Psalm 128

¹How blessed is every one of the Lord ’s loyal followers,[#tn Heb “every fearer of the Lord.”]

each one who keeps his commands!

²You will eat what you worked so hard to grow.[#tn The psalmist addresses the representative God-fearing man, as indicated by the references to “your wife” (v. 3) and “the man” (v. 4), as well as the second masculine singular pronominal and verbal forms in vv. 2-6.; #tn Heb “the work of your hands, indeed you will eat.”]

You will be blessed and secure.

³Your wife will be like a fruitful vine[#sn The metaphor of the fruitful vine pictures the wife as fertile; she will give her husband numerous children (see the next line).]

in the inner rooms of your house;

your children will be like olive branches,

as they sit all around your table.

⁴Yes indeed, the man who fears the Lord

will be blessed in this way.

⁵May the Lord bless you from Zion,[#tn The prefixed verbal form is understood as a jussive of prayer (note the imperatives that are subordinated to this clause in vv. 5b-6a). Having described the blessings that typically come to the godly, the psalmist concludes by praying that this ideal may become reality for the representative godly man being addressed.]

that you might see Jerusalem prosper

all the days of your life,

⁶and that you might see your grandchildren.[#tn The imperative with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose/result after the jussive in v. 5a.; #tn Heb “sons to your sons.”]

May Israel experience peace!