Psalms 127

Unless the Lord builds the house

nless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.a ²In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.b ³Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.c

⁴Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.d ⁵Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.

Commentary

Psalm 127 is a wisdom psalm attributed to Solomon that confronts the futility of human effort apart from divine blessing. It opens with the famous image of building a house and watching a city — work that is meaningless unless the Lord is its foundation. The psalm then pivots to the

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Bible Dictionary· Psalms 127(1)

House

References· Psalms 127

a: v.1 — Proverbs 16:9, 1 Corinthians 3:7, Proverbs 21:30-31, 1 Corinthians 3:9-15, Psalms 33:16-18, Psalms 121:3-5, Psalms 124:1, 1 Chronicles 28:10, Isaiah 62:6, 1 Chronicles 28:20
b: v.2 — Ecclesiastes 5:12, Psalms 4:8, Job 11:18, Psalms 3:5, Ecclesiastes 2:20-23, Jeremiah 31:26, Ezekiel 34:25, Ecclesiastes 1:14, Proverbs 31:15-18, Psalms 39:5-6
c: v.3 — Psalms 128:3-4, Deuteronomy 28:4, 1 Samuel 1:27, Genesis 48:4, Genesis 33:5, Isaiah 8:18, Genesis 1:28, 1 Samuel 1:19-20, Joshua 24:3-4, Genesis 24:60
d: v.4 — Proverbs 17:6, Proverbs 31:28, Jeremiah 50:9, Psalms 120:4

Midvash cross references + OpenBible.info data (CC BY 4.0).

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