Psalms 128 
Discovery Box |
A song of ascents. 2
128:1 How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, 3
each one who keeps his commands! 4
128:2 You 5 will eat what you worked so hard to grow. 6
You will be blessed and secure. 7
128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine 8
in the inner rooms of your house;
your children 9 will be like olive branches,
as they sit all around your table.
128:4 Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed in this way. 10
128:5 May the Lord bless you 11 from Zion,
that you might see 12 Jerusalem 13 prosper
all the days of your life,
128:6 and that you might see 14 your grandchildren. 15
May Israel experience peace! 16
[128:1] 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.
[128:1] 2 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.
[128:1] 3
tn Heb “every fearer of the
[128:1] 4 tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”
[128:2] 5 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.
[128:2] 6 tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”
[128:2] 7 tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”
[128:3] 8 sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).
[128:3] 9 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.
[128:4] 10
tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the
[128:5] 11 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.
[128:5] 12 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.
[128:5] 13 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[128:6] 14 tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.
[128:6] 15 tn Heb “sons to your sons.”
[128:6] 16 tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).
