Psalms 129

Psalms 129:1

An EasyEnglish Translation with Notes (about 1200 word vocabulary) on Psalms 107 to 150

www.easyenglish.info Gordon Churchyard Words in boxes are from the Bible. Words in brackets, , are not in the *Hebrew Bible.

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Psalms 129 Psalms For Climbing; Psalms 120-134 Jesus said, “We will go up to Jerusalem” (Luke 18:31). The Story of Psalms 120-134 These 15 psalms are called “Songs of Ascent” in many Bibles. “Ascent” means “going up”. This translation calls it “climbing”. But what are we climbing? Bible students give us 4 answers:

        One line in the psalm “climbs” on the line in front of it. This means that it repeats the line. Read the start of Psalm 124 for an example.

        There were 15 steps from where the women stood to where the men stood outside the *temple. The *temple was God’s house in Jerusalem. As the men climbed the steps, they sang one psalm on each step. This is why most of the psalms for climbing are short.

        Jerusalem was on the top of a hill called “Zion”. The *Jews often went to Jerusalem to worship God at the *temple. “Worship” means “Tell God how *wonderful that he is. And tell him that you love him”. The *Jews sang these psalms for climbing as they went up to Jerusalem.

        Hezekiah was a king of the *Jews. He was so ill that he thought he would soon die. He prayed for a longer life. God made the clock “climb” back 10 degrees. This was about an hour. It was a sign that Hezekiah would live another 15 years. Hezekiah made a book of 15 psalms, 10 of them new, the other 5 by David and Solomon. The story is in Isaiah chapter 38.

We do not know which of these is the true answer. It may be something else! Perhaps answers 3 and 4 are the true answers.

Who wrote the psalms for climbing? Some are by David, and one or two are by Solomon. Solomon was David’s son. The other psalms for climbing may be by Hezekiah or one of his friends like Isaiah; or by Ezra or Nehemiah. Ezra and Nehemiah were leaders of the *Jews 500 years after Solomon built the *temple, or 250 years after Hezekiah was king. This was when the *Jews made the Book of Psalms. The psalms for climbing were part of this Book of Psalms. Psalms 129      (This is) a song for climbing.

v1      My enemies have often hurt me since I was a child.      Israel can now say this.

v2      They have often hurt me since I was a child,        but they have not beaten me.

v3      They ploughed on my back        like a farmer ploughing long *furrows.

v4      The *LORD is *righteous.      He has cut me free from my enemies.

v5      Everybody that hates Zion will be ashamed.      So they will turn away.

v6      They will become like a green plant on a roof.      It dies before it starts to grow!

v7      A gardener cannot fill his hand (with it)        or a farmer (fill) his pocket.

v8      People that go past will not say,      “We want the *LORD to be kind to you!”      (They will not say)      “We want good things to happen to you in the name of the *LORD!” What Psalms 129 means The psalm starts with one person talking, but it goes on like Psalms 124 went on. “Since I was a child” means all the story of Israel. Enemies had tried to beat Israel, but God had always given help to Israel. A furrow is a line in the earth. A farmer makes it when he ploughs the ground. Here, furrows are a picture of the marks on someone when you hit them with a stick. “*LORD” is a special name for God. The notes in Psalms 120 explain it. “*Righteous” means “very, very good”. Only God is really *righteous. Something to do You may have a *New Testament. If so, read the story of the man that planted seeds. It is in Matthew 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-13 and Luke 8:4-10. Does it make you think of any part of Psalm 129?

© 1999-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words).

December 2002

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