What does Psalms Chapter 126 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

Conditional building and keeping precede sorrowful bread and future sleep. The early-rising interpretation remains a separate edition note. Children of the shaken and filled desire retain exact distinctions.

Chapter breakdown

Nisi Dominus is the incipit and the heading says nothing can be done without God’s grace and blessing; the inscription is a gradual canticle of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, builders labor vainly; unless He keeps the city its keeper watches vainly. Early rising is called vain, followed by rise after sitting and address to sorrow-bread eaters, when He shall give beloved sleep. Nightfall toil, exhaustion bread and additional food given during sleep are not substituted.

The separate edition note explains early rising, labor and worldly solicitude avail nothing without God’s light, grace and blessing. Children are called the Lord’s inheritance and womb fruit reward. Children of those shaken are compared to arrows in a mighty hand; the man who filled desire with them is blessed and shall not be confounded when speaking to enemies at the gate. Filled desire is not changed to a quiver, and noble sons, guaranteed military defense and fearless civic triumph are not added.

The story inside

Opening: Conditional building and keeping precede sorrowful bread and future sleep. Development: The early-rising interpretation remains a separate edition note. Conclusion: Children of the shaken and filled desire retain exact distinctions.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Conditional building and keeping precede sorrowful bread and future sleep.
2
The early-rising interpretation remains a separate edition note.
3
Children of the shaken and filled desire retain exact distinctions.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 66136–66141
126:1. Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. 126:2. It is vain for you to rise before light, rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved,
Lines 66143–66145
It is vain for you to rise before light.... That is, your early rising, your labour and worldly solicitude, will be vain, that is, will avail you nothing, without the light, grace, and blessing of God.
Lines 66147–66154
126:3. Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb. 126:4. As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken. 126:5. Blessed is the man that hath filled the desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.