Psalms 129 (DBY)

Chapter Text

129:1 {A Song of degrees.} Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth oh let Israel say

129:2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth; yet they have not prevailed against me.

129:3 The ploughers ploughed upon my back; they made long their furrows.

129:4 Jehovah is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

129:5 Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all that hate Zion;

129:6 Let them be as the grass upon the house-tops, which withereth before it is plucked up,

129:7 Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom;

129:8 Neither do the passers-by say, The blessing of Jehovah be upon you; we bless you in the name of Jehovah!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "song", "degrees", "time", "afflicted", "youth", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "song" and "degrees", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "song" and "degrees" carries the first interpretive weight. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "song" and "degrees" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.