Here is Psalmus 102 (Vulgate) = Psalm 101 (Hebrew)
Domine, exaudi orationem meam
A psalm of affliction, desolation, and the inward discovery of God’s permanence.
No truncation required.
Versus 1
Domine, exaudi orationem meam, et clamor meus ad te veniat.
O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
Word Notes:
- exaudiō, exaudīre — to hear favourably
- clāmor, -ōris m. — cry, shout
Versus 2
Non avertas faciem tuam a me; in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me aurem tuam; in quacumque die invocavero te, velociter exaudi me.
Do not turn your face from me; in the day when I am troubled, incline your ear to me; on the day I call upon you, hear me quickly.
Word Notes:
- avertō, avertere — to turn away
- tribulor, tribulārī (dep.) — to be troubled
- inclīnō, inclīnāre — to incline, bend toward
- invocō, invocāre — to call upon
Versus 3
Quia defecerunt sicut fumus dies mei, et ossa mea sicut crémium aruerunt.
For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like embers.
Word Notes:
- dēficiō, dēficere — to fail, vanish
- fumus, -ī m. — smoke
- crémium, -iī n. — hot coal, ember
- ārueō, āruēre — to dry up, burn
Versus 4
Percussus sum ut fœnum, et aruit cor meum, quia oblitus sum comedere panem meum.
My heart is struck down like grass and is dried up, for I forgot to eat my bread.
Word Notes:
- percutiō, percutere — to strike down
- fēnum, -ī n. — grass, hay
- oblītus sum — I forgot (perf. of oblivīscor)
Versus 5
A voce gemitus mei adhæsit os meum carni meae.
Because of the sound of my groaning, my bones cling to my flesh.
Word Notes:
- gemitus, -ūs m. — groaning
- adhaereō, adhaerēre — to cling
Versus 6
Similis factus sum pellicano solitudinis; factus sum sicut nycticorax in domicilio.
I am like the pelican of the wilderness; like an owl among ruins.
Word Notes:
- pellicānus, -ī m. — pelican
- solitūdō, -inis f. — solitude, wilderness
- nycticorax, -acis m. — night-bird, owl
- domicilium, -iī n. — dwelling
Versus 7
Vigilavi, et factus sum sicut passer solitarius in tecto.
I lie awake and am like a solitary sparrow on the rooftop.
Word Notes:
- vigilō, vigilāre — to keep watch, lie awake
- passer, -eris m. — sparrow
Versus 8
Tota die exprobrabant mihi inimici mei, et qui laudabant me adversum me jurabant.
All day long my enemies reproach me, and those who praised me now swear against me.
Word Notes:
- exprobō, exprobāre — to reproach
- adversum — against
Versus 9
Quia cinerem tamquam panem manducabam, et potum meum cum fletu miscebam.
For I ate ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears.
Word Notes:
- cinis, cineris m. — ash
- misceō, miscēre — to mix
Versus 10
A facie iræ et indignationis tuæ; quia elevans allisisti me.
Because of your anger and indignation; for you lifted me up and then dashed me down.
Word Notes:
- īra, -ae f. — anger
- indignātiō, -ōnis f. — indignation
- allidō, allidere — to dash, throw down
Versus 11
Dies mei sicut umbra declinaverunt, et ego sicut fœnum arui.
My days decline like a shadow, and I wither like grass.
Word Notes:
- umbra, -ae f. — shadow
- dēclinō, dēclināre — to turn aside, decline
Versus 12
Tu autem, Domine, in æternum permanes, et memoriale tuum in generationem et generationem.
But you, O Lord, remain forever; your remembrance endures from generation to generation.
Word Notes:
- permaneō, permanēre — to remain, endure
- memoriale, -is n. — remembrance, memorial
Versus 13
Tu exsurgens misereberis Sion, quia tempus miserendi ejus, quia venit tempus.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to show her compassion — the appointed time has come.
Word Notes:
- exsurgō, exsurgere — to arise
- misereor, miserērī (+ gen.) — to have mercy
Versus 14
Quoniam placuerunt servis tuis lapides ejus, et terræ ejus miserebuntur.
For your servants delight in her stones and pity her dust.
Word Notes:
- placeō, placēre — to please
- terra, -ae f. — land, ground
Versus 15
Et timebunt gentes nomen tuum, Domine, et omnes reges terræ gloriam tuam.
The nations will fear your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
Word Notes:
- timeō, timēre — to fear
- glōria, -ae f. — glory
Versus 16
Quia ædificavit Dominus Sion, et videbitur in gloria sua.
For the Lord has built up Zion; he will appear in his glory.
Word Notes:
- aedificō, aedificāre — to build
- videor (pass.) — to appear
Versus 17
Respexit in orationem humilium, et non sprevit precem eorum.
He has regarded the prayer of the humble and has not despised their plea.
Word Notes:
- respiciō, respicere — to look upon
- spernō, spernere — to despise
Versus 18
Scribantur hæc in generatione altera, et populus qui creabitur laudabit Dominum.
Let these things be written for a future generation, and the people yet to be created shall praise the Lord.
Word Notes:
- scribō, scribere — to write
- creō, creāre — to create
Versus 19
Quia prospexit de excelso sancto suo; Dominus de cælo in terram aspexit.
For he looked down from his holy height; the Lord gazed from heaven upon the earth.
Word Notes:
- prospiciō, prospicere — to look forth
- aspiciō, aspicere — to behold
Versus 20
Ut audiret gemitum compeditorum, ut solveret filios interemptorum.
To hear the groaning of the prisoners and to free the children of the slain.
Word Notes:
- compedītus, -a, -um — bound, in chains
- solvo, solvere — to release, free
Versus 21
Ut annuntient in Sion nomen Domini, et laudem ejus in Jerusalem.
That they may declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem.
Versus 22
In conveniendo populos in unum, et reges ut serviant Domino.
When the peoples gather together as one, and the kings, to serve the Lord.
Word Notes:
- conveniō, convenīre — to gather together
- serviō, servīre — to serve
Versus 23
Respondit ei in via virtutis suæ: Paucitatem dierum meorum nuntia mihi.
He answered him in the way of his strength: “Tell me the fewness of my days.”
Word Notes:
- virtūs, -ūtis f. — strength
- nuntiō, nuntiāre — to report, declare
Versus 24
Ne revoces me in dimidio dierum meorum; in generationem et generationem anni tui.
Do not take me away in the midst of my days; your years endure through all generations.
Word Notes:
- revocō, revocāre — to call back, take away
- dimidium, -iī n. — half
Versus 25
In principio, Domine, terram fundasti, et opera manuum tuarum sunt cæli.
In the beginning, O Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
Word Notes:
- fundō, fundāre — to found, establish
- opus, operis n. — work, handiwork
Versus 26
Ipsi peribunt, tu autem permanebis; et omnes sicut vestimentum veterascent.
They will perish, but you endure; all of them will wear out like a garment.
Word Notes:
- per-eō, perīre — to perish
- veterascō, veterascere — to grow old
Versus 27
Et sicut opertorium mutabis eos, et mutabuntur; tu autem idem ipse es, et anni tui non deficient.
You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed; but you are the same, and your years do not fail.
Versus 28
Filii servorum tuorum habitabunt, et semen eorum dirigetur in æternum.
The children of your servants shall dwell secure, and their offspring shall be established forever.
Word Notes:
- habitō, habitāre — to dwell
- dīrigō, dīrigere — to make firm, establish
Summary Commentary
A psalm of affliction turning toward eternity.
Psalm 102 is the cry of a soul crushed by sorrow, physical weakness, and isolation. The opening verses present an almost clinical description of depression: loss of appetite, sleeplessness, social abandonment, and the sense of being forgotten.
Human frailty meets divine permanence.
The turning point comes at verse 12: “But you, O Lord, remain forever.”
Here the psalm shifts from the instability of human life to the unchanging nature of God. The contrast — our evanescence vs. divine endurance — becomes the theological centre.
Zion as inner restoration.
Zion represents the renewed inner self. God “builds” it, restoring the soul that has been scorched by sorrow. The “prisoners” and “children of the slain” symbolise aspects of the self bound by grief or shattered by loss, now released.
Creation as consolation.
The closing verses (25–28) place personal suffering within a cosmic frame: even the heavens wear out, but God remains. It is a meditation on transience that leads not to despair but to security.
Exercises
(a) English → Latin Translation
Translate:
- Hear my prayer, O Lord.
- My days vanish like smoke.
- I am like a solitary sparrow.
- You remain forever.
Key:
- Domine, exaudi orationem meam.
- Dies mei sicut fumus deficiunt.
- Factus sum sicut passer solitarius.
- Tu autem, Domine, in aeternum permanes.
(b) Verb Form Practice — present / imperfect / future
exaudiō – exaudīre
dēficiō – dēficere
vigilō – vigilāre
aspiciō – aspicere
permanēo – permanēre
Model answers:
- exaudiō / exaudiēbam / exaudiam
- dēficiō / dēficiēbam / dēficiam
- vigilō / vigilābam / vigilābo
- aspiciō / aspiciēbam / aspiciam
- permanēo / permanēbam / permanēbo
(c) Reflection Questions
- Which images (sparrow, pelican, grass, ashes) resonate with experiences of inner desolation?
- How does the shift from “I wither” to “You remain forever” function psychologically?
- What does “Zion” represent as a symbol of inner rebuilding?