Psalms 129:5
in Psalms 129May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Let them be put to shame and turned backward, All they that hate Zion.
KJV
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
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This verse in Psalms 129
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIt is true, they brought their troubles upon themselves by their sins; it was for them that God punished them; but it was for the peculiarity of their covenant, and the singularities of their religion, that their neighbours hated and persecuted them.
This site's exposition
all who hate Zion
on Psalms 129:5-8
Israel asks God to turn back everyone who hates Zion. Spurgeon read the rooftop grass as growth with no earth or moisture under it, up and gone before a reaper could fill his hand. Verse 8 withholds the harvest greeting of Ruth 2:4.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"Let them be confounded and turned backward, as many as have evil will at Sion" [Psalm 129:5]. They who hate Sion, hate the Church: Sion is the Church. And they who hypocritically enter into the Church, hate the Church. They who refuse to keep the Word of God, hate the Church: "Upon my back have they built:" what will the Church do, save endure the burden even unto the end?
A commentator
Augustine of HippoEXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 129:5 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
You accuse a person of greed, and he accuses God on the ground that he made gold. Do not be covetous. And God, you reply, should not make gold. This now remains, because you can not restrain your evil deeds, you accuse the good works of God: the creator and architect of the world displeases you. He ought not to make the sun either; for many contend concerning the lights of their windows and drag each other before courts of law. Oh, if we could restrain our vices! For all things are good, because a good God made all things; and his works praise him, when their goodness is considered by him who has the spirit of discerning them, the spirit of piety and wisdom.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Let them all be confounded,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. And so say we right heartily: and in this case vox populi is vex Dei, for so it shall be. If this be an imprecation, let it stand; for our heart says "Amen" to it. It is but justice that those who hate, harass, and hurt the good should be brought to naught. Those who confound right and wrong ought to be confounded, and those who turn back from God ought to be turned back. Loyal subjects wish ill to those who plot against their king.
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. And so say we right heartily: and in this case vox populi is vex Dei, for so it shall be. If this be an imprecation, let it stand; for our heart says "Amen" to it. It is but justice that those who hate, harass, and hurt the good should be brought to naught. Those who confound right and wrong ought to be confounded, and those who turn back from God ought to be turned back. Loyal subjects wish ill to those who plot against their king. is but a proper wish, and contains within it no trace of personal ill will. We desire their welfare as men, their downfall as traitors. Let their conspiracies be confounded, their policies be turned back. How can we wish prosperity to those who would destroy that which is dearest to our hearts? This present age is so flippant that if a man loves the Saviour he is styled a fanatic, and if he hates the powers of evil he is named a bigot. As for ourselves, despite all objectors, we join heartily in this commination; and would revive in our heart the old practice of Ebal and Gerizim, where those were blessed who bless God, and those were cursed who make themselves a curse to the righteous. We have heard men desire a thousand times that the gallows might be the reward of the assassins who murdered two inoffensive men in Dublin, and we could never censure the wish; for justice ought to he rendered to the evil as well as to the good. Besides, the church of God is so useful, so beautiful, so innocent of harm, so fraught with good, that those who do her wrong are wronging all mankind and deserve to be treated as the enemies of the human race. Study a chapter from the "Book of Martyrs", and see if you do not feel inclined to read an imprecatory Psalm over Bishop Bonner and Bloody Mary.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Let them all be confounded - They shall be confounded. They who hate Zion, the Church of God, hate God himself; and all such must be dealt with as enemies, and be utterly confounded.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Let them all be confounded and turned back ... - This might be rendered in the indicative, “they are ashamed,” but the connection seems to require the rendering in our version. It is a prayer that God would now interpose as he had done in former times, and that he would cause all the haters of Zion to be put to shame as formerly.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
which, before it is plucked, withers Which, before they pluck it and uproot it from its place, is withered.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 7 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ | yevoshu | may they be ashamed | H954 → | 127 times |
| וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ | veyisogu | and they may be turned back | H5472 → | 14 times |
| אָח֑וֹר | ʾachor | backward | H268 → | 41 times |
| כֹּ֝֗ל | kol | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| שֹׂנְאֵ֥י | soneei | [those who] hate | H8130 → | 146 times |
| צִיּֽוֹן׃ | tziyon | <of> Zion | H6726 → | 154 times |
יֵ֭בֹשׁוּmay they be ashamed
yevoshuH954 →127 times
וְיִסֹּ֣גוּand they may be turned back
veyisoguH5472 →14 times
אָח֑וֹרbackward
ʾachorH268 →41 times
כֹּ֝֗לall
kolH3605 →5413 times
שֹׂנְאֵ֥י[those who] hate
soneeiH8130 →146 times
צִיּֽוֹן׃<of> Zion
tziyonH6726 →154 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Zechariah 12:3On that day, when all the nations of the earth gather against her, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who would heave it away will be severely injured.
it leads to
- Matthew 21:44
He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
- Zechariah 14:2–4
For I will gather all the nations for battle against Jerusalem, and the city will be captured, the houses looted, and the women ravished. Half of the city will go into exile, but the…
- Daniel 2:34–35
As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
- Matthew 21:44
Through
Isaiah 37:35‘I will defend this city and save it for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David.’”
it leads to
- 2 Kings 20:6
I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for My sake and for…
- Isaiah 38:6
And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
- Isaiah 31:5
Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will protect Jerusalem. He will shield it and deliver it; He will pass over it and preserve it.”
- 2 Kings 20:6
Through
Psalms 71:13May the accusers of my soul be ashamed and consumed; may those who seek my harm be covered with scorn and disgrace.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 20:11
But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting…
- Psalms 71:24
My tongue will indeed proclaim Your righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded.
- Jeremiah 20:11
About Psalms
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 129; Augustine of Hippo, EXPLANATIONS OF THE PSALMS 129:5; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.