They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Those sowing in tears, with singing do reap,
They that sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing:
Psalms — The canon's longest book — 150 Psalms edited into five doxology-bookended books, composed across a millennium, attributed to David, Asaph, Korah's sons, Moses, Solomon, Heman, Ethan, and anonymous voices. A ''Torah of David''; the Bible's longest continuous liturgical-devotional corpus.
Written to them
topics/lossThey that sow in tears shall reap in joy
MannaFest topical index (legacy import; verified against ASV text 2026-07-21; founder-approved batch)
Voices5
"Blessed are they who weep, for they shall laugh." They, therefore, who spend the days of their life, which is already at its consummation and declining toward its setting, in weeping for their sins, these will be glad in that true morning that is approaching. "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy," of course, in the future.
Basil of Caesarea· HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 14:4, 379patristic
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. A proverbial expression, encouraging faith in prayer put up for the return of the captivity, whether in a literal or spiritual sense.
John Gill· Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)reformed
. Ver. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Hence, present distress must not be viewed as if it would last for ever; it is not the end, by any means, but only a means to the end. Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping. If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. If we were never captives we could never lead our captivity captive. Our mouth had never been filled with holy laughter if it had not been first filled with the bitterness of grief.
It will be easy, in singing this psalm, to apply it either to any particular deliverance wrought for the church or our own land or to the great work of our salvation by Christ.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
Nay, there are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, our own and others, tears of sympathy with the afflicted church, and the tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word.
Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Galatians 6:9Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
leads to
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
But as for you, brothers, do not grow weary in well-doing.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall.
So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.
Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Through
Matthew 5:4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
leads to
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any…
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
The whole web at once: see the Arc.
The verses this one reaches12
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle— are they not in Your book?
Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the autumn rains for your vindication. He sends you showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.
“Go back and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people that this is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: ‘I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will surely heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the house of the LORD.
They will come with weeping, and by their supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk beside streams of waters, on a level path where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s Father, and Ephraim is My firstborn.”
In that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You. Although You were angry with me, Your anger has turned away, and You have comforted me.
By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.
25 more linked verses are grouped by book below ↓
Every other verse the study tradition links to this one, in the Bible’s own order. The first links in each book carry a line of their text; every reference opens its full verse page.
Psalms3
Ecclesiastes3
Hosea1
Luke3
2 Corinthians2
Cross-references are drawn from classic Bible study tools and open, shareable Bible data.
