Psalms 129

¹A Song of degrees. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:

²Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth: yet they have not prevailed against me.

Psa 129:1-8. The people of God, often delivered from enemies, are confident of His favor, by their overthrow in the future. 1-2. may Israel now say--or, “oh! let Israel say” (Psa 124:1). Israel’s youth was the sojourn in Egypt (Jr 2:2; Ho 2:15).

³The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.

⁴The LORD is righteous: he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.

3-4. The ploughing is a figure of scourging, which most severe physical infliction aptly represents all kinds.

⁵Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.

⁶Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:

5-6. The ill-rooted roof grass, which withers before it grows up and procures for those gathering it no harvest blessing (Ru 2:4), sets forth the utter uselessness and the rejection of the wicked.