Psalms 102:6

I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert. I AM LIKE A PELICAN OF THE WILDERNESS - (, margin) Expressive of his misery. I AM LIKE AN OWL OF THE DESERT - or, as the Syriac and Arabic, 'in a ruin:' among the ruins of a house. This expresses his loneliness, surrounded by enemies, and without any to befriend and save him....

6_I have become like a pelican of the wilderness _Instead of rendering the original word by _pelican, _some translate it _bittern, _and others the _cuckoo. _The Hebrew word here used for _owl _is rendered by the Septuagint νυκτικοραξ, which signifies _a bat. _(141) But as even the Jews are doubtful as to the kind of birds here intended, let it suffice us simply to know, that in this verse there are pointed out certain melancholy birds, whose place of abode is in the holes of mountains and in deserts, and whose note, instead of being delightful and sweet to the ear, inspires those who hear it with terror. I am removed, as if he had said, from the society of men, and am become almost like a wild beast of the forest. Although the people of God dwelt in a well cultivated and fertile region, yet the whole country of Chaldea and Assyria was to them like a

1-11 The whole word of God is of use to direct us in prayer; but here, is often elsewhere, the Holy Ghost has put words into our mouths. Here is a prayer put into the hands of the afflicted; let them present it to God. Even good men may be almost overwhelmed with afflictions. It is our duty and interest to pray; and it is comfort to an afflicted spirit to unburden itself, by a humble representation of its griefs. We must say, Blessed be the name of the Lord, who both gives and takes away. The psalmist looked upon himself as a dying man; My days are like a shadow....

Verse Psalms 102:6. _I AM LIKE A PELICAN OF THE WILDERNESS_] It may be the _pelican_ or the _bittern_. The original, קאת _kaath_, is mentioned Leviticus 11:18, and is there described. See the note. Leviticus 11:18. _OWL OF THE DESERT._] כוש _cos_, some species of _owl_; probably the night raven. See the notes referred to above....

I AM LIKE A PELICAN OF THE WILDERNESS - A bird in the midst of desolation becomes a striking image of loneliness and distress. The word rendered “pelican” - קאת _qâ'ath_ - is supposed to have been a name given to the pelican from the idea of vomiting, as it “vomits the shells and other substances which it has too voraciously swallowed.” The word occurs in the following places, where it is rendered as here “pelican:” Leviticus 11:18; Deuteronomy 14:17; and in Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14, where it is rendered “cormorant.” The following description, taken from

EXPOSITION THE "title" of this psalm is altogether peculiar, being "a Prayer for the afflicted, when he faints, and pours out his complaint before Jehovah." This is clearly a general direction for the use of the psalm by afflicted persons, either universally, or, at any rate, when in circumstances resembling those of the writer. The writer appears to have belonged to the period of the Captivity, and probably to the later portion of it (Psalms 102:13). It has been conjectured that he is Daniel; but there are no sufficient grounds for assigning the composition to any special individual. It is the voice of a representative sufferer in Babylon, mourning over his own afflictions and those of his nation. The psalm consists of three main portions: first, a complaint, prefaced by an appeal to God for aid (verses 1-11); secondly, a confident expression of an

I AM LIKE A PELICAN OF THE WILDERNESS,.... It may be so called, to distinguish it from another of the same name that lives upon the waters; which has the name of "pelican" in the Greek tongue, as is said, from its smiting and piercing its breast, and letting out blood for the reviving of its young; and in the Hebrew language, from its vomiting shell fish it has swallowed down; Leviticus 11:18 where the word is rendered a "pelican" as here, and in Deuteronomy 14:17, the same we call the "shovelard"; but a "cormorant" in Isaiah 34:11, however, it seems to be a bird of solitude, and therefore the psalmist compares himself to it. According to Isidore g, it is an Egyptian bird, that inhabits the desert of the rive

Kindly notice the title of this Psalm: «Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.» I call your attention to it in order to remind you what charges there are in the life of a believer. Here, in the 102 nd Psalm, the afflicted saint is pouring out his complaint; and then, in the 103 rd, the rejoicing believer is blessing the Lord in a jubilant song of grateful praise. Such are a true Christian's ups and downs, nights and days, and I can see how the 103 rd Psalm blossoms out of the 102 nd. When the afflicted believer can pour out his complaint before the Lord, it will not be long before he will be able to cry, «Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name.» If you carry your complaint in your own bosom, or tell it to some earthly friend, you will probably continue to have cause to complain; but if you pour ou...

Psalms 102 Christ the King in His Humiliation _ 1. In the place of humiliation and dependence (Psalms 102:1)_ 2. His enemies (Psalms 102:8) 3. The set time for Zion (Psalms 102:12) 4. The blessings which follow (Psalms 102:17) 5. The God-man in His work (Psalms 102:23) That this Psalm is a prophecy concerning the sufferings of Christ, His humiliation and death, and the gracious results which flow from

CII. The title, which is unique in the Psalter, describes the contents of Psalms 102:1 very well. So far the Ps. is the prayer of a man in extreme affliction. The same may be said of Psalms 102:23 and Psalms 102:24 a. But the theme which occupies the rest of the Ps. is quite different and indeed contrary. The poet turns to the eternal life of Yahweh. He has already built up Zion: His glory has appeared: not only the Jews but other peoples and kingdoms are to serve Yahweh. We may try to evade this difficulty by treating the perfect verbs as futures of prophetic certainty. Thus in Psalms 102:16 the translation would be Yahweh sh