Text -- Psalms 128:1-6 (NET)

Psalm 128

128:1 A song of ascents. How blessed is every one of the Lord’s loyal followers, each one who keeps his commands! 128:2 You will eat what you worked so hard to grow. You will be blessed and secure. 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your children 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. 128:5 May the Lord bless you from Zion, that you might see Jerusalem prosper all the days of your life, 128:6 and that you might see your grandchildren. May Israel experience peace!

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Psa 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.

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.

³ tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”

⁴ tn Heb “the one who walks in his ways.”

NET Notes: Psa 128:2

¹ 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.

² tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”

³ tn Heb “how blessed you [will be] and it will be good for you.”

NET Notes: Psa 128:3

¹ sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).

² 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.

NET Notes: Psa 128:4

¹ tn Heb “look, indeed thus will the man, the fearer of the Lord, be blessed.”

NET Notes: Psa 128:5

¹ 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.

² tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the preceding jussive.

³ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

NET Notes: Psa 128:6

¹ tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.

² tn Heb “sons to your sons.”

³ tn Heb “peace [be] upon Israel.” The statement is understood as a prayer (see Ps 125:5).