, the older & more original form of אַתְּ thou (fem.) H859c אַתְּ, אָ֑תְּ pron. 2 s. f. thou (fem.) H859d אַתֶּם pron. 2 m. pl. you (masc.) H859e אַתֵּן pron. 2 f. pl. you (fem.)
859 'attah at-taw'
or (shortened); aatta {at-taw'}; or wath {ath}; feminine
(irregular) sometimes nattiy {at-tee'}; plural masculine attem
{at- tem'}; feminine atten {at-ten'}; or oattenah
{at-tay'naw}; or fattennah {at-tane'-naw}; a primitive pronoun
of the second person; thou and thee, or (plural) ye and
you:--thee, thou, ye, you.
אַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) — you(m.s.).
you (second pers. sing. masc.)
אתִּי (ti) — you(f.s.).
you (second pers. sing. fem.)
A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)
אַתְּ (at.te) — you(f.s.).
you (second pers. sing. fem.)
A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)
אַתֶּם (at.tem) — you(m.p.).
you (second pers. pl. masc.)
Aramaic equivalent: an.tun (אַנְתּוּן "you" H0608)
אַתֵּן (at.ten) — you(f.p.).
you (second pers. pl. fem.)
A grammatical form of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A)
Conj | Pron — Conjunction · pronounHC/Pp2ms
הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.
הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it
an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
It resumes the subj. with emph.
Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
As an emph. predicate, of God
In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
base
H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)
. It resumes the subj. with emph.
. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible
. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject
. As an emph. predicate, of God
. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)
. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.
1931 huw' hoo
of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a
primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or
it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also
(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;
sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally
(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),
it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,
this, those, which (is), who.
הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.
pron 3p s
1) he, she, it
1a) himself (with emphasis)
1b) resuming subj with emphasis
1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)
1d) (anticipating subj)
1e) (emphasising predicate)
1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron
2) that (with article)
HPp3ms — PronounHPp3ms
ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.
שָׁנָה (shaneh) means 'year' and is derived from the root meaning to change or revolve. It encompasses various aspects of time, including divisions of time, measures of age, and even a lifetime. The Aramaic equivalent is שְׁנָה (she.nah), also meaning 'year'.
שָׁנָה 877 n.f. year (etym. v. √[v.ek.aa])
base
H8141 שָׁנָה year (etym. v. √[8138a])
8141 shaneh shaw-neh'
(in plura or (feminine) shanah {shaw-naw'}; from 8138; a year
(as a revolution of time):--+ whole age, X long, + old,
year(X -ly).
see HEBREW for 08138
שָׁנָה (sha.neh) — year.
1) year
1a) as division of time
1b) as measure of time
1c) as indication of age
1d) a lifetime (of years of life)
Aramaic equivalent: she.nah (שְׁנָה "year" H8140)
HC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms — Conjunction · noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHC/Ncfpc/Sp2ms
לֹא (lo') is a Hebrew word meaning 'not' or 'no.' It serves as a simple negation and can imply absence or prohibition. The word can also be used in various contexts, often combined with other particles for emphasis or clarification. Its Aramaic equivalent is לָא (la), which also means 'not.'
לֹא or לוֹא adv. not
base
H3808 לֹא or לוֹא not
3808 lo' lo
or lowi {lo}; or loh (Deut. 3:11) {lo}; a primitive particle;
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often
used with other particles (as follows):--X before, + or else,
ere, + except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never,
no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), (X as though...,(can-), for) not (out
of), of nought, otherwise, out of, + surely, + as truly as, +
of a truth, + verily, for want, + whether, without.
לֹא (lo) — not.
1) not, no
1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition)
1b) not (with modifier-negation)
1c) nothing (subst)
1d) without (with particle)
1e) before (of time)
Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)
HTn — ParticleHTn
תָּמַם (tamam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be complete or finished. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to accomplish, cease, be consumed, or be sound and upright. The word can be used in various forms, such as Qal, Hiphil, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances of completion or integrity.
[תָּמַם], תַּם vb. be complete, finished
Qal
be finished, completed
be finished, come to an end, cease
be complete, of number
be consumed, exhausted, spent
be finished, consumed, destroyed
be complete, sound, unimpaired
twice, very strangely
Hiph.
finish, complete, perfect, a matter
finish, cease doing a thing
complete, sum up
destroy uncleanness
causative: make sound thy ways.
Hithp. deal in integrity with
base
H8552 [תָּמַם], תַּם be complete, finished
8552 tamam taw-mam'
a primitive root; to complete, in a good or a bad sense,
literal, or figurative, transitive or intransitive (as
follows):--accomplish, cease, be clean (pass-)ed, consume,
have done, (come to an, have an, make an) end, fail, come to
the full, be all gone, X be all here, be (make) perfect, be
spent, sum, be (shew self) upright, be wasted, whole.
תָּמַם (ta.mam) — to finish.
1) to be complete, be finished, be at an end
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be finished, be completed
1a1a) completely, wholly, entirely (as auxiliary with verb)
1a2) to be finished, come to an end, cease
1a3) to be complete (of number)
1a4) to be consumed, be exhausted, be spent
1a5) to be finished, be consumed, be destroyed
1a6) to be complete, be sound, be unimpaired, be upright (ethically)
1a7) to complete, finish
1a8) to be completely crossed over
1b) (Niphal) to be consumed
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to finish, complete, perfect
1c2) to finish, cease doing, leave off doing
1c3) to complete, sum up, make whole
1c4) to destroy (uncleanness)
1c5) to make sound
1d) (Hithpael) to deal in integrity, act uprightly
HVqi3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVqi3mp
qets, 'ephec, kalah; telos, sunteleo:
The end of anything is its termination, hence, also, final object or purpose.
It is the translation of several Hebrew and Greek words, chiefly in the Old Testament of qets (properly, "a cutting off") and other words from the same root (Ge 6:13, "The end of all flesh is come before me"); 'acharith, "hinder part," is also frequently translated "end" (De 11:12; Ps 37:37,38, American Revised Version: "There is a happy end to the man of peace .... The end of the wicked shall be cut off"; the English Revised Version "latter end" (Ps 37:37), margin "reward" or "future posterity"; Ps 73:17…
End
In Heb. 13:7, is the rendering of the unusual Greek word ekbasin, meaning “outcome”, i.e., death. It occurs only elsewhere in 1 Cor. 10:13, where it is rendered “escape.”
