Psalms 102:17 - Exposition

He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer; rather, he hath regarded … and hath not despised (see the Revised Version). The word translated "destitute" is elsewhere ( Jeremiah 17:6 ) only used as the name of a shrub—probably the dwarf juniper, still so called by the Arabs. The dwarf juniper has "a gloomy stunted appearance" (Tristram), and well symbolizes the Israel of the Captivity period, dry and withered, like a wretched desert shrub.