This document provides commentary on Psalm 129 from multiple authors. It begins with an introduction explaining the purpose is to bring together comments from different authors to aid Bible study. Several commentators are then quoted discussing themes in the Psalm such as God subjecting his church to troubles to prove himself as defender, and the idea that God's people have faced persecution throughout history but have always been preserved. The commentators provide historical context and interpretations regarding the oppression of Israel from its earliest origins.

1. PSALM 129 COMME
TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number of
authors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.
Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I will
give credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to be
included in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have it
removed. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
I
TRODUCTIO
1. Barnes, “This psalm is entitled merely “A Song of Degrees.” Its author is
unknown; and the occasion on which it was written cannot now be ascertained. It is
a psalm which would be applicable to many periods of the Jewish history, and it is
not of such a nature that it can with certainty be referred to any one of them. There
is nothing in it which would forbid us to suppose that it was composed on the return
from the Babylonian exile, but there is nothing to fix it definitely to that event. Why
it was made one of the “Songs of Degrees” is equally unknown. It merely refers to
the fact that Israel had often been roughly and severely treated; and it contains a
prayer that those who were the enemies of Zion might be punished in a proper
manner. It would seem probable that it was composed during a time of trouble, of
war, or of persecution, and that the main purpose of the writer was to refer to the
fact that the same thing had often occurred before, and to find consolation and
support in that fact. The principle on which it is founded is, that there is nothing to
be dreaded as the result of trial, if we have passed through the same form of trial
before, and if we have not sunk but have been sustained under it. This furnishes an
assurance that the same thing may occur again.”
2. “This Psalm teaches, in the first place, that God subjects his Church to divers
troubles and affections, to the end he may the better prove himself her deliverer and
defender. The Psalmist, therefore, recalls to the memory of the faithful how sadly
God's people had been persecuted in all ages, and how wonderfully they had been
preserved, in order by such examples to fortify their hope in reference to the future.
In the second part, under the form of an imprecation, he shows that the divine
vengeance is ready to fall upon all the ungodly, who without cause distress the

2. people of God.” author unknown
3. Spurgeon, “A Song of Degrees. I fail to see how this is a step beyond the previous
Psalm; and yet it is clearly the song of an older and more tried individual, who looks
back upon a life of affliction in which he suffered all along, even from his youth.
Inasmuch as patience is a higher, or at least more difficult, grace than domestic love,
the ascent or progress may perhaps be seen in that direction. Probably if we knew
more of the stations on the road to the Temple we should see a reason for the order
of these Psalms; but as that information cannot be obtained, we must take the songs
as we find them, and remember that, as we do not now go on pilgrimages to Zion, it
is our curiosity and not oar necessity which is a loser by our not knowing the cause
of the arrangement of the songs in this Pilgrim Psalter.
It does not seem to us at all needful to ascribe this Psalm to a period subsequent to
the captivity ... indeed, it is more suitable to a time when as yet the enemy bad not so
far prevailed as to have carried the people into a distant land. It is a mingled hymn
of sorrow and of strong resolve. Though sorely smitten, the afflicted one is heart
whole, and scorns to yield in the least degree to the enemy. The poet sings the trials
of Israel, Psalms 129:1-3; the interposition of the Lord, Psalms 129:4; and the
unblessed condition of Israel's foes, Psalms 129:5-8. It is a rustic song, full of
allusions to husbandry. It reminds us of the books of Ruth and Amos.”
1. They have greatly oppressed me from my
youth—let Israel say-
1. Calvin, “This Psalm was probably composed at a time when the Church of God,
reduced to a state of extreme distress, or dismayed by some great danger, or
oppressed with tyranny, was on the verge of total destruction. This conjecture, I
conceive, is supported by the adverb of time, now, which appears to me to be
emphatic. It is as if the Prophet; had said, When God's faithful ones are with
difficulty drawing their breath under the burden of temptations, it is a seasonable
time for them to reflect on the manner in which he has exercised his people from the
beginning, and from age to age. As soon as God has given loose reins to our enemies
to do as they please we are distressed with sorrow, and our thoughts are wholly
engrossed with the evils which presently harass us. Hence proceeds despair; for we
do not remember that the patience of the fathers was subjected to the like trial, and
that nothing happens to us which they did not experience. It is then an exercise
eminently fitted to comfort true believers to look back to the conflicts of the Church
in the days of old, in order thereby to know that she has always labored under the
cross, and has been severely afflicted by the unrighteous violence of her enemies.
The most probable conjecture which occurs to me at present is, that this Psalm was

3. written after the Jews had returned from the Babylonish captivity, and when,
having suffered many grievous and cruel injuries at the hands of their neighbors,
they hadn't length almost fainted under the tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes. In this
dark and troublous state of matters, the Prophet encourages the faithful to
fortitude, nor does he address himself to a few of them only, but to the whole body
without exception; and in order to their sustaining such fierce assaults, he would
have them to oppose to them a hope inspired by the encouraging consideration, that
the Church, by patient endurance, has uniformly proved victorious. Almost every
word is emphatic. Let Israel now say, that is, let him consider the trials of the
Church in ancient times, from which it may be gathered, that the people of God
have never been exempted from bearing the cross, and yet that the various
afflictions by which they have been tried have always had a happy issue. In speaking
of the enemies of Israel simply by the pronoun they, without being more specific, the
Psalmist aggravates the greatness of the evil more than if he had expressly named
the Assyrians or the Egyptians. By not specifying any particular class of foes, he
tacitly intimates that the world is fraught with innumerable bands of enemies,
whom Satan easily arms for the destruction of good men, his object being that new
wars may arise continually on every side. History certainly bears ample testimony
that the people of God had not to deal with a few enemies, but that they were
assaulted by almost the whole world; and farther, that they were molested not only
by external foes, but also by those of an internal kind, by such as professed to belong
to the Church.
The term youth here denotes their first beginnings, and refers not only to the time
when God brought the people out of Egypt, but also to the time when he wearied
Abraham and the patriarchs during almost their whole life, by keeping them in a
condition of painful warfare. If these patriarchs were strangely driven about in the
land of Canaan, the lot of their descendants was still worse during the time of their
sojourning in Egypt, when they were not only oppressed as slaves, but loaded with
every kind of reproach and ignominy. At their departure from that land we know
what difficulties they had to encounter. If in tracing their history from that period
we find seasons in which some respite was granted them, yet they were not in a state
of repose for any length of time, until the reign of David. And although during his
reign they appeared to be in a prosperous condition, yet soon after troubles and
even. defeats arose, which threatened the people of God with total destruction. In
the Babylonish captivity, all hope being well-nigh extinguished, they seemed as if
hidden in the grave and undergoing the process of putrefaction. After their return
they obtained, with difficulty, some brief intermission to take their breath. They
were certainly often put; to the sword, until the race of them was almost wholly
destroyed. To prevent it, therefore, from being supposed that they had received only
some slight hurt, they are justly said to have been afflicted; as if the Prophet placed
them before our eyes as it were half-dead, through the treatment of their enemies,
who, seeing them prostrated under their feet, scrupled not to tread upon them. If we
come to ourselves, it will be proper to add the horrible persecutions, by which the
Church would have been consumed a thousand times, had not God, by hidden and
mysterious means, preserved her, raising her as it were from the dead. Unless we

4. have become stupid under our calamities, the distressing circumstances of this
unhappy age will compel us to meditate on the same doctrine.
When the Prophet says twice, they have afflicted me, they have afflicted me, the
repetition is not superfluous, it being intended to teach us that the people of God
had not merely once or twice to enter the conflict, but that their patience had been
tried by continual exercises. He had said that they had commenced this conflict from
their youth, intimating that they had been inured to it from their first origin, in
order to their being accustomed to bear the cross. He now adds, that their being
subjected to this rigorous training was not without good reason, inasmuch as God
had not ceased, by a continued course, to make use of these calamities for subduing
them to himself. If the exercises of the Church, during her state of childhood, were
so severe, our effeminacy will be very shameful indeed, if in the present day, when
the Church, by the coming of Christ, has reached the age of manhood, we are found
wanting in firmness for enduring trials. Matter of consolation is laid down in the
last clause, which informs us that the enemies of Israel, after having tried all
methods, never succeeded in realizing their wishes, God having always disappointed
their hopes, and baffled their attempts.”
2. Clarke, “Many a time have they afflicted me - The Israelites had been generally in
affliction or captivity from the earliest part of their history, here called their youth.
So Hos_2:15 : “She shall sing as in the days of her youth, when she came up out of
the land of Egypt.” See Jer_2:2, and Eze_16:4, etc.
2B, “They. The persecutors deserve not a name. The rich man is not named (as
Lazarus is) because not worthy: Luke 16:1-31 "They shall be written in the earth":
Jeremiah 17:13. --John Trapp.
2C. Calvin, “They. In speaking of the enemies of Israel simply by the pronoun
"they", without being more specific, the Psalmist aggravates the greatness of the evil
more than if he had expressly named the Assyrians or the Egyptians. By not
specifying any particular class of foes, he tacitly intimates that the world is filled
with innumerable bands of enemies, whom Satan easily arms for the destruction of
good men, his object being that new wars may arise continually on every side.
History certainly bears ample testimony that the people of God had not to deal with
a few enemies, but that they were assaulted by almost the whole world; and further,
that they were molested not only by external foes, but also by those of an internal
kind, by such as professed to belong to the Church.”
2D. Warren Wiersbe, ““They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” says the
Psalmist. He is speaking representatively of Israel here. Israel’s “youth” would refer
to the Exodus event, when Israel was formed as a nation. Following their
persecution by the Egyptians, their deliverance, the wilderness wanderings, and the
conquest of Canaan, they were constantly under harassment from the Amorites and
the Amalekites and the Midianites and the Moabites and the Philistines and the
Syrians and the Assyrians and the Babylonians, and then beyond. And today, the

5. Jews still go to the north wall of the old city (which we know as the “Waling Wall”)
to lament their history of suffering, which continues to this hour.
3. Gill, “That is, the enemies of Israel, afterwards called "ploughers". This may be
understood of literal Israel, the posterity of Jacob; whose youth was the beginning
of their constitution as a nation and church, or the first times of it; when they were
greatly distressed by their enemies, and from thenceforward; as in Egypt, where,
and in places near it, they were afflicted four hundred years, according to a
prophecy given to Abraham their ancestor, and where their lives were made bitter
with hard bondage; and in the times of the Judges, by several neighbouring nations,
which was the time of their youth, or their settlement in Canaan; and afterwards in
the times of their kings, particularly in the times of Ahaz king of Judah, by the
Edomites and Philistines, and by Tiglathpileser, king of Assyria; and in the times of
Hoshea, king of Israel, by Salmaneser, who carried away captive, ten tribes; and in
the times of Jeconiah and Zedekiah, kings of Judah, by
ebuchadnezzar, who
carried captive to Babylon the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. And the psalmist, by a
spirit of prophecy, might have a further respect to the distresses of Israel in the
times of Antiochus and the Maccabees, when the temple was profaned, the altar
demolished, and the daily sacrifice made to cease, and many good men lost their
lives; to which times the apostle may be thought to have regard, Heb_11:35; and
also to their last affliction by the Romans, the greatest of all; and their present
captivity, and deliverance from it;
may Israel now say; this now refers to the time of redemption, as Arama observes,
whether at their return from Babylon, or at their future conversion; then reviewing
their former troubles ever since they were a people, may say as before. This may be
applied to mystical Israel, or to the church of God in Gospel times, which, in its
infancy, and from its youth upwards, has been afflicted, many a time, and by many
enemies; first, by the unbelieving Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus, and persecuted
his apostles and members; then by Rome Pagan, under the ten persecutions of so
many emperors; and afterwards by Rome Papal, the whore of Babylon, who many a
time been drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Yea, this may be
applied to the Messiah, one of whose names is Israel, Isa_49:3; who was a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with griefs all his days, even from his youth, Isa_53:3; he
was the "Aijeleth Shahar", the hind of the morning, Psa_22:1, title; hunted by
Herod in his infancy, Mat_2:13; and obliged to be carried into Egypt for safety
when a child, from whence he was called, Hos_11:1; and ever after was more or less
afflicted by his enemies, men or devils, in mind or body; and at last endured great
sufferings, and death itself. It may moreover be applied to every Israelite indeed, to
every true believer and member of Christ; conversion is their time of youth; they
are first newborn babes, and then young men; as soon as regenerated, they are
afflicted with the temptations of Satan, the reproaches and persecutions of men;
which are many, though no more than necessary, and it is the will of God should be,
and all for their good.”
4. Henry, “The church of God, in its several ages, is here spoken of, or, rather, here

6. speaks, as one single person, now old and gray-headed, but calling to remembrance
the former days, and reflecting upon the times of old. And, upon the review, it is
found, 1. That the church has been often greatly distressed by its enemies on earth:
Israel may now say, “I am the people that has been oppressed more than any people,
that has been as a speckled bird, pecked at by all the birds round about,” Jer_12:9. It
is true, they brought their troubles upon themselves by their sins; it was for them
that God punished them; but it was for the peculiarity of their covenant, and the
singularities of their religion, that their neighbours hated and persecuted them.
“For these many a time have they afflicted me from my youth.”
ote, God's people
have always had many enemies, and the state of the church, from its infancy, has
frequently been an afflicted state. Israel's youth was in Egypt, or in the times of the
Judges; then they were afflicted, and thenceforward more or less. The gospel-church,
ever since it had a being, has been at times afflicted; and it bore this yoke
most of all in its youth, witness the ten persecutions which the primitive church
groaned under.”
5. Keil, “Israel is gratefully to confess that, however much and sorely it was
oppressed, it still has not succumbed. רבּת , together with רבּה , has occurred already in
Psa_65:10; Psa_62:3, and it becomes usual in the post-exilic language, Psa_120:6;
Psa_123:4, 2Ch_30:18; Syriac rebath. The expression “from my youth” glances back
to the time of the Egyptian bondage; for the time of the sojourn in Egypt was the
time of Israel's youth (Hos_2:17, Hos_11:1, Jer_2:2; Eze_23:3). The protasis
Psa_129:1 is repeated in an interlinked, chain-like conjunction in order to complete
the thought; for Psa_129:2 is the turning-point, where גּם , having reference to the
whole negative clause, signifies “also” in the sense of “nevertheless,” ὅμως (synon.
בּכל־בּכל ), as in Eze_16:28; Ecc_6:7, cf. above, Psa_119:24 : although they oppressed
me much and sore, yet have they not overpowered me (the construction is like
um_13:30, and frequently).”
6. Spurgeon, “Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now
say. In her present hour of trial she may remember her former afflictions and speak
of them for her comfort, drawing from them the assurance that he who has been
with her for so long will not desert her in the end. The song begins abruptly. The
poet has been musing, and the fire burns, therefore speaks he with his tongue; he
cannot help it, he feels that he must speak, and therefore "may now say" what he
has to say. The trials of the church have been repeated again and again, times
beyond all count: the same afflictions are fulfilled in us as in our fathers. Jacob of
old found his days full of trouble; each Israelite is often harassed; and Israel as a
whole has proceeded from tribulation to tribulation. "Many a time", Israel says,
because she could not say how many times. She speaks of her assailants as "they",
because it would be impossible to write or even to know all their names. They had
straitened, harassed, and fought against her from the earliest days of her history --
from her youth; and they had continued their assaults right on without ceasing.
Persecution is the heirloom of the church, and the ensign of the elect. Israel among
the nations was peculiar, and this peculiarity brought against her many restless foes,

7. who could never be easy unless they were warring against the people of God. When
in Canaan, at the first, the chosen household was often severely tried; in Egypt it
was heavily oppressed; in the wilderness it was fiercely assailed; and in the
promised land it was often surrounded by deadly enemies. It was something for the
afflicted nation that it survived to say, "Many a time have they afflicted me." The
affliction began early -- "from my youth"; and it continued late. The earliest years
of Israel and of the Church of God are spent in trial. Babes in grace are cradled in
opposition.
o sooner is the man child born than the dragon is after it. "It is",
however, "good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth", and he shall see it to
be so when in after days he tells the tale.”
7. “Many a time have they afflicted me, etc. God had one Son, and but one Son,
without sin; but never any without sorrow. We may be God's children, and yet still
under persecution; his Israel, and afflicted from our youth up. We may feel God's
hand as a Father upon us when he strikes us as well as when he strokes us. When he
strokes us, it is lest we faint under his hand; and when he strikes us, it is that we
should know his hand. -- Abraham Wright (1611-1690), in "A Practical
Commentary upon the Psalms."
8. “They afflicted me. Why are these afflictions of the righteous? Whence is it that he
who has given up his Son to death for them, should deny them earthly blessings?
Why is faith a mourner so frequently here below, and with all that heroic firmness
in her aspect, and hope of glory in her eye, why needs she to be painted with so deep
a sorrow on her countenance, and the trace of continual tears on her check? First,
we reply, for her own safety. Place religion out of the reach of sorrow, and soon she
would pine and perish. God is said to choose his people in the furnace, because they
most often choose him there. It is ever from the cross that the most earnest "My
God" proceeds, and never is the cry heard but he speeds forth at its utterance, who
once hung there, to support, to comfort, and to save. As it is only in affliction God is
sought, so by many it is only in affliction God is known. This, one of the kings of
these worshipers of the Temple found. "When Manasseh was brought to affliction,
then he knew that the Lord he was God": 2Ch 33:12-13.
But, further, it is only by affliction we ourselves are known. What is the source of
that profound and obstinate indifference to divine truth which prevails among men
of the world, except the proud conviction that they may dispense with it? It is only
when they are crushed as the worm they are made to feel that the dust is their
source; only when earthly props are withdrawn will they take hold of that arm of
omnipotence which Jesus offers, and which he has offered so long in vain.
While men know themselves, they know their sin also in affliction. What is the
natural course and experience of the unbelieving of mankind? Transgression,
remorse, and then forgetfulness; new transgression, new sorrow, and again
forgetfulness. How shall this carelessness be broken? How convince them that they
stand in need of a Savior as the first and deepest want of their being, and that they
can only secure deliverance from wrath eternal by a prompt and urgent application
to him? By nothing so effectually as by affliction. God's children, who had forgotten

8. him, arise and go to their Father when thus smitten by the scourge of sorrow; and
no sooner is the penitent "Father, I have sinned" spoken, than they are clasped in
his arms, and safe and happy in his love.
It is, further, by affliction that the world is known to God's children. God's great
rival is the world. The lust of the flesh, pleasure; the lust of the eye, desire; the pride
of life, the longing to be deemed superior to those about us, -- comprise everything
man naturally covets. Give us ease, honor, distinction, and all life's good will seem
obtained. But what wilt thou do, when he shall judge thee? This is a question fitted
to alarm the happiest of the children of prosperity.
What so frequently and effectually shows the necessity of piety as the sharp
teachings of affliction? They show what moralists and preachers never could, that
riches profit not in the day of death, that pleasures most fully enjoyed bring no
soothing to the terrors which nearness to eternity presents, and that friends,
however affectionate, cannot plead for and save us at the bar of God. "Miserable
comforters are they all", and it is for the very purpose of inspiring this conviction,
along with a belief that it is Jesus alone who can comfort in the hour of need, that
affliction is sent to God's children.” --Robert
isbet.
9. “The visible Church from the beginning of the world is one body, and, as it were,
one man, growing up from infancy to riper age; for so speaketh the church here:
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth. 2. The wicked enemies of the
church, they also are one body, one adverse army, from the beginning of the world
continuing war against the church: "Many a time have they afflicted me from my
youth." 3. As the former injuries done to the church are owned by the church, in
after ages, as done against the same body, so also the persecution of former enemies
is imputed and put upon the score of present persecutors: "Many a time have they
afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say." 4.
ew experience of persecution,
when they call to mind the exercise of the church in former ages, serves much for
encouragement and consolation in troubles: "Many a time have they afflicted me
from my youth, may Israel mow say." 5. Albeit this hath been the endeavour of the
wicked in all ages to destroy the church, yet God hath still preserved her iron age to
age: Yet they have not prevailed.” --David Dickson.
2. they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained the victory over me.
1. The Psalmist is saying that life has been a battle with those who have sought to

9. put them down and try to carry them out, and thus eliminating them from the battle
field. However, they are not successful in their goal, for we are continuing to fight,
and they have not been able to sound their victory shout. Here is a lifetime struggle,
and the point is, he has not given up, but goes on fighting with the assurance of
ultimate victory. This is the battle song of many of God's people all through history,
for they have been persecuted severely, but have always survived to grow more and
more abundant in their influence on the world that so hates them.
o force against
Christianity has ever succeeded in gaining a victory so complete that it ceased to
have a continued impact on the people. Communism forced Christians to hide and
be silent for decades in China, but when the siege was lifted the Christian faith grew
by leaps and bounds. Such is the story of history over and over, and that is why the
proverb that says, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The history
of Israel has gone through the same pattern, and the only reason they ever fell to
any nation was due to their sinful rejection of God as their defender. They chose to
make God their enemy, and that is one warfare that can never be won.
1B. Wayne Shih, “When I read of the courage and stamina of oppressed believers
today, I’m reminded of Paul’s testimony in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are hard
pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted,
but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Do you hear the note of
triumph? Paul knew the victory was his. On another occasion he said that nothing
could separate him from the love of God - not trouble, not hardship, not
persecution, not famine, not nakedness, not danger, not sword. “
o, in all these
things,” he said, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans
8:37). Fare from being defeated by his suffering, Paul was confident that the love of
Christ would see him through to eternal joy.”
2. Barnes, “This repetition is designed to fix the thoughts on the fact, and to impress
it on the mind. The mind dwells on the fact as important in its bearing on the
present occasion or emergency. The idea is, that it is no new thing to be thus
afflicted. It has often occurred. It is a matter of long and almost constant experience.
Our enemies have often attempted to destroy us, but in vain. What we experience
now we have often experienced, and when thus tried we have been as often
delivered, and have nothing now therefore to fear. We are not to regard it as a
strange thing that we are now afflicted; and we are not to be discouraged or
disheartened as if our enemies could overcome us, for they have often tried it in
vain. He who has protected us heretofore can protect us still. He who defended us
before can defend us now, and the past furnishes an assurance that be will defend us
if it is best that we should be protected. It does much to support us in affliction if we
can recall to mind the consolations which we had in former trials, and can avail
ourselves of the result of past experience in supporting us now. Yet they have not
prevailed against me - They have never been able to overcome us. We were safe then
in the divine hands; we shall be safe in the same hands now.”
3. Gill, “This is repeated for the confirmation of it, to excite attention to it, and to

10. express the vehement affection of the speaker; yet they have not prevailed against
me; the Egyptians could not prevail against literal Israel; the more they were
afflicted, the more they grew and multiplied; in the times of the Judges, one after
another were raised up as deliverers of them; neither the Assyrians, Chaldeans, nor
Romans, nor any other, have been able to cut them off from being a nation; they
continue to this day: the enemies of the church of Christ, even the gates of hell, have
not been able to prevail against it, being built upon a rock, so as to extirpate and
destroy it, neither by open and cruel persecutors, nor by secret and fraudulent
heretics; nor could the enemies of the Messiah prevail against him, for though they
brought him to the dust of death, they could not hold him in it; and they themselves,
through his death, were conquered by him, as sin, Satan, the world, and death itself;
nor can the enemies of the saints prevail against them, God being on their side,
Christ making them more than conquerors, the Spirit in them being greater than he
that is in the world.”
4. Spurgeon, “Many a time have they afflicted, me from my youth. Israel repeats her
statement of her repeated afflictions. The fact was uppermost in her thoughts, and
she could not help soliloquizing upon it again and again. These repetitions are after
the manner of poetry: thus she makes a sonnet out of her sorrows, music out of her
miseries. "Yet they have not prevailed against me." We seem to hear the beat of
timbrels and the clash of cymbals here: the foe is derided; his malice has failed. That
"yet" breaks in like the blast of trumpets, or the roll of kettledrums. "Cast down,
but not destroyed", is the shout of a victor. Israel has wrestled, and has overcome in
the struggle. Who wonders? If Israel overcame the angel of the covenant, what man
or devil shall vanquish him? The fight was oft renewed and long protracted: the
champion severely felt the conflict, and was at times fearful of the issue; but at
length he takes breath, and cries, "Yet they have not prevailed against me." "Many
a time;" yes, "many a time", the enemy has had his opportunity and his vantage,
but not so much as once has he gained the victory.”
5. “Many a time, etc. The Christian Church may adopt the language of the Hebrew
Church: "Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not
prevailed against me." What afflictions were endured by the Christian Church from
her youth up! How feeble was that youth! How small the number of the apostles to
whom our Lord gave his gospel in charge! How destitute were they of human
learning, of worldly influence, of secular power! To effect their destruction, and to
frustrate their object -- the glory of God and the salvation of men -- the dungeon
and the mine, the rack and the gibbet, were all successively employed. The
ploughmen ploughed their back, and made long their furrows. Their property was
confiscated; their persons were imprisoned; their civil rights were taken from them;
their heads rolled on the scaffold; their bodies were consumed at the burning pile;
they were thrown, amidst the ringing shouts of the multitude, to the wild beasts of
the amphitheatre. Despite, however, of every opposition, our holy religion took root
and grew upward.
ot all the fury of ten persecutions could exterminate it from the
earth. The teeth of wild beasts could not grind it to powder; the fire could not burn
it; the waters could not drown it; the dungeon could not confine it. Truth is eternal,

11. like the great God from whose bosom it springs, and therefore it cannot be
destroyed. And because Christianity is the truth, and no lie, her enemies have never
prevailed against her.” --M. M'Michael.
3. Plowmen have plowed my back
and made their furrows long.
1. Calvin, “Here the Prophet, by an apparent similitude, embellishes his preceding
statement respecting the grievous afflictions of the Church. He compares the people
of God to a field through which a plough is drawn. He says that the furrows were
made long, so that no corner was exempted from being cut up by the ploughshare.
These words vividly express the fact -- that the cross has always been planted on the
back of the Church, to make long and wide furrows.
In the subsequent verse a ground of consolation under the same figure is subjoined,
which is, that the righteous Lord hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. The
allusion is to a plough, which, as we all know, is tied with cords to the necks of the
oxen. The language very aptly conveys the idea, that the wicked, -- since they would
never have become tired or satiated in exercising their cruelty, and also in
consequence of their being well armed, -- were prepared to proceed farther, but that
the Lord, in a way altogether unexpected, repressed their fury, just as if a man
should unyoke oxen from the plough by cutting in pieces the cords and thongs which
tied them to it. Hence we perceive what is the true condition of the Church. As God
would have us contentedly to take his yoke upon us, the Holy Spirit not unfitly
compares us to an arable field, which cannot make any resistance to its being cut,
and cleaved, and turned up by the ploughshare. Should any one be disposed to
indulge in greater refinement of speculation, he might say that the field is ploughed
to prepare it for receiving the seed, and that it may at length bring forth fruit. But
in my opinion the subject to which the Prophet limits his attention is the afflictions
of the Church. The epithet righteous, with which he honors God, must, in a
suitableness to the scope of the passage, be explained as implying that, although God
may seem to dissemble for a time, yet he never forgets his righteousness, so as to
withhold relief from his afflicted people. Paul in like manner adduces the same
reason why God will not always suffer them to be persecuted,
"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that
trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us." (2 Thessalonians 1:6, 7,)
It is a point worthy of special notice, that the welfare of the Church is inseparably
connected with the righteousness of God. The Prophet, also, wisely teaches us. that
the reason why the enemies of the Church did not prevail, was because God brought

12. to nothing their enterprises, and did not suffer them to go beyond what he had
determined in his own mind.
2. “According to Archbishop Seeker, this refers to severe scourging; and those who
have witnessed this cruel infliction tell us that the allusion is most expressive, the
long weals or wounds left by the scourges at each stroke being most aptly compared
either to furrows, or (as the original admits) to the ridges between the furrows. With
respect to the alleged incongruity of ploughing, and making long furrows on the
back, the Archbishop observes, "Lacerare et secare tercum are Latin phrases, and
ploughing is not much stronger, to express a severe scourging." The language of the
Psalmist may, however, without allusion to any particular species of persecuting
violence, be, as Calvin understands it, simply a strong image of cruel oppression.
"The persecutors of Israel," says Walford, "are compared to ploughmen; because
as they cut up, and as it were torture the surface of the earth, so did the adversaries
greatly and grievously distress these afflicted people." author unknown
3. Barnes, “The plowers plowed upon my back - The comparison here is
undoubtedly taken from the “plowing” of land, and the idea is that the sufferings
which they had endured were such as would be well represented by a plow passing
over a field, tearing up the sod; piercing deep; and producing long rows or furrows.
The direct allusion would seem to be to stripes inflicted on the back, as if a plow had
been made to pass over it; and the meaning is, that they had been subjected to
sufferings as slaves or criminals were when the lash cut deep into the flesh. Probably
the immediate thing in the mind of the psalmist was the hard bondage of the
children of Israel in Egypt, when they were subjected to all the evils of servitude.
They made long their furrows - On my back. The word used here, and rendered
“made long” - ארך 'ârak, means to make long, to prolong, to extend in a right line,
and it may be used either in the sense of making long as to extent or space, or
making long in regard to time, prolonging. The latter would seem to be the meaning
here, as it is difficult to see in what sense it could be said that stripes inflicted on the
back could be made long. They might, however, be continued and repeated; the
sufferings might be prolonged sufferings as well as deep. It was a work of long-continued
oppression and wrong.”
4. Clarke, “The plowers plowed upon my back - It is possible that this mode of
expression may signify that the people, during their captivity, were cruelly used by
scourging, etc.; or it may be a sort of proverbial mode of expression for the most
cruel usage. There really appears here to be a reference to a yoke, as if they had
actually been yoked to the plouph, or to some kind of carriages, and been obliged to
draw like beasts of burden. In this way St. Jerome understood the passage; and this
has the more likelihood, as in the next verse God is represented as cutting them off
from these draughts.”
5. Gill, "Sinners", as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, render it;
such that plough iniquity, and sow wickedness, Job_4:8; which may be understood

13. of their carrying Israel captive, when they put yokes and bonds upon their necks, as
upon oxen when they plough, as Arama interprets it; or it may design the
destruction of their high places, signified by the back, such as the temple, the royal
palace, and houses of their nobles, burnt with fire; yea, it was predicted that Zion
should be ploughed as a field, Mic_3:12; and the Jews say that Turnus Rufus, the
Roman general, as they call him, did plough up Jerusalem. The Syriac version is,
"they whipped" their whips or scourges; with which many of the Israelites were
scourged in the times of the Maccabees, Heb_11:36. And the Messiah himself, who
gave his back to the smiters, and was buffeted and scourged by them, Isa_50:6; and
many of his apostles and followers, Mat_10:17. The Targum renders it "upon my
body;'' and Aben Ezra says the phrase is expressive of contempt and humiliation,
and compares with it Isa_51:23;
they made long their furrows; which signify afflictions, and the pain their enemies
put them to, and the distress they gave them; as no affliction is joyous, but grievous,
but like the rending and tearing up the earth with the plough; and also the length
and duration of afflictions; such were the afflictions of Israel in Egypt and in
Babylon, and of the church of God under Rome Pagan and Papal; but, as the
longest furrows have an end, so have the most lasting afflictions. The Syriac version
is, "they prolonged their humiliation", or "affliction"; Kimchi says the meaning is,
"they would give us no rest from servitude and bondage.''
6. Keil, “Elsewhere it is said that the enemies have driven over Israel (Psa_66:12), or
have gone over its back (Isa_51:23); here the customary figurative language חרשׁ און
in Job_4:8 (cf. Hos_10:13) is extended to another figure of hostile dealing: without
compassion and without consideration they ill-treated the stretched-forth back of
the people who were held in subjection, as though it were arable land, and, without
restraining their ferocity and setting a limit to their spoiling of the enslaved people
and country, they drew their furrow-strip ( מעניתם , according to the Kerî (מענותם
long.
7. Spurgeon, “The plowers plowed up on my back. The scourgers tore the flesh as
ploughmen furrow a field. The people were maltreated like a criminal given over to
the lictors with their cruel whips; the back of the nation was scored and furrowed
by oppression. It is a grand piece of imagery condensed into few words. A writer
says the metaphor is muddled, but he is mistaken: there are several figures, like
wheel within wheel, but there is no confusion. The afflicted nation was, as it were,
lashed by her adversaries so cruelly that each blow left a long red mark, or perhaps
a bleeding wound, upon her back and shoulders, comparable to a furrow which
tears up the ground from one end of the field to the other. Many a heart has been in
like case; smitten and sore wounded by them that use the scourge of the tongue; so
smitten that their whole character has been cut up and scored by calumny. The true
church has in every age had fellowship with her Lord under his cruel flagellations:
his sufferings were s prophecy of what she would be called hereafter to endure, and
the foreshadowing has been fulfilled. Zion has in this sense been ploughed as a field.
They made long their furrows: -- as if delighting in their cruel labour. They missed

14. not an inch, but went from end to end of the field, meaning to make thorough work
of their congenial engagement. Those who laid on the scourge did it with a
thoroughness which showed how hearty was their hate. Assuredly the enemies of
Christ's church never spare pains to inflict the utmost injury: they never do the
work of the devil deceitfully, or hold back their hand from blood. They smite so as
to plough into the man; they plough the quivering flesh as if it were clods of clay;
they plough deep and long with countless furrows; until they leave no portion of the
church unfurrowed or unassailed. Ah me! Well did Latimer say that there was no
busier ploughman in all the world than the devil: whoever makes short furrows, he
does not. Whoever balks and shirks, he is thorough in all that he does. Whoever
stops work at sundown, he never does. He and his children plough like practised
ploughmen; but they prefer to carry on their pernicious work upon the saints
behind their backs, for they are as cowardly as they are cruel.”
8. “The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows. When the Lord
Jesus Christ was in his suffering state, and during his passion, these words here
predicted of him were most expressly realized. Whilst he remained in the hands of
the Roman soldiers they stript him of his raiment; they bound him with cords to a
pillar; they flogged him. This was so performed by them, that they made ridges in
his back and sides: they tore skin and flesh, and made him bare even to the bone, so
that his body was like a ploughed field; the gashes made in it were like ridges made
in a ploughed field; these were on his back. "The plowers plowed upon my back:
they made long their furrows." Whilst every part of our Lord's sorrows and
sufferings is most minutely set forth in the sacred hymns, Psalms, and songs,
contained in what we style the Book of Psalms, yet we shall never comprehend what
our most blessed Lord, in every part of his life, and in his passion and death,
underwent for us: may the Lord the Spirit imprint this fresh expression used on this
subject effectually upon us. Our Lord's words here are very expressive of the
violence of his tormentors and their rage against him, and of the wounds and
torments they had inflicted on him.
What must the feelings of our Lord have been when they made such furrows on his
back, that it was all furrowed and welted with such long wounds, that it was more
like a ploughed field than anything else. Blessings on him for his grace and patience,
it is "with his stripes we are healed." --Samuel Eyles Pierce.” author unknown
9. Henry, “The ploughers ploughed upon my back, Psa_129:3. We read (Psa_125:3)
of the rod of the wicked upon the lot of the righteous, where we rather expected the
plough, to mark it out for themselves; here we read of the plough of the wicked
upon the back of the righteous, where we rather expected to find the rod. But the
metaphors in these places may be said to be crossed; the sense however of both is the
same, and is too plain, that the enemies of God's people have all along used them
very barbarously. They tore them, as the husbandman tears the ground with his
plough-share, to pull them to pieces and get all they could out of them, and so to
wear out the saints of the Most High, as the ground is worn out that has been long

15. tilled, tilled (as we say) quite out of heart. When God permitted them to plough thus
he intended it for his people's good, that, their fallow ground being thus broken up,
he might sow the seeds of his grace upon them, and reap a harvest of good fruit
from them: howbeit, the enemies meant not so, neither did their hearts think so
(Isa_10:7); they made long their furrows, never knew when to have done, aiming at
nothing less than the destruction of the church. Many by the furrows they made on
the backs of God's people understand the stripes they gave them. The cutters cut
upon my back, so they read it. The saints have often had trials of cruel scourgings
(probably the captives had) and cruel mockings (for we read of the scourge or lash of
the tongue, Heb_11:36), and so it was fulfilled in Christ, who gave his back to the
smiters, Isa_50:6. Or it may refer to the desolations they made of the cities of Israel.
Zion shall, for your sake, be ploughed as a field, Mic_3:12. 2. That the church has
been always graciously delivered by her friend in heaven. (1.) The enemies' projects
have been defeated. They have afflicted the church, in hopes to ruin it, but they have
not gained their point. Many a storm it has weathered; many a shock, and many a
brunt, it has borne; and yet it is in being: They have not prevailed against me. One
would wonder how this ship has lived at sea, when it has been tossed with tempests,
and all the waves and billows have gone over it. Christ has built his church upon a
rock, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it, nor ever shall. (2.) The
enemies' power has been broken: God has cut asunder the cords of the wicked, has
cut their gears, their traces, and so spoiled their ploughing, has cut their scourges,
and so spoiled their lashing, has cut the bands of union by which they were
combined together, has cut the bands of captivity in which they held God's people.
God has many ways of disabling wicked men to do the mischief they design against
his church and shaming their counsels. These words, The Lord is righteous, may
refer either to the distresses or to the deliverances of the church. [1.] The Lord is
righteous in suffering Israel to be afflicted. This the people of God were always
ready to own, that, how unjust soever their enemies were, God was just in all that
was brought upon them,
eh_9:33. [2.] The Lord is righteous in not suffering Israel to
be ruined; for he has promised to preserve it a people to himself, and he will be as
good as his word. He is righteous in reckoning with their persecutors, and rendering
to them a recompence, 2Th_1:6.”
10. Warren Wiersbe, “The central truth in this picture is that plowing is
preparation for a harvest. When people are treating you like dirt, when the plows of
criticism and accusation dig in your back, remember: God is preparing you for a
harvest. What kind of a harvest? That depends on the kind of seed you plant. If you
plant seeds of revenge and hatred and malice, saying, "I'll get even with them
someday," the harvest will be bitter. But if you plant the seeds of the Word of God,
letting love and peace and patience reign in your heart, you can say with the
psalmist that the Lord is righteous--He will resolve this problem. Then the harvest
will be one of blessing...”

16. 4. But the LORD is righteous;
he has cut me free from the cords of the
wicked.
1. Barnes, “The Lord is righteous - Righteous in permitting this; righteous in what
he has done, and will do, in the treatment of those who inflict such wrongs. We may
now safely commit our cause to him in view of what he has done in the past. He was
not indifferent then to our sufferings, or deaf to the eries of his people; he interposed
and punished the oppressors of his people, and we may trust him still. He hath cut
asunder the cords of the wicked - By which they bound us. He did this in our
“youth;” when we were oppressed and beaten in Egypt. Then he interposed, and set
us free.”
2. Clarke, “The words have been applied to the sufferings of Christ; but I know not
on what authority.
o such scourging could take place in his case, as would justify
the expression: -
“The ploughers made long furrows there,
Till all his body was one wound.”
It is not likely that he received more than thirty-nine stripes. The last line is an
unwarranted assertion.”
3. Gill, “Or gracious and merciful; hence acts of mercy are called righteousness in
the Hebrew language; the Lord has compassion on his people under their afflictions,
and delivers them; or is faithful to his promises of salvation to them, and just and
righteous to render tribulation to them that trouble them, and take vengeance upon
them; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked: alluding to the cords with which
the plough is fastened to the oxen, which being cut, they cannot go on ploughing; or
to the cords of whips, which when, cut cannot be used to any purpose: it designs the
breaking of the confederacies of wicked men against the people of God; the
confounding their counsels and schemes, and disappointing their devices; so that
they cannot perform their enterprises, or carry their designs into execution, or go on
with and finish their intentions. The Targum renders it, "the chains of the wicked;''
see Isa_5:18.
4. Spurgeon, “The LORD is righteous. Whatever men may be, Jehovah remains
just, and will therefore keep covenant with his people and deal out justice to their
oppressors. Here is the hinge of the condition: this makes the turning point of
Israel's distress. The Lord bears with the long furrows of the wicked, but he will
surely make them cease from their ploughing before he has done with them. He hath

17. cut asunder the cords of the wicked. The rope which binds the oxen to the plough is
cut; the cord which bound the victim is broken; the bond which held the enemies in
cruel unity has snapped. As in Psalms 124:7 we read, "the snare is broken; we are
escaped", so here the breaking of the enemies' instrument of oppression is Israel's
release. Sooner or later a righteous God will interpose, and when he does so, his
action will be most effectual; he does not unfasten, but cuts asunder, the harness
which the ungodly use in their labour of hate.
ever has God used a nation to
chastise his Israel without destroying that nation when the chastisement has come to
a close: he hates those who hurt his people even though lie permits their hate to
triumph for a while for his own purpose. If any man would have his harness cut, let
him begin to plough one of the Lord's fields with the plough of persecution. The
shortest way to ruin is to meddle with a saint: the divine warning is, "He that
toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye."
5. “The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked; i.e., he has
put an end to their domination and tyranny over us. In the Hebrew word which is
rendered "cords" there is a reference to the harness with which the oxen were
fastened to the plough; and so to the involved machinations and cruelties of the
enemy. The Hebrew word properly denotes thick twisted cords; figuratively,
intertwined wickedness; Micah 7:8. "The cords of the wicked", therefore, signify
their power, dominion, tyranny, wickedness, and violence. These cords God is said
"to have cut", so that he should have made an end; and, therefore "to have cut" for
ever, so that they should never be reunited.” --Hermann Venema.
6. Matthew Henry, “He hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked. The enemies' power
has been broken; God has cut asunder the cords of the wicked, has cut their gears,
their traces, and so spoiled their ploughing; has cut their scourges, and so spoiled
their lashing; has cut the bands of union, by which they were combined together; he
has cut the bands of captivity, in which they held God's people. God has many ways
of disabling Wicked men to do the mischief they design against his church, and
shaming their counsels.”
5. May all who hate Zion
be turned back in shame.
1. Calvin, “Whether we take this as a prayer or a promise, the Prophet has a respect
to the time to come. Since all the verbs are in the future tense, it is certainly a very
appropriate interpretation to understand him as deriving from times past
instruction as to what is to be hoped for in future, even to the end. In whichever way
we understand the passage, he declares that the faithful have no reason to be

18. discouraged when they behold their enemies raised on high. The grass which grows
upon the house-tops is not, on account of its higher situation, more valuable than the
blade of corn which in the low ground is trampled under foot; for although it stands
elevated above men's heads, it is, in the first place, unprofitable; and secondly, it
quickly withers away. The verb, Pls, shalaph,5 which we have translate comes forth,
is by some rendered, is plucked up. According to this translation the sense is, that
without the hand or labor of man the grass on the house-tops is dried up. But as the
verb properly signifies to be brought forth, or to come forth, the meaning, in my
opinion, is that the grass'. on the housetops, so far from continuing long in a state of
freshness, withers and perishes at its first springing up, because it has no root under
it, nor earth to supply it with sap or moisture for its nourishment. Whenever, then,
the splendor or greatness of our enemies strikes us with fear, let us bring to our
recollection this comparison, that as the grass which grows upon the house-tops,
though high, is yet without root, and consequently of brief duration, so these
enemies, the nearer they approach the sun by the height of their pride, shall be the
sooner consumed by the burning heat, since they have no root, it being humility
alone which draws life and vigor from God.”
2. Barnes, “Let them all be confounded and turned back ... - This might be rendered
in the indicative, “they are ashamed,” but the connection seems to require the
rendering in our version. It is a prayer that God would now interpose as he had
done in former times, and that he would cause all the haters of Zion to be put to
shame as formerly.”
3. Gill, “ashamed": as all the enemies of God's people will be sooner or later, either
in this world, or however when Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven; or let
them be disappointed of their views, aims, and ends, when they will be confounded,
as disappointed persons are; and turned back; from pursuing their designs and
accomplishing them; as the Assyrian monarch was, who had a hook put into his
nose, and a bridle in his lips, and was turned back by the way he came, Isa_37:29;
that hate Zion; the inhabitants of Zion, who are called out of the world, and
separated from the men of it, and therefore hated by them; the King of Zion, the
Messiah, whom they will not have to reign over them; the doctrines of the Gospel,
the word that comes out of Zion, to which they are utter enemies; and the laws and
ordinances of Zion, the discipline of God's house, which they cannot bear to be
under and submit unto.”
4. Henry, “The psalmist, having triumphed in the defeat of the many designs that
had been laid as deep as hell to ruin the church, here concludes his psalm as
Deborah did her song, So let all thy enemies perish, O Lord! Jdg_5:31.
I. There are many that hate Zion, that hate Zion's God, his worship, and his
worshipers, that have an antipathy to religion and religious people, that seek the
ruin of both, and do what they can that God may not have a church in the world.
II. We ought to pray that all their attempts against the church may be frustrated,
that in them they may be confounded and turned back with shame, as those that
have not been able to bring to pass their enterprise and expectation: Let them all be

19. confounded is as much as, They shall be all confounded. The confusion imprecated
and predicted is illustrated by a similitude; while God's people shall flourish as the
loaded palm-tree, or the green and fruitful olive, their enemies shall wither as the
grass upon the house-top. As men they are not to be feared, for they shall be made as
grass, Isa_51:12. But as they are enemies to Zion they are so certainly marked for
ruin that they may be looked upon with as much contempt as the grass on the
house-tops, which is little, and short, and sour, and good for nothing. 1. It perishes
quickly: It withers before it grows up to any maturity, having no root; and the higher
its place is, which perhaps is its pride, the more it is exposed to the scorching heat of
the sun, and consequently the sooner does it wither. It withers before it is plucked up,
so some read it. The enemies of God's church wither of themselves, and stay not till
they are rooted out by the judgments of God. 2. It is of no use to any body; nor are
they any thing but the unprofitable burdens of the earth, nor will their attempts
against Zion ever ripen or come to any head, nor, whatever they promise
themselves, will they get any more by them than the husbandman does by the grass
on his house-top. Their harvest will be a heap in the day of grief, Isa_17:11.”
5. Spurgeon, “Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. And so
say we right heartily: and in this case vox populi is vex Dei, for so it shall be. If this
be an imprecation, let it stand; for our heart says "Amen" to it. It is but justice that
those who hate, harass, and hurt the good should be brought to naught. Those who
confound right and wrong ought to be confounded, and those who turn back from
God ought to be turned back. Loyal subjects wish ill to those who plot against their
king.
"Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks",
is but a proper wish, and contains within it no trace of personal ill will. We desire
their welfare as men, their downfall as traitors. Let their conspiracies be
confounded, their policies be turned back. How can we wish prosperity to those who
would destroy that which is dearest to our hearts? This present age is so flippant
that if a man loves the Savior he is styled a fanatic, and if he hates the powers of evil
he is named a bigot. As for ourselves, despite all objectors, we join heartily in this
commination; and would revive in our heart the old practice of Ebal and Gerizim,
where those were blessed who bless God, and those were cursed who make
themselves a curse to the righteous. We have heard men desire a thousand times
that the gallows might be the reward of the assassins who murdered two inoffensive
men in Dublin, and we could never censure the wish; for justice ought to he
rendered to the evil as well as to the good. Besides, the church of God is so useful, so
beautiful, so innocent of harm, so fraught with good, that those who do her wrong
are wronging all mankind and deserve to be treated as the enemies of the human
race. Study a chapter from the "Book of Martyrs", and see if you do not feel
inclined to read an imprecatory Psalm over Bishop Bonner and Bloody Mary. It
may be that some wretched nineteenth century sentimentalist will blame you: if so,
read another over him.”

20. 6. If any one be desirous to accept these words, Let them be confounded and turned
backward, as they sound, he will devoutly explain the imprecation: that is to say, it
may be an imprecation of good confusion, which leads to repentance, and of turning
to God from sin: thus Bellarmine. There is a confounding by bringing grace, glory,
and turning from the evil way. Thus some enemies and persecutors of the Christians
have been holily confounded and turned to the faith of Christ; as St. Paul, who full
of wrath and slaughter was going to Damascus that he might afflict the believers,
but was graciously confounded on the road. --Thomas Le Blanc.
7. Let them all be confounded. Mr. Emerson told a convention of rationalists once, in
this city, that the morality of the
ew Testament is scientific and perfect. But the
morality of the
ew Testament is that of the Old. "Yes", you say; "but what of the
imprecatory Psalms", A renowned professor, who, as Germany thinks, has done
more for
ew England theology than any man since Jonathan Edwards, was once
walking in this city with a clergyman of a radical faith, who objected to the doctrine
that the Bible is inspired, and did so on the ground of the imprecatory Psalms. The
replies of the usual kind were made; and it was presumed that David expressed the
Divine purpose in praying that his enemies might be destroyed, and that he gave
utterance only to the natural righteous indignation of conscience against
unspeakable iniquity. But the doubter would not be satisfied. The two came at last
to a newspaper bulletin, on which the words were written, -- "Baltimore to be
shelled at twelve o'clock." "I am glad of it", said the radical preacher; "I am glad of
it." "And so am I", said his companion, "but I hardly dare say so, for fear you
should say that I am uttering an imprecatory Psalm." --Joseph Cook, in Boston
Monday Lectures. "Transcendentalism."
6 May they be like grass on the roof,
which withers before it can grow;
1. Barnes, “Let them be as the grass upon the housetops - The housetops, or roofs of
houses, covered with sand or earth, in which seeds of grass may germinate and
begin to grow, but where, as there is no depth of earth, and as the heat of the sun
there would be intense, it would soon wither away. See Isa_37:27.
Which withereth afore it groweth up - This, even if it has any meaning, is not the
meaning of the original. The idea in the Hebrew is - and it is so rendered in the
Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, and by Luther - “which before (one) pulls it,
withers.” Grass would wither or dry up, of course, if it were pulled up or cut down,
but the grass here spoken of withers even before this is done. It has no depth of
earth to sustain it; having sprouted, and begun to grow, it soon dies - a perfect
image of feebleness and desolation; of hopes begun only to be disappointed. “This
morning” (says Dr. Thomson, “Land and the Book,” vol. ii., p. 574) “I saw a striking

21. illustration of this most expressive figure. To obtain a good view of the Tyropean,
my guide took me to the top of a house on the brow of Zion, and the grass which had
grown over the roof during the rainy season was now entirely withered and
perfectly dry.”
2. Clarke, “ As the grass upon the housetops - As in the east the roofs of the houses
were flat, seeds of various kinds falling upon them would naturally vegetate, though
in an imperfect way; and, because of the want of proper nourishment, would
necessarily dry and wither away. If grass, the mower cannot make hay of it; if corn,
the reaper cannot make a sheaf of it. Let the Babylonians be like such herbage -
good for nothing, and come to nothing. Withereth afore it groweth up - Before שלק
shalak, it is unsheathed; i.e., before it ears, or comes to seed.
3. Gill, “The tops of the houses in Judea were flat, and so grass grew upon them,
being covered with plaster of terrace; though it was but small and weak, and being
on high was exposed to the scorching sun, and soon withered (b); and Menochius
says (c) he saw such roofs in the island of Corsica, flat, and having earth upon them,
smoothed and pressed, on which grass grew of its own accord; but being burnt up in
summertime by the sun, soon withered, as here said. But what Olaus Magnus (d)
relates is somewhat extraordinary; that, in the northern Gothic countries, they feed
their cattle on the tops of houses, especially in a time of siege; he describes their
houses as built of stone, high and large, and covered with rafters of fir and bark of
birch; upon which is laid grass earth, cut out of the fields foursquare, and sowed
with barley or oats, so that their roofs look like green meadows; and that what is
sown, and the grass that grows thereon, might not wither before plucked up, they
very constantly and diligently water it; but in the eastern countries, which are hot,
and have but little rain, grass could not retain its verdure long, as follows;
which withereth afore it groweth up; to any height, the usual height of grass: or,
"before it is plucked up", as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions;
and so Jarchi. And this was their usual way of gathering in their corn; and which
continues to this day, as Mr. Maundrell (e) affirms, who was an eyewitness to it in
many places; where they plucked it up by handfuls from the roots, leaving the most
fruitful fields as naked as if nothing had grown on them; and this they did for the
sake of the straw, which was generally very short, and necessary for the sustenance
of cattle; to which he thinks there is here a manifest allusion; but not corn, but
grass, is here spoken of. The Targum is,
"before it flourisheth, an east wind cometh, blows upon it, and it is withered;''
and to the same purpose the Syriac version,
"which when the wind comes upon it, it fades and withers.''
This expresses the high and elevated state and condition of wicked men, the pride
and haughtiness of their hearts; yet their weakness and frailty, and the danger they

22. are exposed unto, through the wrath and vengeance of God upon them; when they
consume and wither away like grass on the housetops, and never come to the
happiness they are hoping and wishing for; see Isa_37:27.”
4. Keil, “ The enemies of Israel are as grass upon the house-tops, which is not
garnered in; their life closes with sure destruction, the germ of which they (without
any need for any rooting out) carry within themselves. The observation of Knapp,
that any Western poet would have left off with Psa_129:6, is based upon the error
that Psa_129:7-8 are an idle embellishment. The greeting addressed to the reapers
in Psa_129:8 is taken from life; it is not denied even to heathen reapers. Similarly
Boaz (Rth_2:4) greets them with “Jahve be with you,” and receivers the counter-salutation,
“Jahve bless thee.” Here it is the passers-by who call out to those who are
harvesting: The blessing ( בּרכּת ) of Jahve happen to you ( ”,אליכם
5. Spurgeon, “Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it
groweth up. Grass on the housetop is soon up and soon down. It sprouts in the heat,
finds enough nutriment to send up a green blade, and then it dies away before it
reaches maturity, because it has neither earth nor moisture sufficient for its proper
development. Before it grows up it dies; it needs not to be plucked up, for it hastens
to decay of itself. Such is and such ought to be the lot of the enemies of God's people.
Transient is their prosperity; speedy is their destruction. The height of their
position, as it hastens their progress, so it hurries their doom. Had they been lower
in station they had perhaps been longer in being. "Soon ripe, soon rotten", is an old
proverb. Soon plotting and soon rotting, is a version of the old adage which will suit
in this place. We have seen grass on the rustic thatch of our own country cottages
which will serve for an illustration almost as well as that which comes up so readily
on the flat roofs and domes of eastern habitations. The idea is -- they make speed to
success, and equal speed to failure. Persecutors are all sound and fury, flash and
flame; but they speedily vanish -- more speedily than is common to men. Grass in
the field withers, but not so speedily as grass on the housetops. Without a mower the
tufts of verdure perish from the roofs, and so do opposers pass away by other deaths
than fall to tile common lot of men; they are gone, and none is the worse. If they are
missed at all, their absence is never regretted. Grass on the housetop is a nonentity
in the world: the house is not impoverished when the last blade is dried up: and,
even so, the opposers of Christ pass away, and none lament them. One of the fathers
said of the apostate emperor Julian, "That little cloud will soon be gone"; and so it
was. Every sceptical system of philosophy has much the same history; and the like
may be said of each heresy. Poor, rootless things, they are and are not: they come
and go, even though no one rises against them. Evil carries the seeds of dissolution
within itself. So let it be.”
6. Martin Luther, “Let them be as the grass upon the housetops. They are rightly
compared to grass on the housetops; for more contemptuously the Holy Ghost could
not speak of them. For this grass is such, that it soon withereth away before the

23. sickle be put into it. Yea, no man thinketh it worthy to be cut down, no man
regardeth it, every man suffereth it to brag for a while, and to show itself unto men
from the housetops as though it were something when it is nothing. So the wicked
persecutors in the world, which are taken to be mighty and terrible according to the
outward show, are of all men most contemptible. For Christians do not once think
of plucking them up or cutting them down; they persecute them not, they revenge
not their own injuries, but suffer them to increase, to brag and glory as much as
they list. For they know that they cannot abide the violence of a vehement wind.
Yea, though all things be in quietness, yet as grass upon the housetops, by little and
little, withereth away through the heat of the sun, so tyrannies upon small occasions
do perish and soon vanish away. The faithful, therefore, in suffering do prevail, and
overcome; but the wicked in doing are overthrown, and miserably perish, as all the
histories of all times and ages do plainly witness.”
7. “Grass upon the housetops. In the morning the master of the house laid in a stock
of earth, which was carried up, and spread evenly on the top of the house, which is
flat. The whole roof is thus formed of mere earth, laid on and rolled hard and flat.
On the top of every house is a large stone roller, for the purpose of hardening and
flattening this layer of rude soil, so that the rain may not penetrate; but upon this
surface, as may be supposed, grass and weeds grow freely, but never come to
maturity. It is to such grass the Psalmist alludes as useless and bad. --William
Jowett, in "Christian Researches in Syria and the Holy Land", 1825.
7. with it the reaper cannot fill his hands,
nor the one who gathers fill his arms.
1. Calvin, “We have here an additional confirmation of the truth, that although the
wicked mount high or elevate themselves, and form an extravagant opinion of their
own importance, yet they continue mere grass, not bringing forth any good fruit,
nor reaching a state of ripeness, but swelling only with fresh appearance. To make
this obvious, the Psalmist sets them in opposition to fruit-bearing herbs, which in
valleys and low grounds produce fruit for men. In fine, he affirms that they deserve
to be hated or despised of all, whereas commonly every one in passing by the corn
fields blesses them and prays for the harvest?7 Farther, he has borrowed this
illustration of his doctrine from the affairs of ordinary life, we are taught that
whenever there is a hopeful prospect of a good harvest, we ought to beseech God,
whose peculiar province it is to impart fertility to the earth, that he would give full
effect to his blessing. And considering that the fruits of the earth are exposed to so
many hazards, it is certainly strange that we are not stirred 'up to engage in the
exercise of prayer from the absolute necessity of these to man and beast.
or does

24. the Psalmist, in speaking of passers by blessing the reapers, speak exclusively of rite
children of God, who are truly taught by his word that the fruitfulness of the earth
is owing to his goodness; but he also comprehends worldly men in whom the same
knowledge is implanted naturally. In conclusion, provided we not only dwell in the
Church of the Lord, but also labor to have place among the number of her genuine
citizens, we will be able fearlessly to despise all fire might of our enemies; for
although they may flourish and have a great outward show for a time, yet they are
but barren grass, on which the curse of heaven rests.”
2. "In Judea, the roofs of the houses are flat, and covered with cement. On this the
grass would not uncommonly grow: but, being thin and weak, and its situation hot
and exposed, it was speedily 'dried up and withered.' The same sort of architecture,
and the same appearances, are common in the East at this day." -- Warner.
3. "Whereof the mower hath not filled his hand, etc. -- i.e., It is too scanty to afford
employment for a laborer to gather it by the hand, or for a reaper, who uses a sickle,
depositing what he cuts in the fold of his garment, or as Le Clerc understands it,
under his left arm. The Psalmist in effect prays, that the enemies of Israel may be
reduced to such poverty, that none could become richer by despoiling them: in a
word, that they might be altogether despicable. For binding up the sheaves,
Hammond suggests, gathereth the handfuls, with reference to the gleaner, Ruth
2:2." -- Cresswell.
4. Barnes, “Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand - It cannot be gathered and
laid up for the use of cattle, as grass can that grows in the field. It is valueless for
any such purpose; or, is utterly worthless. The phrase “filleth not his hand” seems
to be derived from the idea of reaping, where the reaper with one hand takes hold of
the grain which he reaps, and cuts it off with the sickle in the other.
or he that
bindeth sheaves - The man who gathers in the harvest. This was commonly
performed by a different person from the reaper. His bosom - This word would
commonly refer to the bosom of the garment, in which tilings were carried; or that
part above the girdle. It may be used here, however, in a larger sense - since it is
incongruous to suppose that sheaves of grain would be carried thus - as meaning
simply that one who gathered the sheaves would usually convey them in his arms,
folding them to his bosom.”
5. Gill, “Such grass never rises high enough to be mowed, nor is of that account to
have such pains taken with it; nor the quantity so large as to fill a mower's hand,
and carry it away in his arms; nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom; when corn is
mowed or reaped, the binders come and gather it up in their arms, and bind it in
sheaves, and then bring it into the barn; but nothing of this kind is done with grass
on the housetops. This represents the insignificancy and worthlessness of wicked
men; who, when the harvest comes, the end of the world, will not be gathered in by
the reapers, the angels, into Christ's garner into heaven as the wheat, the righteous
will; but like the tares and chaff will be cast into unquenchable fire, Mat_3:12.”

25. 6. Spurgeon, “ Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand; nor he that bindeth
sheaves his bosom. When with his sickle the husbandman would cut down the tufts,
he found nothing to lay hold upon: the grass promised fairly enough, but there was
no fulfilment, there was nothing to cut or to carry, nothing for the hand to grasp,
nothing for the lap to gather. Easterners carry their corn in their bosoms, but in this
case there was nothing to bear home. Thus do the wicked come to nothing. By God's
just appointment they prove a disappointment. Their fire ends in smoke; their
verdure turns to vanity; their flourishing is but a form of withering.
o one profits
by them, least of all are they profitable to themselves. Their aim is bad, their work is
worse, their end is worst of all.”
7. He that bindeth sheaves his bosom. A practice prevails in hot climates of sending
out persons into the woods and other wild places to collect the grass, which would
otherwise be wasted; and it is no uncommon tiling in the evening to see groups of
grass cutters in the market, waiting to dispose of their bundles or sheaves, which are
often so large that one is disposed to wonder how they could have been conveyed
from the woods upon one man's shoulders. --Maria Calcott, in "A Scripture
Herbal", 1842.
8. May those who pass by not say,
"The blessing of the LORD be upon you;
we bless you in the name of the LORD."
1. Barnes, “
either do they which go by say, The blessing of the Lord,... - As in a
harvest-field, where persons passing by express their joy and gratitude that their
neighbors are reaping an abundant harvest. The phrase “The blessing of the Lord
be upon you,” was expressive of good wishes; of pious congratulation; of a hope of
success and prosperity; as when we say, “God be with you;” or, “God bless you.”
The meaning here is, that such language would never be used in reference to the
grass or grain growing on the house-top, since it would never justify a wish of that
kind: it would be ridiculous and absurd to apply such language to anyone who
should be found gathering up that dry; and withered, and worthless grass. So the
psalmist prays that it may be in regard to all who hate Zion Psa_129:5, that they
may have no such prosperity as would be represented by a growth of luxuriant and
abundant grain; no such prosperity as would be denoted by the reaper and the
binder of sheaves gathering in such a harvest; no such prosperity as would be

26. indicated by the cheerful greeting and congratulation of neighbors who express
their gratification and their joy at the rich and abundant harvest which has
crowned the labors of their friend, by the prayer that God would bless him.
We bless you in the name of the Lord - Still the language of pious joy and
gratification addressed by his neighbors to him who was reaping his harvest. All this
is simply language drawn from common life, uttering a prayer that the enemies of
Zion might be “confounded and turned back” Psa_129:5; a prayer that they might
not be successful in their endeavors to destroy the Church. Such a prayer cannot
but be regarded as proper and right.
2. Clarke, “
either do they which go by say - There is a reference here to the
salutations which were given and returned by the reapers in the time of the harvest.
We find that it was customary, when the master came to them into the field, to say
unto the reapers, The Lord be with you! and for them to answer, The Lord bless
thee! Rth_2:4. Let their land become desolate, so that no harvest shall ever more
appear in it.
o interchange of benedictions between owners and reapers. This has
literally taken place: Babylon is utterly destroyed; no harvests grow near the place
where it stood.”
3. Gill, “As was usual with passengers, when they went by where mowers, and
reapers, and binders, were at work in the field in harvest time; who used to wish the
presence and blessing of God with them, and upon their labors; and who returned
the salutation, as may be seen in Boaz and his reapers, Rth_2:4; we bless you in the
name of the Lord; which is either a continuation of the blessing of the passengers, or
the answer of the reapers to them; so the Targum, "nor do they answer them, "we
bless you",'' &c. The sense is, that those wicked men would have no blessing on
them, from God nor men; that no God speed would be wished them; but that they
were like the earth, that is covered with briers and thorns; which is nigh unto
cursing, and its end to be burned.”
4. "Here is an allusion to the custom of blessing; the reapers at their work; as in that
instance recorded in the book of Ruth 2:4, 'And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem,
and said unto the reapers, The Lord be with you; and they answered him, The Lord
bless thee.'" -- Warner. "Precisely the same customs of salutation which are here
indicated still prevail in Mohammedan Asia.
early the same form of words,
implying the blessing and peace of God, is retained, and the neglect to give the
salutation is still an indignity and an insult." -- Illustrated Commentary upon the
Bible.
5. Henry, “
o wise man will pray God to bless the mowers or reapers, Psa_129:8.
Observe, 1. It has been an ancient and laudable custom not only to salute and wish a
good day to strangers and travellers, but particularly to pray for the prosperity of
harvest-labourers. Thus Boas prayed for his reapers. Rth_2:4, The Lord be with you.
We must thus acknowledge God's providence, testify our good-will to our
neighbours, and commend their industry, and it will be accepted of God as a pious

27. ejaculation if it come from a devout and upright heart. 2. Religious expressions,
being sacred things, must never be made use of in light and ludicrous actions.
Mowing the grass on the house-top would be a jest, and therefore those that have a
reverence for the name of God will not prostitute to it the usual forms of salutation,
which savoured of devotion; for holy things must not be jested with. 3. It is a
dangerous thing to let the church's enemies have our good wishes in their designs
against the church. If we wish them God speed, we are partakers of their evil deeds,
2Jo_1:11. When it is said,
one will bless them, and show them respect, more is
implied, namely, that all wise and good people will cry out shame on them, and beg
of God to defeat them; and woe to those that have the prayers of the saints against
them. I cursed his habitation, Job_5:3.”
6. Spurgeon, “
either do they which go by say, The blessing of the LORD be upon
you: we bless you in the name of the LORD. In harvest times men bless each other
in the name of the Lord; but there is nothing in the course and conduct of the
ungodly man to suggest the giving or receiving of a benediction. Upon a survey of
the sinner's life from beginning to end, we feel more inclined to weep than to rejoice,
and we feel bound rather to wish him failure than success. We dare not use pious
expressions as mere compliments, and hence we dare not wish God speed to evil
men lest we be partakers of their evil deeds. When persecutors are worrying the
saints, we cannot say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you." When they slander
the godly and oppose the doctrine of the cross, we dare not bless them in the name
of the Lord. It would be infamous to compromise the name of the righteous Jehovah
by pronouncing his blessing upon unrighteous deeds.
See how godly men are roughly ploughed by their adversaries, and yet a harvest
comes of it which endures and produces blessing; while the ungodly, though they
flourish for a while and enjoy a complete immunity, dwelling, as they think, quite
above the reach of harm, are found in a short time to have gone their way and to
have left no trace behind. Lord, number me with thy saints. Let me share their grief
if I may also partake of their glory. Thus would I make this Psalm my own, and
magnify thy name, because thine afflicted ones are not destroyed, and thy
persecuted ones are not forsaken.”
7. Isaac Watts put this Psalm into hymn form.
Up from my youth, may Israel say, have I been nursed in tears;
My griefs were constant as the day, and tedious as the years.
Up from my youth I bore the rage of all the sons of strife;
Oft they assailed my riper age but not destroyed my life.
Their cruel plow had torn my flesh with furrows long and deep,

28. Hourly they vex my wounds afresh, nor let my sorrows sleep.
The righteous Lord, when on his throne, looked with impartial eye,
Measured the mischiefs they had done, then let his arrows fly.
How was their insolence surprised to hear his thunder roll!
And all the foes of Zion seized with horror to the soul.
Then shall the men that hate the saints be blasted from the sky;
Their glory fades, their courage faints, and all their projects die.
What, tho’ they flourish tall and fair, they have no root beneath;
Their growth shall perish in despair, and lie despised in death.
So corn that on the housetop stands no hope of harvest gives;
The reaper ne’er shall fill his hands, nor binder fold the sheaves..
It springs and withers on the place; no traveler bestows
A word of blessing on the grass, nor minds it as he goes..