The Meaning of Psalms 102:25 Explained

Psalms 102:25

KJV: Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.

YLT: Beforetime the earth Thou didst found, And the work of Thy hands are the heavens.

Darby: Of old hast thou founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands:

ASV: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Of old  hast thou laid the foundation  of the earth:  and the heavens  [are] the work  of thy hands. 

What does Psalms 102:25 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 102:12-28 - The Time To Have Mercy Upon Zion
We must remember that the Holy Spirit appropriates the closing words of this psalm as addressed to our Lord. See Hebrews 1:10-12. This gives new point to these petitions. The psalmist's sorrows, described in the previous paragraph, had their source in the desolations of Zion rather than in personal afflictions; and when the soul feels such oppression, it is a sign that deliverance is near. Finney, the great evangelist, tells of a woman who came to her pastor under such concern for the perishing that she could neither eat nor sleep. She entreated him to appoint an inquirers' meeting, and though there had been no signs of a revival, it suddenly broke out. When Christians take pity on the stones and dust of the Church, the time has come for God to arise to her help.
Behold the unchanging Christ! Creation may wax old, the heavens and earth may be laid aside as an outworn garment, the old order may give place to new; but beneath all the changed Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. How delightful are those immortal words, But thou, O Lord, shalt endure, and if He endures, His servants shall continue also, and their children after them. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 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

What do the individual words in Psalms 102:25 mean?

Of old the earth You laid the foundation and the work of Your hands the heavens [are]
לְ֭פָנִים הָאָ֣רֶץ יָסַ֑דְתָּ וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יָדֶ֣יךָ שָׁמָֽיִם

לְ֭פָנִים  Of  old 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָאָ֣רֶץ  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
יָסַ֑דְתָּ  You  laid  the  foundation 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָסַד 
Sense: to found, fix, establish, lay foundation.
וּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖ה  and  the  work 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעֲשֶׂה  
Sense: deed, work.
יָדֶ֣יךָ  of  Your  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, second person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
שָׁמָֽיִם  the  heavens  [are] 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.