Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 102:3
For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth.
3. like smoke ] Or, in smoke, a natural figure for speedy and complete disappearance. Cp. Psa 37:20; Jas 4:14.
are burnt as a hearth ] Rather (cp. P.B.V. and R.V.), burn as a firebrand. He compares himself to a sick man whose strength is being consumed by the burning heat of fever. Cp. Psa 22:15; Jer 20:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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: and yet in trial a man may be more useful, he may do more to accomplish the real ends of life, he may do more to illustrate the power and excellence of religion, than he ever did in the days of prosperity.
And my bones are burned as an hearth – Or rather, as faggots 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 at Psa 31:10.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. My days are consumed like smoke] He represents himself (for the psalmist speaks in the name of the people) under the notion of a pile of combustible matter, placed upon a fire, which soon consumes it; part flying away in smoke, and the residue lying on the hearth in the form of charred coal and ashes. The Chaldeans were the fire, and the captive Jews the fuel, thus converted into smoke and ashes.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Like smoke; which passeth away in obscurity, and swiftly, and irrecoverably. Or, into smoke; as wood or any combustible matter put into the fire wasteth away in smoke and ashes.
My bones; the most strong and solid parts of my body, which seemed safest from the fire.
Are burnt as an hearth; either as an hearth is heated or burnt up by the coals which are laid upon it; or as the hearth, being so heated, burns up that which is put upon it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
For my days are consumed like smoke,…. Which suddenly rises up, is easily dissipated, and quickly disappears; so sudden, short, and transient, are the days of man’s life; see Jas 4:14 or “in smoke” c, as the Syriac version; his days were spent in great obscurity, in the darkness of affliction, temptation, and desertion; and in so much vexation, trouble, and uneasiness, as if he had lived in smoke all his time: and
my bones are burnt as an hearth; on which fire is continually made for the preparation of food, and other uses: or as a “trivet”, or “gridiron”: so the Targum: or as a frying pan; so the Arabic version: the meaning is, that, through trouble and grief, his bones, the strongest parts of his body, the props and supports of it, were so weakened and enfeebled, the strength of them so exhausted, that they were as if they had been parched and burnt up, as the hearth by fire; see Pr 17:22.
c “in fumo”, Montanus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
From this point onward the Psalm becomes original. Concerning the Beth in , vid., on Psa 37:20. The reading (in the Karaite Ben-Jerucham) enriches the lexicon in the same sense with a word which has scarcely had any existence. (Arabic maukid ) signifies here, as in other instances, a hearth. is, as in Psa 69:4, Niphal: my bones are heated through with a fever-heat, as a hearth with the smouldering fire that is on it. (cf. , Psa 94:21) is used exactly as in Hos 9:16, cf. Psa 121:5. The heart is said to dry up when the life’s blood, of which it is the reservoir, fails. The verb is followed by of dislike. On the cleaving of the bones to the flesh from being baked, i.e., to the skin (Arabic basar , in accordance with the radical signification, the surface of the body = the skin, from , to brush along, rub, scrape, scratch on the surface), cf. Job 19:20; Lam 4:8. ( ) with is used just like . It is unnecessary, with Bttcher, to draw to Psa 102:5. Continuous straining of the voice, especially in connection with persevering prayer arising from inward conflict, does really make the body waste away.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3 For my days are consumed like smoke These expressions are hyperbolical, but still they show how deeply the desolation of the Church ought to wound the hearts of the people of God. Let every man, therefore, carefully examine himself on this head. If we do not prefer the Church to all the other objects of our solicitude, we are unworthy of being accounted among her members. Whenever we meet with such forms of expression as these, let us remember that they reproach our slothfulness in not being affected with the afflictions of the Church as we ought. The Psalmist compares his days to smoke, and his bones to the stones of the hearth, which, in the course of time, are consumed by the fire. By bones he means the strength of man. And, were not men devoid of feeling, such a melancholy spectacle of the wrath of God would assuredly have the effect of drying up their bones, and wasting away their whole rigor.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) Like smoke.Or, in smoke. (See margin. Comp. Psa. 37:20.)
Hearth.Better, a brand or fuel; so LXX. and Vulgate, Aquila, and this meaning suits Isa. 33:14. (For the image see Psa. 22:15; Psa. 31:10; Psa. 32:3.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. My days are consumed like smoke Or, My days have ended in smoke. Life, once so real, so desirable, has passed away like “smoke,” which dissolves and disappears. The same is an Eastern proverb to this day.
Burned as a hearth Consumed like a fagot. The judgments of God have dried up my bones like a fagot, or brand, in the fire. Psa 69:3
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 102:3. For my days are consumed like smoke Or, according to the original beashan, in smoke. “My afflictions have had the same effect upon me, as smoke has on things which are hung up in it; i.e. have dried me up, and deformed me.” As an hearth, is rendered by some as dry wood; which is most applicable to the subject here spoken of. The bones being burned up as dry wood, denotes the speedy exhausting of the radical moisture, which soon ends in the consumption of the whole body.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I make no chasm in the reading of these verses, because they form together a complete detail of the state of the sufferer, and serve the better, in an united point of view, to interest our hearts in the perusal. Suppose, Reader, that you and I consider these words, as spoken by the prophet with reference to Jesus: we have several portions to the same effect, which the Holy Ghost hath explained by direct application to Jesus. See and compare Psa 22:8 , with Mat 27:43 ; Psa 22:1 , with Mat 27:46 ; and Psa 16:10 , with Act 2:29-31 . I conceive such views to be very blessed. And, first, observe the days of Christ are said to be, as the smoke, or the shadow. Jesus was only thirty years old (counting after the days of his flesh), when he entered upon his public ministry; and the whole period from that time to the cross, was only about three years and a half. Taking upon him our nature, and bearing the sin of that nature, induced those effects which are here spoken of. Luk 3:23 . Secondly, remark the sorrow of those days, in the consequences it induced. He saith, his heart was smitten, and withered like grass. He forgot to eat bread. What he did eat was like ashes, and mingled with tears. And such was his groaning, that his bones would scarce cleave to his flesh. These things could only be said of Jesus, as the sinner’s Surety. David, king of Israel, in no period of his troubles, waded through either bodily or soul distresses like these. But nothing can be more suited than these expressions to Christ. The prophet described him as having a visage marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men; Isa 52:14 . And in the gospel account of the Evangelists, the relation exactly corresponds. From the manger to the cross, he was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; Isa 53:3 . Thirdly, note what the patient sufferer complains of; the reproaches of his enemies all the day long, and of their being sworn together against him; these things were so literally fulfilled in the person of Jesus, as they never could be in any other. He was accounted a deceiver, a blasphemer, nay, a devil; when, in the same moment, in his mouth, there was no guile. Precious Jesus! how very endearing are such views of thee and of thine unequalled sorrows, beheld, as thou art in thyself; and as thou art in thy tender love to us, and to our poor fallen nature! Lastly, and above all, observe the cries of Christ, on account of God the Father’s displeasure against sin, which He, as the sinner’s Surety, sustained, when he said in this Psalm, I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping, because of thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up and cast me down! Who shall say what the holy soul of Jesus felt in those unequalled moments of sorrow, when, for our sin, it pleased the Father to bruise him, and to put him to grief? Isa 53:10 . Who shall ever conceive the anguish of heart, that Jesus experienced, when the sword of justice received a command to awake and smite him? Zec 13:7 . And what form of words can be found to explain the nature of that soul-agony which constrained the holy Jesus to exclaim, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death? Mar 14:34 . Lamb of God! when I think of these things, shall my mind be led away to think of other afflictions, or the exercises of myself, or other sinners, when thy spotless soul, in which was no sin, was borne down, under a pressure that would have crushed a whole creation, where sin is found? Do I not hear thee say, Behold and see, if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his fierce anger? Lam 1:12 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 102:3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
Ver. 3. For my days are consumed like smoke ] Which the higher it mounteth the sooner it vanisheth. Some read it, in the smoke. So Psa 119:83 , “I am become like a bottle in the smoke,” dried and withered, exsuccus et exsanguis.
And my bones are burnt as an hearth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
like smoke. So some codices, with Aramaean, Septuagint, and Vulgate; other codices read “in smoke”.
an hearth = charred wood.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
my days: Psa 37:20, Psa 119:83, Jam 4:14
like smoke: or – as some readinto smoke
my bones: Psa 22:14, Psa 22:15, Psa 31:10, Psa 38:3, Job 30:30, Lam 1:13, Lam 3:4
Reciprocal: Job 16:16 – face Job 19:20 – bone Job 33:21 – His flesh Psa 6:6 – I am Psa 22:17 – I may Psa 31:9 – my soul Psa 32:3 – bones Psa 32:4 – moisture Psa 35:10 – All Psa 55:4 – My Psa 63:1 – flesh Psa 77:3 – I complained Psa 102:11 – My days Psa 143:4 – my heart Pro 17:22 – a broken Isa 52:14 – his visage Lam 4:8 – their skin
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
102:3 For my days are {c} consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.
(c) These excessive kinds of speech show how much the affliction of the Church should wound the hearts of the godly.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. Description of the affliction 102:3-11
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Several statements illustrate how the psalmist felt. He had lost many good days to suffering. His sorrow had made his bones ache; his emotional state was affecting his physical condition. He felt withered under the heat of his affliction. He had become so preoccupied that he would forget to eat. Consequently his stomach was growling and he was losing weight. He evidently felt very much alone, like a lonely pelican in the wilderness. He felt as isolated as an owl, and he could not sleep.