Psalm 102:24
New International Version
So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.

New Living Translation
But I cried to him, “O my God, who lives forever, don’t take my life while I am so young!

English Standard Version
“O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days— you whose years endure throughout all generations!”

Berean Standard Bible
I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.

King James Bible
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

New King James Version
I said, “O my God, Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations.

New American Standard Bible
I say, “My God, do not take me away in the middle of my days, Your years are throughout all generations.

NASB 1995
I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are throughout all generations.

NASB 1977
I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Thy years are throughout all generations.

Legacy Standard Bible
I say, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days, Your years are from generation to all generations.

Amplified Bible
I said, “O my God, do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are [eternal] throughout all generations.

Christian Standard Bible
I say, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! Your years continue through all generations.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I say: “My God, do not take me in the middle of my life! Your years continue through all generations.

American Standard Version
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: Thy years are throughout all generations.

Contemporary English Version
You will live forever! Years mean nothing to you. Don't cut my life in half!

English Revised Version
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I said, "My God, don't take me now in the middle of my life. Your years [continue on] throughout every generation.

Good News Translation
O God, do not take me away now before I grow old. O LORD, you live forever;

International Standard Version
I say, "My God, whose years continue through all generations, do not take me in the middle of my life.

Majority Standard Bible
I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.

NET Bible
I say, "O my God, please do not take me away in the middle of my life! You endure through all generations.

New Heart English Bible
I said, "My God, do not take me away in the midst of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.

Webster's Bible Translation
I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.

World English Bible
I said, “My God, don’t take me away in the middle of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
I say, “My God, do not take me up in the midst of my days,” "" Your years [are] through all generations.

Young's Literal Translation
I say, 'My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations are Thine years.

Smith's Literal Translation
Saying, O my God, thou wilt not take me away in the half of my days: thy years in generations of generations.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Call me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are unto generation and generation.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Do not call me back in the middle of my days: your years are from generation to generation.

New American Bible
I plead, O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days. Your years last through all generations.

New Revised Standard Version
“O my God,” I say, “do not take me away at the midpoint of my life, you whose years endure throughout all generations.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days; thy years are throughout all generations.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
He said to me, "Do not take me up in the middle of my days; your years are for a generation of generations.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
I say: 'O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days, Thou whose years endure throughout all generations.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are through all generations.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Prayer of the Afflicted
23He has broken my strength on the way; He has cut short my days. 24I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations. 25In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.…

Cross References
Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.

Hebrews 1:10-12
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. / They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. / You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”

Job 36:26
Indeed, God is great—beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable.

Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

Isaiah 41:4
Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”

Revelation 1:8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.

Job 10:9-12
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust? / Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese? / You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. ...

Psalm 103:15-16
As for man, his days are like grass—he blooms like a flower of the field; / when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

Isaiah 46:4
Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

1 Peter 1:24-25
For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, / but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.

Psalm 39:4-5
“Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is. / You, indeed, have made my days as handbreadths, and my lifetime as nothing before You. Truly each man at his best exists as but a breath. Selah

Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. / For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. / So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Psalm 89:47-48
Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men! / What man can live and never see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah


Treasury of Scripture

I said, O my God, take me not away in the middle of my days: your years are throughout all generations.

I said

Psalm 39:13
O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

Isaiah 38:10
I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave: I am deprived of the residue of my years.

thy years

Psalm 102:12
But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations.

Psalm 9:7
But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.

Psalm 90:1,2
A Prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations…

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Psalm 102
1. The prophet in his prayer makes a grievous complaint.
12. He takes comfort in the eternity, and mercy of God
18. The mercies of God are to be recorded
23. He sustains his weakness by the unchangeableness of God.














I say
This phrase introduces a personal declaration or plea, indicating the psalmist's direct communication with God. In the Hebrew text, the word used here is "אָמַרְתִּי" (amarti), which is a form of the verb "to say" or "to speak." This reflects a moment of intimate dialogue, emphasizing the personal nature of the psalmist's prayer. It is a reminder of the privilege believers have to approach God with their concerns and petitions, highlighting the relational aspect of faith.

O my God
The use of "O my God" signifies a personal relationship with the divine. The Hebrew word for God here is "אֵל" (El), a term that denotes strength and might. This invocation underscores the psalmist's recognition of God's power and sovereignty. It is a heartfelt appeal to a personal deity who is both transcendent and immanent, capable of intervening in human affairs. This phrase encourages believers to approach God with reverence and trust, acknowledging His authority and care.

do not take me
This plea reveals the psalmist's fear of premature death or being cut off from life. The Hebrew root "לָקַח" (laqach) means "to take" or "to seize," suggesting an abrupt or untimely removal. The psalmist's request reflects a deep desire for life and continued service to God. It serves as a reminder of the fragility of human existence and the dependence on God's grace for sustenance and longevity.

in the midst of my days
The phrase "in the midst of my days" indicates a concern for dying before reaching the fullness of life. The Hebrew word "חֲצִי" (chatsi) means "half" or "middle," suggesting an incomplete lifespan. This expression conveys the psalmist's longing for a full and meaningful life, dedicated to fulfilling God's purposes. It highlights the biblical theme of life as a gift from God, to be cherished and used for His glory.

Your years
Here, the psalmist contrasts human mortality with divine eternity. The word "שָׁנֶיךָ" (shanekha) refers to "years," emphasizing the eternal nature of God. Unlike human life, which is fleeting, God's existence is unending. This contrast serves to comfort believers, reminding them of God's eternal presence and unchanging nature, which provides stability and hope amidst life's uncertainties.

go on through all generations
This phrase underscores the perpetual nature of God's existence and His faithfulness throughout history. The Hebrew "דּוֹר וָדוֹר" (dor vador) translates to "generation to generation," highlighting the continuity of God's reign and His enduring covenant with His people. It reassures believers of God's unwavering commitment to His creation, encouraging them to trust in His eternal promises and to find solace in His everlasting presence.

(24) Take me not away.--The fear of not living to see the restoration of his race prompts the psalmist to this prayer to the God whose years are not, like man's, for one generation, but endure from age to age.

Verse 24. - I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days. Compare the complaint of Hezekiah (Isaiah 38:10). A pious Israelite regarded himself as entitled to a fairly long life, which was promised him directly (Exodus 20:12) and by implication, since it was only the wicked that were "not to live out half their days" (Psalm 55:23). Thy years are throughout all generations. Dathe and Professor Cheyne translate, "O thou, whose years are eternal." But the Hebrew will scarcely admit of this rendering.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I say:
אֹמַ֗ר (’ō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“O my God,
אֵלִ֗י (’ê·lî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 410: Strength -- as adjective, mighty, the Almighty

do not
אַֽל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

take me
תַּ֭עֲלֵנִי (ta·‘ă·lê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

in the midst
בַּחֲצִ֣י (ba·ḥă·ṣî)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2677: The half, middle

of my days!
יָמָ֑י (yā·māy)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3117: A day

Your years
שְׁנוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ (šə·nō·w·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

[go on] through all generations.
בְּד֖וֹר (bə·ḏō·wr)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling


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OT Poetry: Psalm 102:24 I said My God don't take me (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 102:23
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