Chapter Text
127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "except", "lord", "build", "house", "labour", and "vain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "except" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The local KJV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "except" and "lord" 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 "except" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.