Paraphrase Upon the Books of the Psalms, Book 5 · Psalm 127
The Hundred Twenty Seventh Psalm.
A Song of Degrees †of לfor Solomon. The hundred twenty seventh is thought to have been first composed by Solomon, (whose name being Jedidiah may be referred to v. 2.) and then is his compendium of Ecclesiastes, to set down the vanity of worldly sollicitude without Gods blessing, as in all things, so in that of children, the greatest blessing of life. It was one of those that were by the Levites sung aloud in commemoration of Gods mercy in the returne from the captivity.
1. EXcept the Lorda. build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2. *or, you do vainly that are hasting to rise, &c.It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows;‖when, or whereas, or since for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Paraphrase. There is no way in the world to attein any secular wealth or safety, save only from the blessing of God, the author and dispenser of all good things. Without his special protection, 'tis not all the guards of men which can secure or preserve a city. And as little is it in the power of humane sollicitude, or of a multitude of wives and concubines (such as Solomon had in greatest abundance) to have children to inherit it, when 'tis gathered. For as to the former of these, wicked men that incessantly moile, and cark, and drudge for the acquiring it, and never injoy any part of the comforts of this life, through the vehement pursuit of riches, are generally frustrated and disappointed in their aimes: whereas on the contrary, those that have Gods blessing, thrive insensibly, become very prosperous, and yet never loose any sleep in the pursuit of it. And for the latter, that of children, it is a particular blessing of Gods, from whom all increase comes, and he dispenseth it as he sees good, as a present reward to the piety and other virtues of men.
4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are childrenb. of the youth.
5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed,‖when foreign but they shall speak with the enemies inc. the gate.
And indeed of all blessings, this of a numerous progeny is the greatest: every childe is an addition of strength and safety to the father. As the military man guards himself with weapons, arrows and darts, &c. so the Master of a family is fortified both from hostile invasions, and all other insolencies and molestations, by the multitude and strength of his children, who are ready still to back him and defend him at all turnes, from the injuries, of any kinde, which the open violence or more secret fraud of men can designe against him, in the field, or in any court of judicature.
Annotations on Psalm CXXVII.
V. 1. Build] The right understanding of this Psalm, the connexion specially of the three first verses of it, depends on observing the notion of foreign foreignbuilding an house, as that is the work not of the Architect, but the Father. For so to build (from whence is the name foreign a son) is to procreate and bring up children, by which houses, i. e. families, are built up, begun, supported, and continued. So Gen. xvi. 2. 'tis Sarah's saying to Abraham, Goe in unto my maid, it may be that foreign I shall be built by her, i. e. I shall have children to build up a solitary childless family. To this appertains that of the midwives, Ex. i. 21. that because they feared God, he built them houses, gave them children to support their families. So Ruth iv. 11. of Rachel and Leah 'tis said, that they two foreign built the house of Israel, i. e. brought all that number of children to Jacob, by which that nation (more than family) was replenished. So Deut. xxv. 9. of him that would not take his brothers wife, and raise up seed to him, the phrase is, he would not build up the house, (foreign) of his brother. So 1 Chron. xvii 10. when Nathan tells David, that the Lord will build him an house, it is explained v. 11. I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons, and I will establish his kingdome. So again v. 23, and 24, and 25. And thus I suppose it is to be taken in this place, building an house, for raising a family, begetting children, and providing riches, inheritance for them. For of these two things the erecting a family consists; 1. gathering of wealth and riches, then 2. begetting some body to inherit it: and of both these the Psalmist here speaks distinctly in the two following verses; first of gathering the wealth, v. 2. rising early, sitting up late, eating the bread of sorrows, all which is certainly designed to that end; then of children, that they are an heritage and reward of the Lord, v. 3. and so cannot be acquired by mans sollicitude, but are wholly imputable to Gods blessing. As for the other branch of the first verse, that of guarding the city, it seems to be inserted as an instance to the same purpose, vulgarly understood among men: 'Tis God must guard, or else watchmen will do little good; and so unless God build, all the industry of men will not be successfull to it. The Lxxii. in the copies we now have for rising early, and sitting up late, read, foreign, but this probably in the former part is a corruption of the Copie, to be mended thus, foreign foreign: for thus foreign foreignhastening in the morning to rise, will be exactly rendred foreign. As for foreign, which in sense we duly render, sitting up late, or literally, being late to rest, foreslowing of going to bed, they read foreign, as if it were foreign the adverb, with an affix. In both these mistakes the Latine follow the Greek copies, and read, vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere, surgite postquam sederitis, It is vain for you to rise before light, rise after you have sate. But the Syriack leave them, and read most clearly, vain are they foreign that are early to rise, and late to sit down or rest, eating bread with sorrows — which is the fittest rendring of the participles in regimine. It follows foreign,foreign we render, so he gives his beloved sleep; but the Lxxii. more significantly, foreign, when, or whereas, or since he, i. e. God, gives his beloved sleep, freely bestows and affords them rest and comfort of life, and withall provides as much wealth for them and their families, and indeed much more, than they that moile incessantly, and deny themselves the injoyment of all worldly comforts most, by so doing to inrich their posterity. And that thus foreign signifies, not onelyonly so (as the Jewish Arab reads foreign so) but when, may appear by the frequent use of foreign for hucusque or, hactenus, for in that phrase foreign must needs have the notation of time.
V. 4. Youth] foreign foreignare questionless children of the youth, as those are opposed to children of the old age, Gen. xxxvii. 3. Of these it is frequently observed, that they are the strongest, being, as Jacob saith of Ruben, his might, the beginning of his strength. And of such it is here said, that they are like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, defend him from hostile invasions as well as weapons can. The Chaldee reads foreign of the young man; Symmachus (with the Syriack) foreign, of the youth; the Jewish Arab either children of youth, or children of young men, the word both signifying youth, and being likewise the plural of foreign a young man; but the Lxxii. and the Latine, foreign excussorum, from the original use of foreign excussit, from whence indeed comes both foreign an infant, and foreign the age from childhood to twenty five years old. So for foreign his quiver, v. 5. they read foreign, his desire; but that probably by way of paraphrase, filling his quiver with children being but a poetical expression for having as many as he desires.
V. 5. The gate] foreign foreignthe gate of the city is the place of Judicature, their courts being there kept, Deut. xxv. 7. (and the places of execution a little without the gates, Heb. xiii. 12.) So Deut. xxi. 19. Zach. viii. 16. And so the Chaldee interprets here foreign in the gate of the house of judgment. There contentions and suits are heard and determined, and by way of preparation to that are pleaded; and that is here meant by foreign when they speak with their enemies, their accusers or plaintiffs, there. The Chaldee reads foreign when they contend, or manage any suit. For to those uses mens children, as friends and assistants, are usefull to their parents, as well as to repel open force or violence. The Jewish Arab reads in places of convention.