Psalm 128
| Psalm 128 | |
|---|---|
| "Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD" | |
| Song of Ascents | |
 Miniature illustrating Psalm 128, Blessing on the Faithful, inThe Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry | |
| Other name |
|
| Language | Hebrew (original) |
Psalm 128is the 128th psalm of theBook of Psalms,beginning in English in theKing James Version:"Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD;that walketh in his ways ". In the slightly different numbering system used in the GreekSeptuagintand theLatin Vulgate,this psalm isPsalm 127.InLatin,it is known as "Beati omnes qui timent Dominum".[1]
The psalm forms a regular part ofJewish,Catholic,Lutheran,Anglicanand other Protestant liturgies.
Text[edit]
Hebrew[edit]
The following table shows the Hebrew text[2][3]of the Psalm with vowels alongside an English translation based upon theJPS 1917translation (now in thepublic domain).
| Verse | Hebrew | English translation (JPS 1917) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת אַ֭שְׁרֵי כׇּל־יְרֵ֣א יְהֹוָ֑ה הַ֝הֹלֵ֗ךְ בִּדְרָכָֽיו׃ | A Song of Ascents. Happy is every one that feareth the LORD, That walketh in His ways. |
| 2 | יְגִ֣יעַ כַּ֭פֶּיךָ כִּ֣י תֹאכֵ֑ל אַ֝שְׁרֶ֗יךָ וְט֣וֹב לָֽךְ׃ | When thou eatest the labour of thy hands, Happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. |
| 3 | אֶשְׁתְּךָ֤ ׀ כְּגֶ֥פֶן פֹּרִיָּה֮ בְּיַרְכְּתֵ֢י בֵ֫יתֶ֥ךָ בָּ֭נֶיךָ כִּשְׁתִלֵ֣י זֵיתִ֑ים סָ֝בִ֗יב לְשֻׁלְחָנֶֽךָ׃ | Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of thy house; Thy children like olive plants, round about thy table. |
| 4 | הִנֵּ֣ה כִי־כֵ֭ן יְבֹ֥רַךְ גָּ֗בֶר יְרֵ֣א יְהֹוָֽה׃ | Behold, surely thus shall the man be blessed That feareth the LORD. |
| 5 | יְבָרֶכְךָ֥ יְהֹוָ֗ה מִצִּ֫יּ֥וֹן וּ֭רְאֵה בְּט֣וּב יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כֹּ֝֗ל יְמֵ֣י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃ | The LORD bless thee out of Zion; And see thou the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life; |
| 6 | וּרְאֵֽה־בָנִ֥ים לְבָנֶ֑יךָ שָׁ֝ל֗וֹם עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ | And see thy children's children. Peace be upon Israel! |
King James Version[edit]
¹Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD;
that walketh in his ways.
²For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands:
happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.
³Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine
by the sides of thine house:
thy children like olive plants
round about thy table.
⁴Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed
that feareth the LORD.
⁵The LORDshall bless thee out of Zion:
and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem
all the days of thy life.
⁶Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children,
and peace upon Israel.
Theme[edit]
Written anonymously, Psalm 128 likely dates to the post-exilicperiod (that is, after about 539 BCE).[4]
TheJamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible CommentarydescribesZechariah 8:1–8as a "virtual commentary on this psalm".[5]
Verse 6[edit]
- May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel![6]
This verse recallsJacob's reunion with his sonJosephinGenesis 48:11:And Israel [Jacob] said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!"and is reflected inJob's restoration:After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.[7][8]Proverbs 17:6celebrates the same idea:Children’s children are the crown of old men.[9]
The concluding prayer for peace uponIsrael,which also appears inPsalm 125,is best taken as a "detached clause", according to thePulpit Commentary.[8]
Uses[edit]
Judaism[edit]
In traditional Jewish practice, this psalm is recited followingMinchabetweenSukkotandShabbat Hagadol.[10]It is also recited prior toAleinuduringMotzei ShabbatMaariv,[11]and among the prayers of theBedtime Shema.[12]Its second verse is found inPirkei AvotChapter 4, no. 1[13]and Chapter 6, no. 4.[14]
Christianity[edit]
Traditionally, since the Middle Ages, this psalm has been recited within the Office ofnonefrom Tuesday until Saturday, according to theRule of St. Benedict(530).[15]
In the liturgy of the current Roman RiteMass,Psalm 128 is used on thefeast of the Holy Family,the 33rd Sunday inOrdinary Timeof the year A and the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time of the year B. It is also the traditional psalm fornuptial masses(missa pro votiva sponso and sponsa).
In theSarum Use,the psalm was also sung by the priest afterPsalm 121at thechurching of women.[16]
Musical settings[edit]
Heinrich Schützcomposed a metred paraphrase of Psalm 128 in German, "Ich heb mein Augen auf zu dir",SWV233, for theBecker Psalter,published first in 1628.
This psalm was used byMichel-Richard Delalandein 1698 to compose agrand motet(S51) which was played in the royal chapel ofVersaillesto celebrate the offices.Henry Desmarestcomposed a grand motet "Beati omnes "(unknown date).Marc-Antoine Charpentiercomposed in 1680/1681 one "Beati omnes qui timent Dominum "H.178, for 3 voices, 2 treble instruments and continuo.
Salamone Rossi,the 17th-century Jewish-Italian composer who was the first known composer to write choral music for the Jewish liturgy, published three settings of the psalm (for 3, 5, and 6 voices) in his collection Shir Ha'shirim Lishlomo, published in 1622.
References[edit]
- ^Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 127 (128)medievalist.net
- ^"Psalms – Chapter 128".Mechon Mamre.
- ^"Psalms 128 - JPS 1917".Sefaria.org.
- ^Dunn, James D. G. (19 November 2003).Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible.Wm. B. Eerdmans. p. 427.ISBN978-0-8028-3711-0.
- ^Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentaryon Psalm 128, accessed 23 September 2018
- ^Psalm 128:6:English Standard Version
- ^Job 42:11:New King James Version
- ^abPulpit Commentaryon Psalm 128, accessed 23 September 2018
- ^Kirkpatrick, A.,Cambridge Bible for Schools and Collegeson Psalm 128, accessed 11 June 2022
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 530
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 608
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 294
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 565
- ^The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 583
- ^Prosper Guéranger, Règle de saint Benoît, (Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes,réimpression 2007) p 46.
- ^Ordo ad purificandum mulierum,Manuale ad usum ecclesiae Sarum,Renwick.
External links[edit]
- Pieces with text from Psalm 128:Scores at theInternational Music Score Library Project
- Psalm 128:Free scores at theChoral Public Domain Library(ChoralWiki)
- Text of Psalm 128 according to the1928 Psalter
- Psalms Chapter 128text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
- A song of ascents. / Blessed are all who fear the LORD, and who walk in his ways.text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Psalm 128:1introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
- Psalm 128 – The Blessed Family of Those Who Fear the LORDenduringword.com
- Psalm 128 / Refrain: How abundant is your goodness, O Lord.Church of England
- Psalm 128at biblegateway.com
- Charles H. Spurgeon:Psalm 128detailed commentary, archive.spurgeon.org
- "Hymns for Psalm 128".hymnary.org.
