Discovery BoxPsalms 102:17-20 
Context102:17 when he responds to the prayer of the destitute, 1
and does not reject 2 their request. 3
102:18 The account of his intervention 4 will be recorded for future generations;
people yet to be born will praise the Lord.
102:19 For he will look down from his sanctuary above; 5
from heaven the Lord will look toward earth, 6
102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,
and to set free those condemned to die, 7
1 tn The Hebrew adjective עַרְעָר (’arar, “destitute”) occurs only here in the OT. It is derived from the verbal root ערר (“to strip oneself”).
2 tn Heb “despise.”
3 tn The perfect verbal forms in vv. 16-17 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 15.
4 tn The Hebrew text has simply “this,” referring to the anticipated divine intervention on behalf of Zion (vv. 13, 16-17). The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “from the height of his sanctuary.”
6 tn The perfect verbal forms in v. 19 are functioning as future perfects, indicating future actions that will precede the future developments described in v. 18.
7 tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.
