Psalms 129

Victory Over the Enemies of Zion

1

A song of ascents.

1 "Too often they have attacked me from my youth." Let Israel say,

2 "Too often they have attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.

3 On my back plowmen have plowed. They have made their furrows long."

4 Yahweh [is] righteous. He has cut [the] ropes of [the] wicked.

5 Let all be put to shame and repulsed who hate Zion.

6 Let them be like grass on [the] housetops, that withers before it grows up,

7 [with] which a reaper cannot fill his hand, nor the binder of sheaves his {arms},

8 so that passersby do not say, "The blessing of Yahweh [be] upon you. We bless you in the name of Yahweh."

Psalms 129 Commentary

Chapter 129

Thankfulness for former deliverances. (1-4) A believing prospect of the destruction of the enemies of Zion. (5-8)

Verses 1-4 The enemies of God's people have very barbarously endeavoured to wear out the saints of the Most High. But the church has been always graciously delivered. Christ has built his church upon a rock. And the Lord has many ways of disabling wicked men from doing the mischief they design against his church. The Lord is righteous in not suffering Israel to be ruined; he has promised to preserve a people to himself.

Verses 5-8 While God's people shall flourish as the loaded palm-tree, or the green and fruitful olive, their enemies shall wither as the grass upon the house-tops, which in eastern countries are flat, and what grows there never ripens; so it is with the designs of God's enemies. No wise man will pray the Lord to bless these mowers or reapers. And when we remember how Jesus arose and reigns; how his people have been supported, like the burning but unconsumed bush, we shall not fear.

Footnotes

• [a]. The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm
• [b]. Or "Greatly"
• [c]. Or "Greatly"
• [d]. According to the reading tradition (Qere)
• [e]. That is, the yoke and tackle on a beast of burden
• [f]. Literally "bosom"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 129

\\<>\\. This psalm was written in later times, after many of the distresses of Israel; very probably upon the Jews return from the Babylonish captivity, by Ezra, or some other godly person. Aben Ezra says the psalmist speaks in the language of Israel in captivity; and the same is the sense of Kimchi and Arama. The Syriac inscription is, ``a psalm without a name, concerning the distress of the people; but as to us, it intimates to us the victory and triumph of the worshippers.''