A song of ascents, 2 by Solomon.
127:1 If the Lord does not build a house, 3
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city, 4
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
21:30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,
and there is no counsel against 5 the Lord. 6
43:13 From this day forward I am he;
no one can deliver from my power; 7
I will act, and who can prevent it?”
4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. 8
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps 9 his hand
and says to him, ‘What have you done?’
1 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
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 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
4 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
5 tn The form לְנֶגֶד (lÿneged) means “against; over against; in opposition to.” The line indicates they cannot in reality be in opposition, for human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the wisdom of God (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 232).
6 sn The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively – these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12-13; Isa 40:13-14).
7 tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”
8 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew
9 tn Aram “strikes against.”