Psalms 102:26

26 1They will perish, but 2you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,

Psalms 102:26 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 102:26

They shall perish
Both the heavens and the earth, though so well founded, and so firmly made; they shall be dissolved, melt, and pass away; not as to the substance, but as to the quality of them: or, as R. Judah Ben David says, whom Aben Ezra on the place cites, and calls the first grammarian in the west, not as to generals, but as to particulars:

but thou shalt endure;
as the eternal God, from everlasting to everlasting; and, even as man, he will die no more; and, as Mediator, will ever remain; he will be King for ever; his throne is for ever and ever; his kingdom is an everlasting one; he is a priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedek; his sacrifice is of an eternal efficacy, and he ever lives to make intercession for his people; he will always continue, as the Prophet, in his church, to teach by his Spirit, word, and ordinances, in the present state; and hereafter will be the light of the New Jerusalem, and of his saints, for ever:

yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment:
not only the heavens, which are as a curtain and garment about the earth, but the earth itself, ( Isaiah 51:6 ) , will lose their beauty and glory, and become useless, as to the present form of them:

as a vesture shall thou change them, and they shall be changed;
as to their form, as a garment that is turned or folded up, and laid aside, as to present use: this seems to favour the above sense given, that the earth and heavens will not perish, as to the substance of them; but as to their form, figure, fashion, and scheme; and as to the qualities of them, all noxious ones being purged away by fire, the curse removed, and new heavens and new earth arise out of them.

Psalms 102:26 In-Context

24 "O my God,"I say, "take me not away in the midst of my days-- you whose years endure throughout all generations!"
25 Of old you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 51:6; Matthew 24:35; 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 12; Revelation 20:11; Revelation 21:1; Cited Hebrews 1:11, 12
  • 2. ver. 12
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.