A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee.

PSALMS 102:1KJV
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Psalms 102:1 (KJV)

What does Psalms 102:1 mean?

Psalms 102:1 is a heartfelt plea from someone deeply troubled, asking God to listen to their prayer and let their desperate cry reach Him. The verse sets the tone for the whole psalm, showing a person who feels overwhelmed and is pouring out their pain honestly before God.

The heading tells us this is a prayer from "the afflicted," someone suffering or weighed down by trouble. The speaker is addressing the LORD directly, not holding back their emotions, and asking for God’s attention. This verse introduces a psalm that is raw and personal, inviting God to hear when life feels unbearable.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 102:1

  • "Afflicted" (עָנִי, ʿani): This word describes someone who is poor, humble, or suffering. It highlights that the speaker is not just sad but deeply burdened or oppressed.
  • "Overwhelmed" (עָטַף, ʿataf): This word often means to faint or be covered over, suggesting the speaker feels completely weighed down or unable to cope.
  • "Complaint" (שִׂיחַ, siyach): This word can mean a troubling thought or meditation, not just a complaint but an outpouring of inner turmoil.
  • "Cry" (שַׁוְעָה, shavʿah): This is a strong word for a cry for help, not just a quiet prayer but an urgent, emotional call for rescue.

Why Psalms 102:1 matters

  • The verse shows that the Bible includes prayers from people at their lowest, giving voice to honest pain and struggle.
  • The language emphasizes that God is approachable even when someone feels overwhelmed and desperate, not just when life is going well.
  • This opening sets up the rest of the psalm as a model for bringing real, raw emotions to God, not hiding or sugarcoating them.

Where else these words appear

“cry” Hebrew H7775 · used in 11 verses

  • Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
  • Psalms 18:6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
  • Psalms 40:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

“complaint” Hebrew H7879 · used in 14 verses

  • 1 Samuel 1:16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
  • Job 9:27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness, and comfort myself:
  • Psalms 55:2 Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise;

“overwhelmed” Hebrew H5848 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 30:42 But when the cattle were feeble, he put them not in: so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.
  • Psalms 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
  • Isaiah 57:16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.

“Prayer” Hebrew H8605 · used in 70 verses

  • 2 Samuel 7:27 For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
  • Nehemiah 11:17 And Mattaniah the son of Micha, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.
  • Psalms 102:17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.