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Psalm 126[a]

A song of ascents.[b]

126 When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion,[c]
we thought we were dreaming.[d]
At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.[e]
At that time the nations said,[f]
“The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”
The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
O Lord, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.[g]
Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.[h]
The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag[i] of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.[j]

Psalm 127[k]

A song of ascents;[l] by Solomon.

127 If the Lord does not build a house,[m]
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city,[n]
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food.[o]
Yes,[p] he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.[q]
Yes,[r] sons[s] are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
Sons born during one’s youth
are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.[t]
How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.
They will not be put to shame[u] when they confront[v] enemies at the city gate.

Psalm 128[w]

A song of ascents.[x]

128 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers,[y]
each one who keeps his commands.[z]
You[aa] will eat what you worked so hard to grow.[ab]
You will be blessed and secure.[ac]
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine[ad]
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children[ae] will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way.[af]
May the Lord bless you[ag] from Zion,
that you might see[ah] Jerusalem prosper
all the days of your life,
and that you might see[ai] your grandchildren.[aj]
May Israel experience peace.[ak]

Psalm 129[al]

A song of ascents.[am]

129 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
“Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.”[an]
May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back.
May they be like the grass on the rooftops,
which withers before one can even pull it up,[ao]
which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain.
Those who pass by will not say,[ap]
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”

Psalm 130[aq]

A song of ascents.[ar]

130 From the deep water[as] I cry out to you, O Lord.
O Lord, listen to me.[at]
Pay attention to[au] my plea for mercy.
If you, O Lord, were to keep track of[av] sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?[aw]
But[ax] you are willing to forgive,[ay]
so that you might[az] be honored.[ba]
I rely on[bb] the Lord.
I rely on him with my whole being;[bc]
I wait for his assuring word.[bd]
I yearn for the Lord,[be]
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.[bf]
O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love,[bg]
and is more than willing to deliver.[bh]
He will deliver[bi] Israel
from all their sins.[bj]

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 126:1 sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God’s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God’s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.
  2. Psalm 126:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  3. Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “turns with a turning [toward] Zion.” The Hebrew noun שִׁיבַת (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common שְׁבִית (shevit) or שְׁבוּת (shevut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of שְׁבִית appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb שׁוּב. This cognate noun appears to mean “return” (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or “restoration” (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that שְׁבִית should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of שׁוּב. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, “turn with a turning toward” (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes שְׁבִית as construct and understands “Zion” as an objective genitive.
  4. Psalm 126:1 tn Heb “we were like dreamers.” This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God’s renewed favor to a prophet’s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God’s presence in a special way in the day of Zion’s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning “to be healthy; to be strong” (see BDB 321 s.v. I חָלַם) and translate, “we were like those restored to health.” This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPsa. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.
  5. Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.”
  6. Psalm 126:2 tn Heb “they said among the nations.”
  7. Psalm 126:4 tn Heb “like the streams in the Negev.”sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: “These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents” (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God’s people were experiencing a “dry season” after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a “flash flood” of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God’s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.
  8. Psalm 126:5 sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.
  9. Psalm 126:6 tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I מֶשֶׁךְ which gives “leather pouch” as the meaning.
  10. Psalm 126:6 tn The Hebrew noun אֲלֻמָּה (ʾalummah, “sheaf”) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word “harvest” there.
  11. Psalm 127:1 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
  12. Psalm 127:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  13. Psalm 127:1 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
  14. Psalm 127:1 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
  15. Psalm 127:2 tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).
  16. Psalm 127:2 tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).
  17. Psalm 127:2 tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shenaʾ, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.
  18. Psalm 127:3 tn or “look.”
  19. Psalm 127:3 tn Some prefer to translate this term with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are plainly in view here, as the following verses make clear. Daughters are certainly wonderful additions to a family, but in ancient Israelite culture sons were the “arrows” that gave a man security in his old age, for they could defend the family interests at the city gate, where the legal and economic issues of the community were settled.
  20. Psalm 127:4 tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.
  21. Psalm 127:5 tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.
  22. Psalm 127:5 tn Heb “speak with.”
  23. Psalm 128:1 sn Psalm 128. The psalmist observes that the godly individual has genuine happiness because the Lord rewards such a person with prosperity and numerous children.
  24. Psalm 128:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  25. Psalm 128:1 tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”
  26. Psalm 128:1 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
  27. Psalm 128:2 tn The psalmist addresses the representative God-fearing man, as indicated by the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6.
  28. Psalm 128:2 tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”
  29. Psalm 128:2 tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”
  30. Psalm 128:3 sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).
  31. Psalm 128:3 tn One could translate “sons” (see Ps 127:3 and the note on the word “sons” there), but here the term seems to refer more generally to children of both genders.
  32. Psalm 128:4 tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the Lord, be blessed.”
  33. Psalm 128:5 tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.
  34. Psalm 128:5 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.
  35. Psalm 128:6 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
  36. Psalm 128:6 tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
  37. Psalm 128:6 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
  38. Psalm 129:1 sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
  39. Psalm 129:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  40. Psalm 129:4 tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
  41. Psalm 129:6 tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
  42. Psalm 129:8 tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
  43. Psalm 130:1 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
  44. Psalm 130:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
  45. Psalm 130:1 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
  46. Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “my voice.”
  47. Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
  48. Psalm 130:3 tn Heb “observe.”
  49. Psalm 130:3 tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”
  50. Psalm 130:4 tn Or “surely.”
  51. Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”
  52. Psalm 130:4 tn Or “consequently you are.”
  53. Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “feared.”
  54. Psalm 130:5 tn Or “wait for.”
  55. Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “my soul waits.”
  56. Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “his word.”
  57. Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
  58. Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  59. Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “for with the Lord [is] loyal love.”
  60. Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”
  61. Psalm 130:8 tn Or “redeem.”
  62. Psalm 130:8 tn Or “all the consequences of their sins.” The Hebrew noun עָוֹן (ʿavon) can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin. Only here is the noun collocated with the verb פָּדָה (padah, “to redeem; to deliver”). The psalmist may refer to deliverance from the national consequences of sin or forgiveness per se (v. 4). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 192.