Psalm 127:3

3 Behold, ¹children are a gift of the LORD, The ²fruit of the womb is a reward.

Psalm 127:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 127:3

Lo, children [are] an heritage of the Lord
As all success, safety, and the blessings of life, depend on the providence of God; so this very great blessing is a gift of his; having children, and those good ones, as the Targum interprets it; for of such only can it be understood: so, in a spiritual sense, the children of Christ, the antitypical Solomon, are the gifts of his heavenly Father to him; his portion and inheritance, and a goodly heritage he esteems them;

[and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward;
"fruit" ^F25 is the same with "children" in the preceding clause; see ( Luke 1:42 ) ; a reward he gives to good men, not of debt, but of grace; the Targum,

``a reward of good works:''

so regenerate persons are a reward to Christ, of his sufferings and death, ( Isaiah 53:10 Isaiah 53:11 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 "Nascitur ad fructum mulier", Claudian. in Eutrop. l. 1. v. 331.

Psalm 127:3 In-Context

1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

2 It is vain for you to rise up early, To retire late, To eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

3 Behold, children are a gift of the LORD , The fruit of the womb is a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth.

5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 33:5; Genesis 48:4; Joshua 24:3, 4; Psalms 113:9
• 2. Deuteronomy 7:13; Deuteronomy 28:4; Isaiah 13:18

Footnotes

• [a] Or "heritage"