Psalms — Chapter 126

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1A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.

2Then our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with shouts of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

3The LORD has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

4Restore our captives, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.

5Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.

6He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.

1When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.

2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.

3The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.

4Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.

5They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

1When Jehovah brought back those that returned to Zion, We were like unto them that dream.

2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing: Then said they among the nations, Jehovah hath done great things for them.

3Jehovah hath done great things for us, [Whereof] we are glad.

4Turn again our captivity, O Jehovah, As the streams in the South.

5They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

6He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves [with him]. Psalm 127 A Song of Ascents; of Solomon.

1A song of ascents. When the Lord restored the well-being of Zion, we thought we were dreaming.

2At that time we laughed loudly and shouted for joy. At that time the nations said, “The Lord has accomplished great things for these people.”

3The Lord did indeed accomplish great things for us. We were happy.

4O Lord, restore our well-being, just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.

5Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.

6The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed, will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.

1When Yahweh brought back those who returned to Zion, we were like those who dream.

2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “Yahweh has done great things for them.”

3Yahweh has done great things for us, and we are glad.

4Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, like the streams in the Negev.

5Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.

6He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This Song of Ascents recalls how the LORD's restoration of Zion felt like a dream, filling the people with laughter as even the surrounding nations took notice (vv. 1-3). The psalmist prays for that restoration to continue, likening it to desert streambeds suddenly rushing with water (v. 4). It closes with the assurance that those who sow in tears will reap in joy, and whoever goes out weeping with seed will surely return rejoicing with a full harvest (vv. 5-6).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Song of Ascents / Communal Lament and Hope
Attributed Author: Anonymous (superscription: "A Song of degrees")
Key Themes: The joy of restoration, laughter and singing at God's deliverance, sowing in tears and reaping in joy, the dream-like quality of answered prayer
Historical Context: Psalm 126 likely celebrates the return from Babylonian exile (538 BC) — the restoration of Zion that seemed like a dream when it happened. The first half recalls past deliverance with overwhelming joy; the second half prays for continued/future restoration using agricultural imagery. "Sowing in tears" and "reaping in joy" has become proverbial. The Negev streams (v.4) are wadis that are bone-dry in summer but suddenly rush with water after rain — an image of sudden, dramatic restoration after long drought.
We Were like Them That Dream (vv.1-3): When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. The return from exile described as something too good to be credited while it was happening, and the psalm's honesty is in admitting that it did not feel real. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Even the neighbours are quoted, then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them, and the congregation takes the sentence up in its own mouth in the next verse with one word changed, for us.
As the Streams in the South (v.4): Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south. The psalm has just described a restoration as finished and now asks for one, which is the situation of the returned community: the exile ended and the conditions did not improve. The south is the Negev, where the watercourses are dry stone most of the year and fill in an hour when the rain comes, so what is being asked for is a change that arrives all at once and out of nothing.
They That Sow in Tears Shall Reap in Joy (vv.5-6): They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. The psalm ends by turning its own experience into a rule, and the figure is agricultural rather than emotional: sowing is the part where you give away what you could have eaten. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. Doubtless is the psalm's one confident word, and what it is confident about is a harvest, not a shortcut; the weeping and the going out are not skipped.

Map & Geography

  • Zion (v.1): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalms 125-129 | God's Righteous Kingdom | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 126 - Amazed at God’s Work
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Restoration That Feels Like a Dream (vv.1-3) — When the Lord restored Zion, it felt almost too good to be true, and even the surrounding nations noticed. Is there a past deliverance in your life you've stopped marveling at because it's become familiar?
  • Praying for Continued Restoration (v.4) — The psalmist asks God for ongoing restoration, pictured as dry desert streambeds suddenly rushing with water. What dry, waiting area of your life needs you to keep asking God to move again?
  • Sowing in Tears (v.5) — The image of sowing seed while weeping pictures faithful obedience carried out in the middle of pain. What hard, tearful season are you still faithfully sowing in, trusting it isn't wasted?
  • A Harvest of Joy Is Certain (v.6) — The one who goes out weeping with seed will doubtless return with songs of joy, carrying a full harvest. Do you believe your faithfulness in hard seasons is guaranteed a joyful reaping, even if the timing is unclear?