Psalms 102
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 102 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
21 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 102
1(103) A Psalm of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name.Τῷ Δαυίδ. Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ.
2Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his praises:Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον, καὶ μὴ ἐπιλανθάνου πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις αὐτοῦ·
3who forgives all your transgressions, who heals all your diseases;Τὸν εὐιλατεύοντα πάσαις ταῖς ἀνομίαις σου, τὸν ἰώμενον πάσας τὰς νόσους σου,
4who redeems your life from corruption; who crowns you with mercy and compassion;τὸν λυτρούμενον ἐκ φθορᾶς τὴν ζωήν σου, τὸν στεφανοῦντά σε ἐν ἐλέει καὶ οἰκτιρμοῖς,
5who satisfies your desire with good things: so that your youth shall be renewed like that of the eagle.τὸν ἐμπιπλῶντα ἐν ἀγαθοῖς τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν σου· ἀνακαινισθήσεται ὡς ἀετοῦ ἡ νεότης σου.
6The Lord executes mercy and judgment for all that are injured.Ποιῶν ἐλεημοσύνας ὁ Κύριος, καὶ κρίμα πᾶσι τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις.
7He made known his ways to Moses, his will to the children of Israel.Ἐγνώρισε τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ τῷ Μωυσῇ, τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ.
8The Lord is compassionate and pitiful, longsuffering, and full of mercy.Οἰκτίρμων καὶ ἐλεήμων ὁ Κύριος, μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος.
9He will not be always angry; neither will he be wrathful for ever.Οὐκ εἰς τέλος ὀργισθήσεται, οὐδὲ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα μηνιεῖ.
10He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor recompensed us according to our iniquities.Οὐ κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν, οὐδὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν ἀνταπέδωκεν ἡμῖν.
11For as the heaven is high above the earth, the Lord has so increased his mercy toward them that fear him.Ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἐκραταίωσε Κύριος τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.
12As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.Καθόσον ἀπέχουσιν ἀνατολαὶ ἀπὸ δυσμῶν, ἐμάκρυνεν ἀφʼ ἡμῶν τὰς ἀνομίας ἡμῶν.
13As a father pities his children, the Lord pities them that fear him.Καθὼς οἰκτείρει πατὴρ υἱοὺς, ᾠκτείρησε Κύριος τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν.
14For he knows our frame: remember that we are dust.Ὅτι αὐτὸς ἔγνω τὸ πλάσμα ἡμῶν· μνήσθητι ὅτι χοῦς ἐσμεν.
15As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so shall he flourish.Ἄνθρωπος, ὡσεὶ χόρτος αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ, ὡσεὶ ἄνθος τοῦ ἀγροῦ οὕτως ἐξανθήσει.
16For the wind passes over it, and it shall not be; and it shall know its place no more.Ὅτι πνεῦμα διῆλθεν ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπάρξει, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιγνώσεται ἔτι τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ.
17But the mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation upon them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children;Τὸ δὲ ἔλεος τοῦ Κυρίου ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν· καὶ ἡ δικαιοσύνη αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ υἱοὺς υἱῶν,
18to them that keep his covenant, and remember his commandments to do them.τοῖς φυλάσσουσι τὴν διαθήκην αὐτοῦ, καὶ μεμνημένοις τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτάς.
19The Lord has prepared his throne in the heaven; and his kingdom rules over all.Κύριος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἡτοίμασε τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ πάντων δεσπόζει.
20Bless the Lord, all you his angels, mighty in strength, who perform his bidding, ready to listen to the voice of his words.Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πάντες ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, δυνατοὶ ἰσχύϊ ποιοῦντες τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ.
21Bless the Lord, all you his hosts; you ministers of his that do his will.Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ, λειτουργοὶ αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα αὐτοῦ.
22Bless the Lord, all his works, in every place of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.Εὐλογεῖτε τὸν Κύριον πάντα τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ τῆς δυναστείας αὐτοῦ· εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή μου τὸν Κύριον.
The Fathers on Psalms 102
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 102:1Saint Augustine of Hippo1. …“Bless the Lord, O my soul! and all that is within me, His holy Name” (ver. 1). I suppose that he speaketh not of what is within the body; I do not suppose him to mean this, that our lungs and liver, and so forth, are to burst forth into the voice of blessing of the Lord. There are lungs in our breast indeed, like a kind of bellows, which send forth successive breathings, which breathing forth of the air…
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On Psalms 102:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His rewards” (ver. 2). But the rewards of the Lord cannot be before thine eyes unless thy sins are before thine eyes. Let not delight in past sin be before thine eyes, but let the condemnation of sin be before thine eyes: condemnation from thee, forgiveness from God. For thus God rewardeth thee, so that thou mayest say, “How shall I reward the Lord for all His…
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On Psalms 102:3Saint Augustine of Hippo4. Hear ye all His rewards. “Who forgiveth all thy sin: who healeth all thine infirmities” (ver. 3). Behold His rewards. What, save punishment, was due unto the sinner? What was due to the blasphemer, but the hell of burning fire? He gave not these rewards: that thou mayest not shudder with dread: and without love fear Him.…But thou art a sinner. Turn again, and receive these His rewards: He “forgiveth all thy…
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On Psalms 102:4Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Who redeemeth thy life from corruption” (ver. 4). Behold, “the body which is corrupted, weigheth down the soul.” The soul then hath life in a corruptible body. What sort of life? It suffereth burdens, it beareth weights. How great obstacles are there to thinking of God Himself, as it is right that men should think of God, as if interrupting us from the necessity of human corruption? how many influences recall…
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On Psalms 102:5Saint Augustine of Hippo7. After the battle, then, I shall be crowned; after the crown, what shall I do? “He who satisfieth thy longing with good things” (ver. 5).…Seek thy own good, O soul. For one thing is good to one creature, another to another, and all creatures have a certain good of their own, to the completeness and perfection of their nature. There is a difference as to what is essential to each imperfect thing, in order that…
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On Psalms 102:6Saint Augustine of Hippo9. “The Lord executeth mercy and judgment for all them that are oppressed with wrong” (ver. 6).…An adulterous woman is brought forward to be stoned according to the Law, but she is brought before the Lawgiver Himself.…Our Lord, at the time she was brought before Him, bending His Head, began writing on the earth. When He bent Himself down upon the earth, He then wrote on the earth: before He bent upon the earth,…
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On Psalms 102:7Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “He made His ways known unto Moses” (ver. 7).…For the Law was given with this view, that the sick might be convinced of his infirmity, and pray for the physician. This is the hidden way of God. Thou hadst long ago heard, “Who healeth all thine infirmities.” Their infirmities were as yet hidden in the sick; the five books were given to Moses: the pool was surrounded by five porches; he brought forth the sick,…
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On Psalms 102:8Saint Augustine of Hippo13. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy: long-suffering, and of great mercy” (ver. 8). Why so long-suffering? Why so great in mercy? Men sin and live; sins are added on, life continueth: men blaspheme daily, and “He maketh His sun to rise over the good and the wicked.” On all sides He calleth to amendment, on all sides He calleth to repentance, He calleth by the blessings of creation, He calleth by giving…
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On Psalms 102:9Saint Augustine of Hippo14. “He will not alway be chiding: neither keepeth He His anger for ever” (ver. 9). Since it is in consequence of His anger that we live in the scourges and corruption of mortality: we have this in punishment for the first sin.…Is it not through His anger, my brethren, that “in the sweat of thy face and in toil thou shalt eat bread, and the earth shall bear thorns and thistles unto thee”? This was said to our…
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On Psalms 102:10–11Saint Augustine of Hippo15. “He hath not dealt with us according to our sins” (ver. 10). Thanks unto God, because He hath vouchsafed this. We have not received what we were deserving of: “He hath not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our wickednesses.” “For as the height of heaven above the earth, so hath the Lord confirmed His mercy toward them that fear Him” (ver. 11). Observe the heaven: everywhere on…
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On Psalms 102:12Saint Augustine of Hippo16. “Look, how wide the east is from the west; so far hath He set our sins from us” (ver. 12). They who know the Sacraments know this; nevertheless, I only say what all may hear. When sin is remitted, thy sins fall, thy grace riseth; thy sins are as it were on the decline, thy grace which freeth thee on the rise. “Truth springeth from the earth.” What meaneth this? Thy grace is born, thy sins fall, thou art in a…
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On Psalms 102:13Saint Augustine of Hippo17. “Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children, even so hath the Lord had mercy on them that fear Him” (ver. 13). Let Him be as angry as He shall will, He is our Father. But He hath scourged us, and afflicted us, and bruised us: He is our Father. Son, if thou bewailest, wail beneath thy Father; do not so with indignation, do not so with the puffing up of pride. What thou sufferest, whence thou mournest, it…
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On Psalms 102:14Saint Augustine of Hippo18. “For He knoweth our forming” (ver. 14): that is, our infirmity. He knoweth what He hath created, how it hath fallen, how it may be repaired, how it may be adopted, how it may be enriched. Behold, we are made of clay: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.” He sent even His own Son, Him who was made the second man, Him who was God before all things. For He was second in…
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On Psalms 102:15Saint Augustine of Hippo19. “Man, his days are but as grass” (ver. 15). Let man consider what he is; let not man be proud. “His days are but as grass.” Why is the grass proud, that is now flourishing, and in a very short space dried up? Why is the grass proud that flourisheth only for a brief season, until the sun be hot? It is then good for us that His mercy be upon us, and from grass make gold. “For he flourisheth as a flower of the…
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On Psalms 102:16Saint Augustine of Hippo20. “The wind shall go over on it, it shall not be; and the place thereof shall know it no more” (ver. 16). For he is not speaking of grass, but of that for whose sake even the Word became grass. For thou art man, and on thy account the Word became man. “All flesh is grass:” “and the Word was made flesh.” How great then is the hope of the grass, since the Word hath been made flesh? That which abideth for…
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On Psalms 102:17Saint Augustine of Hippo21. In thy reflections therefore on thyself, think of thy low estate, think of thy dust: be not lifted up: if thou art anything better, thou wilt be so by His Grace, thou wilt be so by His mercy. For hear what followeth: “but the mercy of the Lord endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear Him” (ver. 17). Ye who fear not Him, will be grass, and in grass, and in torment with the grass: for the flesh shall…
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On Psalms 102:17Saint Augustine of Hippo22. “And His righteousness upon children’s children” (ver. 18). He speaketh of reward, “upon children’s children.” How many servants of God are there who have not children, how much less children’s children? But He calleth our works our children; the reward of works, our “children’s children.” “Even upon such as keep His covenant.” Let men beware that all may not conceive what is here said to belong to…
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On Psalms 102:19Saint Augustine of Hippo23. “The Lord hath prepared His throne in heaven” (ver. 19). Who but Christ hath prepared His throne in heaven? He who descended and ascended, He who died, and rose from the dead, He who lifted up to heaven the manhood He had assumed, hath Himself prepared His throne in heaven. The throne is the seat of the Judge: observe therefore ye who hear, that “He hath prepared His throne in heaven.”…The kingdom is the…
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On Psalms 102:20Saint Augustine of Hippo24. “Bless ye the Lord, ye Angels of His, ye that are mighty in strength: ye that fulfil His word” (ver. 20). By the word of God, then, thou art not righteous, nor faithful, unless when thou dost it. “Ye that are mighty in strength, ye that fulfil His commandment, and hearken unto the voice of His words.”
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On Psalms 102:21Saint Augustine of Hippo25. “Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts: ye servants of His that do His pleasure” (ver. 21). All ye angels, all ye that are mighty in strength: ye that do His word: all ye His hosts, ye servants of His that do His pleasure, do ye, ye bless the Lord. For all they who live wickedly, though their tongues be silent, by their lips do curse the Lord. What doth it profit if thy tongue singeth a hymn, while thy life…
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On Psalms 102:22Open Psalms 102 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo26. “Bless ye the Lord, all ye works of His, in all places of His dominion” (ver. 22). Therefore in every place. Let Him not be blessed where He ruleth not: “in all places of His dominion.” Let no man perchance say: I cannot praise the Lord in the East, because He hath departed unto the West; or, I cannot praise Him in the West, because He is in the East. “For neither from the east, nor from the west, nor yet…
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