Psalms 127:1-5

Psalms 127

DESCRIPTIVE TITLE

In Relief of Domestic and Civic Anxiety.

ANALYSIS

Stanza I., Psalms 127:1-2, Jehovah's Blessing Succeeds our Endeavours, Allays our Anxieties, and Gives us Sleep. Stanza II., Psalms 127:3-5, Children a Gift from Jehovah.

(Lm.) Song of the StepsBy Solomon.

1

Except Jehovah build the house

in vain[745] will its builders have toiled thereon:

Except Jehovah watch the city
in vain[745] will the watchman have kept awake.

2

It is vain[745] for you who early rise who late take rest,

[745] Or: For unreality.

who eat the bread of wearisome toil:

So would he give his beloved ones[746] sleep.[747]

[746] So (pl.) some cod. (w. Sep., Syr., Vul.)Gn. M.T. (sing.).
[747] Thus w. Per., rather than in sleeppreferred by O.G. 446a, Dav. Heb. Syntax 97, Br. and others.

3

Lo! an inheritance from Jehovah are sons,

a reward is the fruit of the womb:

4

As arrows in the hand of a warrior

so are the sons of the youth.

5

How happy the man who hath filled his quiver with them!

they shall not be put to shame,

Surely they will speak with enemies in the gate.

(Nm.)

PARAPHRASE

Psalms 127

Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders-' work is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, sentries do no good.
2 It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants His loved ones to get their proper rest.
3 Children are a gift from God; they are His reward.
4 Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies.[748]

[748] Literally, When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

EXPOSITION

The object and argument of this psalm are plain. Its object is, to allay carking care; and its argument is, that Jehovah cares for usthat the need of his blessing in order to the prosperity of our most arduous enterprises, should lead us to rest in him, since that is his way of leading us, that is how he would have us shew our trust in him. His benefactions are not deprecated: on the contrary, their value is picturesquely and impressively extolled; for how could anything surpass, for beauty and force, the picture of a yet able but ageing father, emboldened by the rally to him of stalwart sons, ready to speak with the enemy, either in judicial witness and plea on the forum, or by bold parley with the foe before striking the ready blow? Yet at the root of even this imposing tree of prosperity lay Jehovah's blessing. For it is thus that we grasp the unity of the psalm, in dissent from those critics who would divide it into two incoherent portions.

In vain, says the poet with threefold emphasis, your most toilsome work, your most wearisome watch, your most protracted restlessness, except you have Jehovah's blessing. It is by teaching you this lesson,it is thus,it is so,that your loving heavenly Father would give you sleep.

This construction of the first stanza is surely sufficiently satisfying to lead us to acquiesce in the conclusion of A.V., R.V. (text), P.B.V., Perowne, Carter,that the noun sleep is what is called the accusative of object; in other words, that sleep is the very blessing which Jehovah is here represented as giving to his beloved ones. Nevertheless, it may be conceded to be, not only grammatically possible, but exegetically plausible and in a good degree satisfying, to render the word sleep as an adverbial accusative of time or mannerin sleep,with R.V. (marg.), O.G., Davidson, Briggs, Leeser (during sleep); since it is perfectly true that the operations of nature are many of them still active, some of them especially active, while the worker is asleep, and not infrequently the plans of those with large enterprises on hand are advancing by leaps and bounds when the busy brain that originated them is sweetly at rest. Practically, the two constructions come nearly to the same thing; seeing that the likeliest way to get sleep, is to be assured that all is going on well during sleep. But are they going on well? Who knows, except Jehovah who never slumbers or sleeps (Psalms 121:4)? Who can effectually prosper them, save the Maker of heaven and earth? Therefore, trust thou in Himand rest.

The very geniality of this psalm, makes easy its assumed original application and intention, according to the theory favoured by the expositor. Quite taking is the suggestion of those who, from this psalm, picture the exiles rebuilding Jerusalemthe father aided by his numerous sons, speaking with and putting to shame or flight the troublesome Samaritans and others at Jerusalem's gate. Perhaps even more taking is the hintthat this psalm was first meant to encourage the building of an ancestral house, even the family of David, by one who had remained unmarried or a widower until about the time this Song of the Steps was written! This suggestion may attract to itself an especial interest if, with Thirtle (O.T.P. 49), we credit the Jewish tradition that King Hezekiah, after his recovery, married Isaiah's daughter Hephzibah; and if we conjecture, as we then may (2 Kings 21:1), that this good king had yet to wait two or three years before there was born to him an heir! Even learned critics may forget to allow for the touch of nature which makes the whole world kin. In any case we have not yet felt any literary compulsion to carry the dating of these Songs of the Steps to a period so late as the Exile.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.

What is the one outstanding purpose of this psalm?

2.

In verses three through five we have a picture of sons aiding and helping their fatherbut under what circumstances? How do we know this is the proper application? Discuss.

3.

How does the noon sleep have a very prominent part in the first half of this psalm? Discuss.

4.

How related to the building of the Temple?