Works Volume 4, Book 5 · Psalm 127
The Hundred and 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 ſolicitude without God's 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 God's mercy in the return from the captivity.
1. EXcept the Lord build the houſe, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
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 ſincefor 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. 1, 2, 3. There is no way in the world to attain any ſecular wealth or ſafety, ſave onelyonly from the bleſſing of God, the authour 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 ſolicitude, 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 moil, 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 aims: whereas on the contrary, thoſe that have God's 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 God's, from whom all increaſe comes, and he diſpenſeth it as he ſees good, as a preſent reward to the piety and other vertues of men.
4. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, ſo are children of the youth.
5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they ſhall not be aſhamed, ‖when foreignbut they ſhall ſpeak with the enemies in the gate.
Paraphrase. 4, 5. And indeed of all bleſſings, this of a numerous progeny is the greateſt: every child 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 turns, from the injuries, of any kind, which the open violence or more ſecret fraud of men can deſign againſt him, in the field, or in any court of judicature.
Annotations on Pſal. 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 building an houſe, foreignas 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. 16.2. 'tis Sarah's ſaying to Abraham, Go 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, Exod. 1.21. that becauſe they feared God, he built them houſes, gave them children to ſupport their families. So Ruth. 4.11. 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. 25.9. of him that would not take his brother's wife, and raiſe up ſeed to him, the phraſe is, he would not build up the houſe, (foreign) of his brother. So 1 Chron. 17.10. 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 kingdom. 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 man's ſolicitude, but are wholly imputable to God's 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, reade foreign, but this probably in the former part is a corruption of the copy, to be mended thus, foreign: for thus foreign haſtening in the morning to riſe, foreignwill 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 reade foreign, as if it were foreign the adverb, with an affix. In both theſe miſtakes the Latin follow the Greek copies, and reade, 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 reade 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 moil inceſſantly, and deny themſelves the enjoyment 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 are queſtionleſs children of the youth, foreignas thoſe are oppoſed to children of the old age, Gen. 37.3. Of theſe it is frequently obſerved, that they are the ſtrongeſt, being, as Jacob ſaith of Reuben, 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 Latin, 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 reade 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. foreignThe gate] foreign the gate of the city is the place of Judicature, their courts being there kept, Deut. 25.7. (and the places of execution a little without the gates, Heb. 13.12.) So Deut. 21.19. Zach. 8.16. 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.