Psalms 127:1

Psalm 127 ¹ 

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.

Proverbs 21:30

21:30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,

and there is no counsel against ⁵  the Lord. ⁶ 

Isaiah 43:13

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?”

Daniel 4:35

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?’

[127:1]  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.

[127:1]  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.

[127:1]  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.

[127:1]  ⁴ sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.

[21:30]  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).

[21:30]  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).

[43:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “hand” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “No one can oppose what I do.”

[4:35]  ⁸ tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew MSS, rather than כְּלָה (kÿlah) of BHS.

[4:35]  ⁹ tn Aram “strikes against.”