| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 A Prayer of the afflicted when he is feeble, and before Jehovah poureth out his plaint. |
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| O Jehovah, hear my prayer, yea, my cry to Thee cometh. |
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| 2 Hide not Thou Thy face from me, In a day of mine adversity, Incline unto me Thine ear, In the day I call, haste, answer me. |
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| 3 For consumed in smoke have been my days, And my bones as a fire-brand have burned. |
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| 4 Smitten as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread. |
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| 5 From the voice of my sighing Hath my bone cleaved to my flesh. |
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| 6 I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places. |
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| 7 I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof. |
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| 8 All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me. |
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| 9 Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled, |
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| 10 From Thine indignation and Thy wrath, For Thou hast lifted me up, And dost cast me down. |
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| 11 My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I as the herb I am withered. |
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| 12 And Thou, O Jehovah, to the age abidest, And Thy memorial to all generations. |
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| 13 Thou Thou risest Thou pitiest Zion, For the time to favour her, For the appointed time hath come. |
Time to favour – A large proportion of the promised coming blessings belong to natural Israel; all should not be spiritualized. OV108:2
Set time – Fixed and unalterable. SM479:2
At the end of the Gentile lease of power, God's provision for Israel to represent his kingdom in the world returns. SM477:1
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| 14 For Thy servants have been pleased with her stones, And her dust they favour. |
For thy servants – "For thy servants hold dear her stones, and her very dust they cherish." (Leeser) CRI35:5
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| 15 And nations fear the name of Jehovah, And all kings of the earth Thine honour, |
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| 16 For Jehovah hath builded Zion, He hath been seen in His honour, |
Shall build up Zion – Restore the natural city of Jerusalem and complete the construction of the New Jerusalem, the Church. R56:2*
Implying a process, including the restoration in all its parts; true both of earthly Jerusalem and the Gospel Church. R56:6*, R58:3*
Appear in his glory – "When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory." (Col 3:4) R56:2*
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| 17 He turned unto the prayer of the destitute, And He hath not despised their prayer. |
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| 18 This is written for a later generation, And the people created do praise Jah. |
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| 19 For He hath looked From the high place of His sanctuary. Jehovah from heaven unto earth looked attentively, |
Behold the earth – In his sympathy, God beheld our sorrow. R4963:5
If God so loved these, if Christ died for them as well as us, why should we not be very sympathetic with them? R3933:4
After the saints have all gone to be with the Lord. R60:5*
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| 20 To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death, |
Hear – Figuratively. R4963:5
Describing, not an impersonal Creator, but a personal one-- one who feels, thinks and exercises his power. SM623:1
Groaning – The suffering of humanity under the death penalty and the incidental aches and pains of our fallen condition. R5032:1, R4963:5; SM610:2
The prisoner – Prisoners of sin; captives in the prison house of death. Q159:T, A112; R4963:5
To loose those – He did more than look and pity. His right arm of divine power in due time began to bring deliverance to the captives of sin and death. R5032:1
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| 21 To declare in Zion the name of Jehovah, And His praise in Jerusalem, |
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| 22 In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms to serve Jehovah. |
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| 23 He hath humbled in the way my power, He hath shortened my days. |
Weakened my strength – Christ's strength. R449:1
Here the speaker changes from Jehovah to Jesus, speaking at the time of his crucifixion. R449:1
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| 24 I say, 'My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations [are] Thine years. |
Midst of my days – Prophetic of the painful circumstances of Jesus' death. R1205:2
Thy years – Jehovah's answer to Jesus prayer. R449:4
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| 25 Beforetime the earth Thou didst found, And the work of Thy hands [are] the heavens. |
Of old – In the creation of our first parents. R1814:1
Of the earth – The present social order. R1814:1, R3154:6
Originally, Adam was king, with dominion over the beasts, fowls and fish. R4222:6
The physical earth--referring to changes taking place as to earthly conditions; also used as the basis for a symbol, indicating the transformation of the present social order into one more acceptable to God. R3154:6
And the heavens – Powers of spiritual control. R3154:6
Originally, the spiritual heavens recognized the supremacy of the Almighty and that his will must be law for mankind. R4222:6
The spiritual or superior rule of the angels, which was connected with the epoch that preceded the flood. R4222:3
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| 26 They They perish, and Thou remainest, And all of them as a garment become old, As clothing Thou changest them, And they are changed. |
Be changed – Rearranged, made over, made new. R3154:6
One such change took place at the flood. We anticipate another in the near future, making the earth more fit than at present for the Millennium. R3154:6
Already changed twice, until today we have what is known as "This Present Evil World." (Gal. 1:4) R4222:6
They need changing, not because of any imperfection of the divine arrangement, but because it was departed from through sin, disobedience and death. R4222:6
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| 27 And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished. |
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| 28 The sons of Thy servants do continue, And their seed before Thee is established! |
Children of thy servants – The best provision which parents can make for their children is to give them, by precept and example, instruction in righteousness. R1963:5
Shall continue – "Seek meekness, seek righteousness. It may be that ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." (Zeph. 2:3) R1963:6
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