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I stay awake;[a]
I am like a solitary bird on a roof.
All day long my enemies taunt me;
those who mock me use my name in their curses.[b]
For I eat ashes as if they were bread,[c]
and mix my drink with my tears,[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 102:7 tn This probably refers to the psalmist’s inability to sleep. Another option is to translate, “I keep watch,” in which case it might refer to watching for a response from the Lord (see vv. 1-2).
  2. Psalm 102:8 tn Heb “by me they swear.” When the psalmist’s enemies call judgment down on others, they hold the psalmist up as a prime example of what they desire their enemies to become.
  3. Psalm 102:9 sn Mourners would sometimes put ashes on their head or roll in ashes as a sign of mourning (see 2 Sam 13:19; Job 2:8; Isa 58:5).
  4. Psalm 102:9 tn Heb “weeping.”