Psalms 126:5

126:5 Those who shed tears as they plant

will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ¹ 

Psalms 129:7

129:7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,

or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!

Psalms 89:45

89:45 You have cut short his youth, ² 

and have covered him with shame. (Selah)

Psalms 102:23

102:23 He has taken away my strength in the middle of life; ³ 

he has cut short my days.

[126:5]  ¹ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.

[89:45]  ² tn Heb “the days of his youth” (see as well Job 33:25).

[102:23]  ³ tn Heb “he has afflicted my strength in the way.” The term “way” refers here to the course of the psalmist’s life, which appears to be ending prematurely (vv. 23b-24).