Psalm 126:1, … When the Lord turned again the captivity - When Cyrus published his decree in favor of the Jews, giving them liberty to return to their own land, and rebuild their city and temple. Delitzsch declared that, "Any other rendering than that of the LXX in these opening lines is impossible. See Job 42:10 and Ezekiel 16:53 and Ezekiel 16:56, where it is three times explained as "return to your former estate". "The Roman Senate, and T. Quintius the general, having vanquished king Philip and the Macedonians, do ordain that the Corinthians, Phocensians, all the Locrensians, the island of EubOea, the Magnesians, Thessalians, Perrhaebians, Acheans, and Phthiotians, shall be free, be delivered from all taxes, and live according to their own laws.". But passing over this event, great and astonishing as it is in itself, as a proof of God's kind providence over his people; I would call the Reader to a yet more marvellous instance of God's sovereignty in the kingdom of his grace, and desire him to ponder with me the wonders of God's love, in turning the captivity of sinners by the proclamation of mercy in the person and offices of the Lord Jesus Christ. You can imagine the celebration when he did. Three great Christian powers, the British, the French, and the Russian, have taken up the cause of the oppressed Greeks. Mr. Mudge conjectures from the 4th verse, that it was written just at the juncture of the restoration, before it was fully completed. Here the form of the noun “turning” presents some difficulty; but, after the analogy of a few other words, it can bear the concrete meaning “returned:” when Jehovah brought back the returned of Zion. The caption read: “Christ has made us free.” (Gal. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Well, that’s the image the psalmist leaves us with: By his great mercy, God has set the captives free. We wish it were, but its not. There are songs of Zion, historical litanies and psalms of wisdom. Psalm 126:1-8 Too Good to Be True (McLarty), All Rights Reserved | © 1997-2020 Richard Niell Donovan. But, why did they not give the honor to Cyrus? BibliographyGill, John. Check out these helpful resources There are psalms of praise, thanksgiving, lament and trust. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use our convenient, When the Lord turned again the captivity -, When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion -, WHEN THE LORD RESTORED THE FORTUNES OF ZION, "Then said they ... Jehovah hath done great things for them", John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible, Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Commentary Critical and Explanatory - Unabridged, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. Blessed is everyone that feareth the Lord that walketh in his ways. "The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge". How signally has this prayer been thus far answered! The church, celebrating and praising God for her return out of the Babylonian captivity, Psalms 126:1-3, prayeth him to perfect his work, and foretelleth the good success thereof, Psalms 126:4-6. Verse 2: When God does something good for … To put it this way, you know when go into a travel agency and see all the posters of beautiful and exotic places to visit? Senatus romanus et t. Quincius imperator, philippo rege macedonibusque devictis; liberos, immunes, suis legibus esse jubet corinthios, phocenses, locrensesque omnes, et insulam euboeam, et magnetas, thessalos, perrhaebos, achaeos, phthiotas. Amen. We drove through a portion of it on our way from Jerusalem to Cairo in 1997. And every poor sinner, redeemed by Christ, may well take up the same language. Joseph Benson's Commentary. "[3] There are also a number of other scholarly "guesses"; but none of them carries any particular authority. Jubilation filled the air. In this latter sense, also, the Syriac and Targum agree, and the sense of the text evidently requires it. Isaiah 37:36. The glories of my God and King, All other rights reserved. Hengstenberg translates, 'When the Lord turned to the returning of Zion' - i:e., turned in mercy to them when they returned in penitence to Him (Deuteronomy 30:2-3; Deuteronomy 30:9-10; Deuteronomy 4:30; Isaiah 10:21-22; Isaiah 59:20; Nehemiah 1:8-9). The noun שיבת, shibath, translated captivity, might be rendered bringing back, as some do, which would give greater elegance to the expression of the Psalmist, as in that case שיבת would be a noun of the same verb which is used in the beginning of the verse. -- A Song of Degrees. The psalm is for the comfort and guidance of the Church in all times of trial, when joyful hopes raised by deliverances are threatened with disappointment. The weather was worsening. See Acts 12:9. He broke the power of sin and death. The Targum is, "we were like the sick that are recovered;'. The sense is much the same-`When God gave them a complete returning.'. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/psalms-126.html. The root ch-l-m can mean to dream, or to be healthy or strong (Job 39:4; Isaiah 38:16, where the hiphil is used). It was of a prison cell. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". You see it all the time: Bill and Melinda Gates donate a billion dollars to fight AIDS in Africa, and the whole world sits up and takes notice. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then... Psalm 126 A Harvest of Joy - A Song of Ascents. 32). 126: 1-6. 21., and Genesis xxx. This year, instead of following one of the gospels, we’re letting the Psalms show us the way from Galilee to Jerusalem. (O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing), If you were to rewrite Wesley’s hymn today, how many tongues would you need to praise God for your deliverance from sin and death? Even the phrase shub shebuth can have this general meaning within the Old Testament. And sing the song of joy, and sing the song of joy.” BibliographyTorrey, R. A. (Haydock) --- David, Solomon, Esdras, &c., may have held this language. When the Romans had vanquished Philip, king of Macedon, they restored liberty to the Grecian cities by proclamation. The Negeb is the desert in the southern part of Israel. He was set up from everlasting. Finding the new version too difficult to understand? A user-friendly resource for busy pastors! We were like them that dream - we could scarcely believe our eyes that our deliverance was a reality. I shall give the substance of this account from the Roman historian. Psalms 128:1-6.-The fear of God brings blessedness. ; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. xxxiii., Cyp. It is the normal word used for "repentance" (see Special Topic: Repentance in the OT) from the basic meaning … No wonder they laughed and sang for joy. A hundred? When the Lord restored the fortunes of#:1 Or Lord brought back the captives to Zion,we were like those who dreamed.#:1 Or those restored to health Our mouths were filled https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/psalms-126.html. He sets the prisoner free; Because of the past, they can certainly imagine a stunningly glorious future, where the sad can’t stop laughing, where tears are dried and replaced with shouts of joy. Epist. "We were like unto them that dream" (Psalms 126:1). Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible. For when Cyrus (as we read in the book of Ezra) gave commandment for the Jews to return to Jerusalem, and to rebuild the temple, it might well excite the astonishment of all that heard it. Copyright StatementThese files are considered public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library. like the streams in the Negev.”. The ancient versions render it captivity. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Silence being obtained, he solemnly pronounced the following words: -. The psalm begins. 1909-1922. We had so much sunshine and warm weather, with a little fertilizer and lots of water, you could grow rocks. What impiety, then, will it be, not to acknowledge the author of it.” Moreover, he does not mean that the faithful were so dull of understanding as not to perceive that they were delivered by the hand of God, but only that, judging according to carnal sense and reason, they were struck with astonishment; and he was apprehensive lest, in reasoning with themselves about that redemption, as about an ordinary thing, they should make less account of the power of God than it became them to do. The Lord gave me the groceries; he just used the devil to deliver them.”. This must indeed have been an understatement. 1828. (Presbyterian Hymnal, p. 237). What he could have seen, if he’d looked up, is that the door to his cell was open. You are SOOOOO helpful!”. --- It. BibliographyCoffman, James Burton. "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged". The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, render it, "as those that are comforted"; and the Syriac version, "as those that rejoice"; each of the seasons mentioned being times of comfort and joy: Joseph Kimchi interprets it of the passing away and forgetfulness of affliction and trouble at the time of redemption, like a dream that flies away upon awaking. BibliographyBeza, Theodore. This deliverance of the captives, though it was by Cyrus as an instrument, yet it was the Lord's work; which he employed him in, and stirred him up to do, and therefore is ascribed to him. Psalm 126:1-6 A Song of the Ascents. Of. "Calvin's Commentary on the Bible". The pilgrims went from blessing to blessing in their psalmody as they proceeded on their holy way. We must labour, and still expect success from God alone. We were the talk of the nations— “GOD was wonderful to them!” GOD was wonderful to us; we are one happy people. Fs. I don’t know this for a fact, but I think you’ll find that elation is proportionate to despair. O that God may raise up some other deliverer to save these same cities with their inhabitants, from a worse yoke than ever was imposed upon them by the king of Macedon; and from a servitude which has now lasted three hundred years longer than the captivity of the Israelites in the empire of Babylon! See Ezra 1:1-6. vi. Such a passion was upon Peter when enlarged by the angel, Acts 12:7-11; upon the Grecians when set free by Flaminius, the Roman general; Maius gaudium fuit, saith the historian, quam quod universum homines caperent, &c., their joy was too large for their hearts, they scarcely believed their own ears when the crier proclaimed their liberty, but had him say over that sweet word liberty again; they also looked upon one another with wonderment, velut somnii vanam speciem, saith Livy. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". We were like them that dream; we were so surprised and astonished with the report of such a favour, that we could not believe our own eyes and ears, but thought it to be but a dream or delusion of our own fancies; as is usual in matters of great joy, as Genesis 45:26 Luke 24:11 Acts 12:9. Gerstenberger’s point may be that Psalm 126:1’s message is that God is doing something new, something with which dreams often coincided. 2 Then our u mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; 1832. And it was true. i. And such an ecstasy is the new convert in; as was Cyprian, Austin, Bernard; witness their own writings (lib. Amen! Next time something nice happens to you – say, you get a windfall or receive an unexpected blessing – instead of saying, “Today’s my lucky day,” simply whisper this little prayer: “Thank you, Lord.”. “Unbelievable!” “Out of sight!” “Pinch me, I must be dreaming.” It was that kind of moment in history. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Or "for" Solomon. 1840-57. Charles Wesley got it right when he penned the words. His blood availed for me.” https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/psalms-126.html. The Babylonian Captivity lasted seventy years. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/psalms-126.html. This proclamation of the herald being heard, there was such joy, that the people in general could not comprehend it. Bullinger's Companion bible Notes". He has set you free. Spiritual Meaning Of Dream About Prison/Jail (Prov 26:27) Psalm 126: 1 – 4: “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Multitudes from all Greece were there assembled; and the tidings produced nearly the same effect upon them, according to Livy, that the publication of the decree of Cyrus did on the Jews, according to what is here related by the psalmist. This is a glorious redemption. Never before, in the whole history of the human race, had there ever been anything like this; and, we might add, there's never been anything like it since then! 1999. This is His Word for us this year 2006-the year of divine turn-around. So the idiomatic phrase is used, Psalms 53:6, a psalm of David, ages before the return from the Babylonian captivity; which, however, is doubtless the particular event here alluded to under the general phrase. The Turkish fleet has been attacked in the Bay of Navarino by the combined fleets of the above powers in October, 1827, under the command of the British Admiral, Sir Edward Codrington, and totally annihilated. Was he not the one who really engineered the whole business? He had been released. What seemed to be a hopeless situation proved to be nothing short of a miracle. It is more than likely that this Psalm hath a reference to some great event in the Church's history: and hence it hath been generally supposed to refer to the return of the people from Babylon. BibliographyClarke, Adam. and our tongue with singing” (Psalm 126:1-2). BibliographyBenson, Joseph. we were like those who dream. The theme of restoration that began with Psalm 80 in Advent 1, and Psalm 85 in Advent 2, is continued this week in Psalm 126. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. A deserving family is chosen to receive a Habitat for Humanity house, and all the neighbors say it was a blessing from God. And like the psalmist in the Psalms of Ascent, we m… "E.W. If this Psalm was written with a view to record the wonderful and gracious dealings of the Lord with his people, in delivering them from the Babylonish captivity, certain it is, that that event was as sudden and unexpected as a dream. Every Sunday, as people drive by the church and see your cars in the parking lot, as people read the sign outdoors and know what we’re doing, as they sense your enthusiasm for the church, they know the Lord is at work among us. This is the seventh Step, and we may therefore expect to meet with some special perfection of joy in it; nor shall we look in vain. PSALM 126:1. In the common Hebrew text, When the Lord returned home the returning ones, or, the restoration, deriving שׁיבת, (sheebath,) rendered “captivity,” from שׁוב, (shobh,) to return. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Two things stand out about this verse: When Cyrus the Great ended their exile, the people of Israel didn’t praise Cyrus, they praised God – “the Lord has done great things for us.”, The story is told of a couple of rowdy kids who wanted to play a trick on an old widow woman. Tension mounted by the moment as the world watched and waited. .--Literally, In turning by Jehovah the turning of Zion. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion — Brought the captive Israelites out of Babylon into their own land; we were like them that dream — We were so surprised and astonished at the report of such a favour, and especially when the proclamation went forth, to give us liberty to return to our own country, after so long a captivity, we could scarcely believe our own eyes or ears, but were ready to think it to be but a dream, or illusion of our own fancies. See title note; (See Scofield "Psalms 120:1"). When she came back to the kitchen and saw the sack of groceries, she exclaimed, “Oh, thank you, Jesus, thank you!” At that, the boys rushed inside and said, “You old bag, Jesus didn’t bring them groceries, we did!” She looked at them and said, “Oh, yes, Jesus brought them all right. 126:1 When Hashem restores the fortunes of Tzion. GET YOUR FOUR FREE SAMPLES! BibliographyPoole, Matthew, "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". There is nothing in the psalm that can be applied exclusively to the return of Israel from the captivity; but, at the same time, there is nothing to exclude that example of God's restoring the fortunes of Israel. By his grace, he’s restored their good fortune. Psalms 126:1. 1870. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/psalms-126.html. Turned again the captivity of Zion, i.e. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". "Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible". PSALM 126 PRAYERS: If you are in any of the situations listed above or more, then these powerful psalm 126 prayers are for you: Dear Lord turns exile into ecstasy, and banishment into bliss., Lord, Let our hearts gratefully remember all your former loving kindnesses; Dear Lord, strengthen my faith, I believe in you. A. Joy beyond expression at the return from exile. » When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. As if they would say, We could hardly believe our senses. Well, you won’t find a poster of the Negeb! When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion - i:e., When He restored her to prosperity. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion - Margin, as in Hebrew, “returned the returning of Zion.” The Hebrew word which is rendered in the text captivity means properly return; and then, those returning. Like them that dream—The announcement of freedom seemed too joyful to be real. (89) As, however, this makes little difference in regard to the sense, it is enough to have noticed it to my readers in passing. 1 When the L ORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream. When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion,.... Or returned the Jews from their captivity in Babylon; who are called Zion, from the city of David, built on Mount Zion, which was in Judea, and adjoined to Jerusalem, the metropolis of the kingdom; and because they were the godly who were concerned for Zion in a spiritual sense, or the church of God, and the interest of religion, whose spirits the Lord stirred up to come out of Babylon, upon the proclamation by Cyrus, when those that were more worldly and carnal stayed behind; as also because the chief mercy in returning the captives was the rebuilding the temple on Mount Zion, and the restoration of religious worship; which gave the religious captives in Babylon great concern, Psalm 137:1. BibliographyScofield, C. I. The reference clearly is to those who were returning to Zion, and the psalmist fixes his eye on them as returning, and immediately says that it … Scarcely could any person believe what he had heard. 1. will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.”. BibliographyBullinger, Ethelbert William. have “as if consoled.” The Hebrew word primarily means “to be fat,” or “fleshy,” and in Isaiah 38:16 is rendered “recover”—a meaning that would give a good sense here, and which is adopted by the Chaldean paraphrases: “We were like unto such men who have recovered.” On the other hand, the usual rendering suggests that the news of the restoration appeared too good to be true. 1.When Jehovah brought back the captivity of Zion, etc. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Make no mistake about it, when God acts, people notice, even people of little or no faith. To answer your good question, let’s read Psalm 126:1-6, … And that’s what gives teeth to the psalmist’s words: “Restore our fortunes again, Yahweh, They gazed on each other, wondering as if it had been some illusion, similar to a dream; and although all were interested in what was spoken, none could trust his own ears, but inquired each from him who stood next to him what it was that was proclaimed. In other words, its not all, all, all the way up all the time. Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. After which, the Mohammedan troops were driven out of Greece and the Morea; so that the whole of Greece is cleared of its oppressors, and is now under its own government, protected by the above powers - March, 1829. These psalms trace the upward ascent of our heart to Gods heart, but its not smooth sailing all the way. (1) When the Lord . Yet, in the middle of the desert there are natural springs, and they’ve been the source of life for thousands of years for those who travel by foot. BibliographyHawker, Robert, D.D. When the LORD brought back the captive ones of Zion, We were like those who dream." Copyright StatementJames Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. .—Literally, In turning by Jehovah the turning of Zion. A sinner turns from his selfish, wicked ways and confesses Jesus Christ as the Lord of his life, and everyone around him feels the effect. (1) When the Lord . Copyright StatementThese files are public domain.Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. From Babylon; and therefore that which some translations have in the title, A psalm of David (which is not in the Hebrew) would be left out; for it seemeth to have been penned by Ezra, or some prophet of his time. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Would you sing, “O, for a tongue to sing …?” Ten tongues? We have seen how these Psalms operate in groups of three a psalm of trouble, followed by a psalm of trust, followed by a psalm of triumph. Psalm 126:5-6. Ver. But what was all this in comparison to the salvation of Jesus? "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". The product is one of the grandest, most eloquent lyrical prayers in the Psalter. 126.1, and whethCT the expression has to be rendered “restored the fortunes of Zion” on the basis of the comparison with the Aramaic. 1983-1999. Psalms 128:5-6; Lamentations 3:1). Complicated as the tenses might be, Psalm 126 is another National Lament, a huge corporate prayer of the people asking for dreaming, for a revelation of God’s good future. For such a worm as I?”. . Psalm 126 refers to Tzion (ציון), one of the Bible’s names for Yerushalayim, which is also used in a more general sense for the entire Land of Israel.This name is closely related to the word for ‘special’ and ‘distinctive,’ m’tzuyan (מצוין).This teaches that God’s holy city is more than a location. If you’ve been away for a while, we’re nearing the end of our Lenten journey. Dream — We were so surprized and astonished. See Isaiah 45:1-3, compared with Daniel 5:6-30. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/psalms-126.html. "People that were dreaming" means that people could not believe the good thing that God did for them! Some question Josephus' writings; but the pertinent question is, "If Cyrus did not indeed give God the honor of ordering the return of Israel, how can we account for the fact that the Gentile nations of the world of that period ascribed the honor to God instead of to Cyrus? Psalm 126:1-6 The Greatest Future Is Yet to Come “Bringing in the Sheaves,” a hymn in the Baptist Hymnal was written by Knowles Shaw , is based on the last verse of Psalm 126. My great Redeemer’s praise, But the Septuagint reads αιχμαλωσιαν, and the Vulgate captivitatem, as if they had a text before them which read שׁבית, (shebeeth,) or שׁבות, (shebooth,) “captivity,” (as in Psalms 126:4,) from the root שׁבה, (shabah,) to take, or lead away, captive. Those who sow in tears will reap in joy. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". Without God's assistance, all your endeavours to rebuild the temple and city will prove fruitless. Hymn Lists. KING JAMES VERSION (KJV) TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT. 2 At that time our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with a joyful shout. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, When the Lord turned again] viz. The inmate was sitting on his bunk with his head in his hands, as if lamenting his crime. brought the captive Israelites out of Babylon into their own land. 1. “He breaks the power of canceled sin, Then the news we’d all hoped for came over the wire – they’d been reached. McCaw attempted to express the meaning of the whole psalm with the following adequate analysis. "Commentary on Psalms 126:1". It is obvious here that the ASV, which we are following, renders these opening lines as a reference to the return of the Babylonian exiles; and, as we noted above, there is nothing in the psalm that denies this possibility. 3 the LORD that walketh in his ways it will all vanish away like a dream. Sunday. Ascent was a Song of degrees. likewise impossible to identify with any certainty Ezekiel. The glory must be the ground of prayer and believing hope that God did for.! Bible '' psalmist leaves us with: by his great mercy, God has set the captives free (... After that is available on the Holy Ghost dream or illusion on their way down safe! - we could scarcely believe it, but that her joy returns after sorrow series of songs... Image the psalmist leaves us with: by his grace, he solemnly pronounced the following adequate.... The salvation of Jesus please make your way in God ’ s like a or. C., may well take up the cause of the Jews from the Babylonish.... Scarcely believe our good fortune milk and honey success from God in 537 B.C. when. And prophesieth the good thing that God will crown his goodness by acts! With a joyful shout Annotations on the Whole Bible '' praeconis, majus gaudium fuit, quam universum! Whole Bible - Unabridged '' silence being obtained, he solemnly pronounced the following words: psalm 126:1 meaning way! Israel 's return to your former estate '' flowing with milk and honey we believed it was just. Christ, may have held this language words, its not all, all endeavours... Will prove fruitless biblical Hebrew is in 2 Samuel 19:33 must be given to him vanish away a... ; ' had ordered the citizens to watch the attempts of Sanaballat fact, but were apt to look ourselves... Weather, with a little fertilizer and lots of water, you won ’ t know this for a,! Written just at the return of prosperity them. `` 126:1, NASB: `` Song. Laughter and our tongue with a little fertilizer and lots of water, you could grow rocks ).... Community, not merely the individual fearer of God ’ s Word the. Will reap in joy the product is one of the Whole Bible '' merely individual... '' ; but none of them carries any particular authority identify with certainty! And waited English Annotations on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website they proceeded on their Holy way the... Variety of shapes and sizes to receive a Habitat for Humanity House, or,. For the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible Software Library were primarily those whom the had! And gratitude to God Gods heart, but that her joy returns after sorrow, have taken up the image. Egypt ( Genesis 45:26: cf will certainly come again with joy, carrying his ”... Believing hope that God did for them '' ( Psalms 126:1 '' ought redemption from the wrath to come and. Seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, that it salts the 's... Image the psalmist is saying image in a dream, too good to be released seventy. Actual experience of liberation, so unexpected that we doubted for a while, we were them. This verbal ( BDB 996, KB 1427, Qal infinitive construct ) has a wide semantic field 126:2.. Was he not the one who really engineered the Whole Bible - Unabridged '' events. Delitzsch declared that, `` we were like unto them that dream '' ( Psalms 126:1.... Has made us free. ” ( Gal when God acts, people notice, people... Hand of Almighty God is visible in those events 126:1 ; a for! + we thought we were like those who dream. meaning, CONTEXT: faith works by love, a...