Psalm 127

Psalm 127

Psalm 127 is a very interesting Psalm with a message that is extremely

apt considering the events of our current day. There is a general

consensus that the overall purpose of Psalm 127 is to illustrate the

complete futility of relying solely on our human efforts to accomplish

anything meaningful and enduring. Whether we are building a skyscraper

or a building a family, if God is not the foundation of those efforts,

we will fail. Anyone who watched the World Trade Center crumble into

an ashen heap within mere hours can surely appreciate the wisdom of

this Wisdom Psalm. Still, the interpretation of the Psalm is not

without controversy.

One of the biggest points of contention goes to the overall structure

of Psalm 127. While most commentators agree that Psalm 127 is intended

to advocate the wisdom of making God the focus of everyday life, some

questions arise as to whether the five verses of the Psalm were

originally written as one piece. As noted by Allen, “The unity of the

psalm is by no means assured. A sizeable number of scholars have

regarded it as an amalgamation of two separate, unrelated sayings.”

According to the more extreme proponents of this view, verses 1 and 2

are completely unrelated in subject matter to verses 3 to 5 which

celebrate GodÂ’s blessing on a family through the gift of children. For

instance, Weiser suggests that “[t]he psalm clearly falls into two

parts which are quite unrelated as far as subject-matter is concerned.

Verses 1 and 2 emphatically point out the significance of divine

providence in human life; vv. 3-5, on the other hand, praise the

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...991): 304-311.

Kraus, Hans-Joachim. “If Yahweh Does Not Build the House.” Psalms

60-150: A continental commentary. (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Fortress

Press, 1993): 452-456.

Mays, James Luther. “Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Builds the House.”

Interpretation, Patrick D. Miller, Jr., ed. (Louisville: John Knox

Press, 1994):400-402.

Miller, Patrick D. “Psalm 127: The House that Yahweh Builds.” Journal

for the Study of the Old Testament, 22F (1982): 119-132.

VanGemeren, William A. “Psalm 127: The Blessing of the Lord.”

ExpositorÂ’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, Frank E. Gaebelein and Richard

P. Polcyn, eds. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan): 793-795.

Weiser, Arthur. “Everything Depends on God’s Blessing.” The Psalms: A

commentary, G. Ernest Wright, ed. (Bloomsbury Street, London: SCM

Press LTD, 1962): 763-766.