Psalms 129
129
Persecuted But Not Defeated
A song of the stairway
1Let all Israel admit it.
From our very beginning we have been persecuted by the nations.
2And from our very beginning
we have faced never-ending discrimination.
Nevertheless, our enemies have not defeated us. We’re still here!
3They have hurt us more than can be expressed,
ripping us to shreds, cutting deeply into our souls.
4But no matter what, the Lord is good to us.
He is a righteous God who stood to defend us,
breaking the chains of the evil ones that bound us.
5May all who hate the Jews
fall back in disgrace to a shameful defeat!
6Let them be like grass planted in shallow soil
that soon withers with no sustenance.
7Let them be like weeds ignored by the reaper
and worthless to the harvester.
8Let no one who sees them say,
“May the blessings of Yahweh be upon your life.
May the Lord bless you.” # 129:8 In the Jewish culture, if you passed by one who was harvesting his crops, you would shout out, “The Lord bless you!”
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Psalms 129: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationPsalms 129
129
Psalm 129#sn Psalm 129. Israel affirms God’s justice and asks him to destroy the enemies of Zion.
A song of ascents.#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.
1 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,”
let Israel say.
2 “Since my youth they have often attacked me,
but they have not defeated me.
3 The plowers plowed my back;
they made their furrows long.
4 The Lord is just;
he cut the ropes of the wicked.”#tn The background of the metaphor is not entirely clear. Perhaps the “ropes” are those used to harness the ox for plowing (see Job 39:10). Verse 3 pictures the wicked plowing God’s people as if they were a field. But when God “cut the ropes” of their ox, as it were, they could no longer plow. The point of the metaphor seems to be that God took away the enemies’ ability to oppress his people. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 187.
5 May all who hate Zion
be humiliated and turned back!
6 May they be like the grass on the rooftops
which withers before one can even pull it up,#tn The Hebrew verb שָׁלַף (shalaf) normally means “to draw [a sword]” or “to pull.” BDB 1025 s.v. suggests the meaning “to shoot up” here, but it is more likely that the verb here means “to pluck; to pull up,” a nuance attested for this word in later Hebrew and Aramaic (see Jastrow 1587 s.v. שָׁלַף).
7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,
or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!
8 Those who pass by will not say,#tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.
“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!
We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”
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