Psalm 127


Psalm 127 is the 127th psalm of the Book of Psalms, generally known in English by its first verse, in the King James Version, "Except the Lord build the house". The Book of Psalms is the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is known as Psalm 126 in a slightly different numbering system. In Latin, it is known by the incipit of its first 2 words, "Nisi Dominus". It is one of 15 "Songs of Ascents" and the only one among them attributed to Solomon rather than David.
The text is divided into five verses. The first two express the notion that "without God, all is in vain", popularly summarized in Latin in the motto Nisi Dominus Frustra. The remaining three verses describe progeny as God's blessing.
The psalm is a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant liturgies. The Vulgate text Nisi Dominus was set to music numerous times during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, often as part of vespers, including Monteverdi's ten-part setting as part of his 1610 Vespro della Beata Vergine, Marc-Antoine Charpentier,, H 150, H 160, H 231, George Frideric Handel's Nisi Dominus and two settings by Antonio Vivaldi. Composers such as Adam Gumpelzhaimer and Heinrich Schütz set the German "Wo Gott zum Haus".

Authorship

According to Jewish tradition, this psalm was written by David and dedicated to his son Solomon, who would build the First Temple. According to Radak, verses 3–5, which reference "sons", express David's feelings about his son Solomon; according to Rashi, these verses refer to the students of a Torah scholar, who are called his "sons".
The psalm's superscription calls it "of Solomon", but Christian theologian Albert Barnes noted that "in the Syriac Version, the title is, "From the Psalms of the Ascent; spoken by David concerning Solomon; it was spoken also of Haggai and Zechariah, who urged the rebuilding of the Temple". The Authorized Version describes the psalm as "a Song of degrees for Solomon", and Wycliffe's translators recognised both options. Isaac Gottlieb of Bar Ilan University suggests that the reference in verse 2 to "his beloved" "recalls Solomon's other name, Yedidiah".

Themes

calls Psalm 127 "The Builder's Psalm", noting the similarity between the Hebrew words for sons and builders. He writes:
We are here taught that builders of houses and cities, systems and fortunes, empires and churches all labour in vain without the Lord; but under the divine favour they enjoy perfect rest. Sons, who are in the Hebrew called "builders", are set forth as building up families under the same divine blessing, to the great honour and happiness of their parents.

Spurgeon also quotes the English preacher Henry Smith : "Well doth David call children 'arrows' ; for if they be well bred, they shoot at their parents' enemies; and if they be evil bred, they shoot at their parents".
The Midrash Tehillim interprets the opening verses of the psalm as referring to teachers and students of Torah. On the watchmen of the city mentioned in verse 1, Rabbi Hiyya, Rabbi Yosi, and Rabbi Ammi said, "The watchmen of the city are the teachers of Scripture and instructors of Oral Law". On "the Lord gives" in verse 2, the Midrash explains that God "gives" life in the world to come to the wives of Torah scholars because they deprive themselves of sleep to support their husbands.

Translation

The translation of the psalm offers difficulties, especially in verses 2 and 4. Jerome in a letter to Marcella laments that Origen's notes on this psalm were no longer extant, and discusses the various possible translations of לֶחֶם הָעֲצָבִים, and of
בְּנֵי הַנְּעוּרִֽים.
There are two possible interpretations of the phrase כֵּן יִתֵּן לִֽידִידֹו שֵׁנָֽא : The word "sleep" may either be the direct object, or an accusative used adverbially, "in sleep", i.e. "while they are asleep". The latter interpretation fits the context of the verse much better, contrasting the "beloved of the Lord" who receive success without effort, as it were "while they sleep" with the sorrowful and fruitless toil of those not so blessed, a sentiment paralleled by Proverbs 10:22. Keil and Delitzsch accept the reading of the accusative as adverbial, paraphrasing ""God gives to His beloved in sleep, i.e., without restless self-activity, in a state of self-forgetful renunciation, and modest, calm surrender to Him".
However, A. F. Kirkpatrick in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues that while the reading "So he giveth unto his beloved in sleep" fits the context, the natural translation of the Hebrew text is still the one given by the ancient translators, suggesting that the Hebrew text as transmitted has been corrupted.
English translations have been reluctant to emend the translation, due to the long-standing association of this verse with sleep being the gift of God. Abraham Cronbach refers to this as "one of those glorious mistranslations, a mistranslation which enabled Mrs. Browning to write one of the tenderest poems in the English language", referring to Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem The Sleep, which uses "He giveth his beloved Sleep" as the last line of each stanza.
Keil and Delitzsch take שֶׁבֶת "to sit up" as confirmation for the assumption, also suggested by 1 Samuel 20:24, that the custom of the Hebrews before the Hellenistic period was to take their meals sitting up, and not reclining as was the Greco-Roman custom.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 127:
VerseHebrew
1שָׁקַ֬ד שׁוֹמֵֽר
2מַשְׁכִּ֪ימֵי ק֡וּם מְאַֽחֲרֵי־שֶׁ֗בֶת אֹֽ֖כְלֵי לֶ֣חֶם הָֽעֲצָבִ֑ים כֵּ֚ן יִתֵּ֖ן לִֽידִיד֣וֹ שֵׁנָֽא
3הִנֵּ֚ה נַֽחֲלַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֣ה בָּנִ֑ים שָֹ֜כָ֗ר פְּרִ֣י הַבָּֽטֶן
4כְּחִצִּ֥ים בְּיַד־גִּבּ֑וֹר כֵּ֜֗ן בְּנֵ֣י הַנְּעוּרִֽים
5אַשְׁרֵ֚י הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁ֚ר מִלֵּ֥א אֶת־אַשְׁפָּת֗וֹ מֵ֫הֶ֥ם לֹ֥א יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ כִּֽי־יְדַבְּר֖וּ אֶת־אֽוֹיְבִ֣ים בַּשָּֽׁעַר

King James Version

  1. Except the build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
  2. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
  3. Lo, children are an heritage of the : and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
  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, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

    Uses

Judaism

In Judaism, Psalm 127 is recited as part of the series of Psalms read after the Shabbat afternoon service between Sukkot and Shabbat HaGadol.
It is also recited as a prayer for protection of a newborn infant.

Catholic Church

Since the early Middle ages, this psalm was traditionally recited or sung at the Office of none during the week, specifically from Tuesday until Saturday between Psalm 126 and Psalm 128, following the Rule of St. Benedict. During the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 126 is recited on the third Wednesday at vespers.

Protestantism

The pro-natalist Quiverfull movement invokes the less quoted latter part of the psalm, verses 3–5 concerning the blessings and advantages of numerous offspring, as one of the foundations for their stance and takes its name from the last verse.

Musical settings

The Vulgate text of the psalm, Nisi Dominus, has been set to music many times, often as part of vespers services. Settings from the classical period use the text of the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate of 1592, which groups Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum with verse 3 rather than verse 2. Notable compositions include:
"Wo Gott zum Haus" is a German metrical and rhyming paraphrase of the psalm by Johann Kolross, set to music by Luther and by Hans Leo Hassler. Adam Gumpelzhaimer used the first two lines for a canon, Wo Gott zum Haus nicht gibt sein Gunst / So arbeit jedermann umsonst. Another German version is Wo der Herr nicht das Haus bauet by Heinrich Schütz.

Nisi Dominus Frustra

Nisi Dominus Frustra is a popular motto derived from verse 1. As an abbreviation of "Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it". It is often inscribed on buildings. It has been the motto in the coat of arms of the City of Edinburgh since 1647 and was the motto of the former Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea. It was similarly the motto of the King's Own Scottish Borderers.
It has been adopted as the motto for numerous schools in Great Britain, including King Edward VI High School, Stafford, Melbourn Village College, London, and as the insignia of Glenlola Collegiate School in Northern Ireland. Other schools with this motto are St Joseph's College, Dumfries, Villa Maria Academy, Rickmansworth School, The Park School, Yeovil, Bukit Bintang Girls' School, St Thomas School, Kolkata, Kirkbie Kendal School, Richmond College, Galle and Mount Temple Comprehensive School, Dublin, Ireland.
The Aquitanian city of Agen takes as its motto the second verse of the psalm, "Nisi dominus custodierit civitatem frustra vigilat qui custodit eam": "Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain".
Edinburgh Napier University, established in 1964, has "secularized" the city's motto to "Nisi sapientia frustra".