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      <div class="chapter ch126" data-usfm="PSA.126">
         <div class="label">126</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Psalm 126</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft"><span class="heading">sn Psalm 126. Recalling the joy of past deliverance, God&#8217;s covenant community asks for a fresh display of God&#8217;s power and confidently anticipate their sorrow being transformed into joy.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="s2"><span class="heading">A song of ascents.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft"><span class="heading">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.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.126.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content"> When the </span><span class="sc"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content"> restored the well-being of Zion,</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn Heb &#8220;turns with a turning [toward] his people.&#8221; The Hebrew noun &#1513;&#1473;&#1460;&#1497;&#1489;&#1463;&#1514; (shivat) occurs only here in the OT. For this reason many prefer to emend the form to the more common &#1513;&#1473;&#1456;&#1489;&#1460;&#1497;&#1514; (shevit) or &#1513;&#1473;&#1456;&#1489;&#1493;&#1468;&#1514; (sh&#255;vut), both of which are used as a cognate accusative of &#1513;&#1473;&#1493;&#1468;&#1489; (shuv; see Ps 14:7). However an Aramaic cognate of &#1513;&#1473;&#1456;&#1489;&#1460;&#1497;&#1514; appears in an eighth century b.c. Old Aramaic inscription with the verb &#1513;&#1473;&#1493;&#1468;&#1489;. This cognate noun appears to mean &#8220;return&#8221; (see J. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Treaties of Sefire [BibOr], 119-20) or &#8220;restoration&#8221; (see DNWSI 2:1125). Therefore it appears that &#1513;&#1473;&#1456;&#1489;&#1460;&#1497;&#1514; should be retained and understood as a cognate accusative of &#1513;&#1473;&#1493;&#1468;&#1489;. In addition to Fitzmyer (119-20) see L. C. Allen, who offers the literal translation, &#8220;turn with a turning toward&#8221; (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170). Allen takes &#1513;&#1473;&#1456;&#1489;&#1460;&#1497;&#1514; as construct and understands &#8220;Zion&#8221; as an objective genitive.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.126.1"><span class="content">we thought we were dreaming.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn Heb &#8220;we were like dreamers.&#8221; This could mean the speakers were so overcome with ecstatic joy (see v. 3b) that they were like those who fantasize about pleasurable experiences in their sleep (see Isa 29:7-8). Since dreams are more commonly associated in the OT with prophetic visions, the community may be comparing their experience of God&#8217;s renewed favor to a prophet&#8217;s receiving divine visions. Just as a prophetic dream sweeps the individual into a different dimension and sometimes brings one face-to-face with God himself (see Gen 28:11-15; 1 Kgs 3:5-15), so the community was aware of God&#8217;s presence in a special way in the day of Zion&#8217;s restoration. Though the MT as it stands makes good sense, some choose to understand a homonymic root here meaning &#8220;to be healthy; to be strong&#8221; (see BDB 321 s.v. I &#1495;&#1464;&#1500;&#1463;&#1501;) and translate, &#8220;we were like those restored to health.&#8221; This reading appears to have the support of several ancient translations as well as 11QPsa. See L. C. Allen (Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 170-71) for a discussion of the viewpoints.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.126.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content"> At that time we laughed loudly</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.126.2"><span class="content">and shouted for joy.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn Heb &#8220;then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with a shout.&#8221;</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.126.2"><span class="content">At that time the nations said,</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn Heb &#8220;they said among the nations.&#8221;</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.126.2"><span class="content">&#8220;The </span><span class="sc"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content"> has accomplished great things for these people.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="PSA.126.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content"> The </span><span class="sc"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content"> did indeed accomplish great things for us.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="PSA.126.3"><span class="content">We were happy.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="PSA.126.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content"> O </span><span class="sc"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content">, restore our well-being,</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="PSA.126.4"><span class="content">just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn Heb &#8220;like the streams in the Negev.&#8221;sn The streams in the arid south. Y. Aharoni writes of the streams in the Negev: &#8220;These usually dry wadis collect water on rainy days from vast areas. The situation is also aggravated by floods from the desert mountains and southern Judah. For a day or two or, more frequently, for only a few hours they turn into dangerous torrents&#8221; (Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 26). God&#8217;s people were experiencing a &#8220;dry season&#8221; after a time of past blessing; they pray here for a &#8220;flash flood&#8221; of his renewed blessing. This does not imply that they are requesting only a brief display of God&#8217;s blessing. Rather the point of comparison is the suddenness with which the wadis swell during a rain, as well as the depth and power of these raging waters. The community desires a sudden display of divine favor in which God overwhelms them with blessings.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="PSA.126.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content"> Those who shed tears as they plant</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="PSA.126.5"><span class="content">will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: &#8220;The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing&#8221; (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="PSA.126.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content"> The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn The noun occurs only here and in Job 28:18 in the OT. See HALOT 646 s.v. I &#1502;&#1462;&#1513;&#1473;&#1462;&#1498;&#1456; which gives &#8220;leather pouch&#8221; as the meaning.</span></span></span><span class="content"> of seed,</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="PSA.126.6"><span class="content">will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">tn The Hebrew noun &#1488;&#1458;&#1500;&#1467;&#1502;&#1468;&#1464;&#1492; (&#8217;alummah, &#8220;sheaf&#8221;) occurs only here and in Gen 37:7 in the OT.sn Verse 6 expands the image of v. 5. See the note on the word &#8220;harvest&#8221; there.</span></span></span></span></div>
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When the LORD restored the well-being of Zion,
we thought we were dreaming.
At that time we laughed loudly
and shouted for joy.
At that time the nations said,
“The LORD has accomplished great things for these people.”
The LORD did indeed accomplish great things for us.
We were happy.
O LORD, restore our well-being,
just as the streams in the arid south are replenished.
Those who shed tears as they plant
will shout for joy when they reap the harvest.
The one who weeps as he walks along, carrying his bag of seed,
will certainly come in with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves of grain.

सुनें - Psalms 126