Psalms — Chapter 129
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1A song of ascents. Many a time they have persecuted me from my youth—let Israel now declare—
2many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.
3The plowmen plowed over my back; they made their furrows long.
4The LORD is righteous; He has cut me from the cords of the wicked.
5May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
6May they be like grass on the rooftops, which withers before it can grow,
7unable to fill the hands of the reaper, or the arms of the binder of sheaves.
8May none who pass by say to them, “The blessing of the LORD be on you; we bless you in the name of the LORD.”
1Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
2Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.
3The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.
4The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
6Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:
7Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
8Neither do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon you: we bless you in the name of the LORD.
1Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, Let Israel now say,
2Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up: Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3The plowers plowed upon my back; They made long their furrows.
4Jehovah is righteous: He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.
5Let them be put to shame and turned backward, All they that hate Zion.
6Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, Which withereth before it groweth up;
7Wherewith the reaper filleth not his hand, Nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom.
8Neither do they that go by say, The blessing of Jehovah be upon you; We bless you in the name of Jehovah. Psalm 130 A Song of Ascents.
1A song of ascents. “Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel say.
2“Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not defeated me.
3The plowers plowed my back; they made their furrows long.
4The Lord is just; he cut the ropes of the wicked.”
5May all who hate Zion be humiliated and turned back.
6May they be like the grass on the rooftops, which withers before one can even pull it up,
7which cannot fill the reaper’s hand or the lap of the one who gathers the grain.
8Those who pass by will not say, “May you experience the Lord’s blessing! We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
1Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,
2many times they have afflicted me from my youth up, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long.
4Yahweh is righteous. He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.
5Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.
6Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up;
7with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.
8Neither do those who go by say, “The blessing of Yahweh be on you. We bless you in Yahweh’s name.”
Summary
This Song of Ascents has Israel recalling a lifetime of affliction from its youth, describing enemies who plowed long furrows across their back, yet never prevailed (vv. 1-3). The psalmist declares the LORD righteous for cutting the ropes of the wicked (v. 4), then prays that those who hate Zion would be turned back and wither like grass on a rooftop — cut down before anyone can even harvest or bless it (vv. 5-8).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Zion (v.5): 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
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
- Afflicted but Never Overcome (vv.1-2) — Israel can testify to affliction stretching back to its youth, yet declares the enemy has not prevailed. What long-running struggle can you look back on and honestly say, by God's grace, it hasn't defeated you?
- Deep Wounds, Yet the Lord Cuts the Cords (vv.3-4) — The image of plowers cutting long furrows into a back pictures deep, sustained suffering, but the Lord is righteous and cuts the ropes of the wicked. What binding, oppressive situation do you need to trust God to sever rather than trying to escape on your own strength?
- Enemies That Wither Like Rooftop Grass (vv.5-8) — Those who hate Zion are compared to shallow-rooted grass on a roof that withers before it can even be harvested. When you're tempted to fear people who oppose what's right, does this picture of their ultimate fruitlessness change how much weight you give them?