English Standard Version
Psalms 129:6
6Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
Psalms 129:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:
- New International Version (NIV)May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;
- New King James Version (NKJV)Let them be as the grass on the housetops, Which withers before it grows up,
- New Living Translation (NLT)May they be as useless as grass on a rooftop, turning yellow when only half grown,
Context of Psalms 129:6
4The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked. 5May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up, 7with which the reaper does not fill his hand nor the binder of sheaves his arms, 8nor do those who pass by say, "The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!"
Read all of Psalms 129Psalms 129:6 word by word
יִ֭הְיוּ כַּחֲצִ֣יר גַּגּ֑וֹת שֶׁקַּדְמַ֖ת שָׁלַ֣ף יָבֵֽשׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 129:6
- Psalms 37:2For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.
- Psalms 92:7that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever;
- Jeremiah 17:5Thus says the Lord: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.
- Matthew 13:6but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
Commentaries on Psalms 129:6
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Let them be as the grass upon the housetops - The housetops, or roofs of houses, covered with sand or earth, in which seeds of grass may germinate and begin to grow, but where, as there is no depth of earth, and as the heat of the sun there would be intense, it would soon wither away. See the notes at Isaiah 37:27. Which withereth afore it groweth up - This, even if it has any meaning, is not the meaning of the original. The idea in the Hebrew is - and it…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-8Verses 5-8 While God's people shall flourish as the loaded palm-tree, or the green and fruitful olive, their enemies shall wither as the grass upon the house-tops, which in eastern countries are flat, and what grows there never ripens; so it is with the designs of God's enemies. No wise man will pray the Lord to bless these mowers or reapers. And when we remember how Jesus arose and reigns; how his people have been supported, like the burning but…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-8Grass on a rooftop had shallow roots and would scorch easily. A crop was ignored by the harvester when the yield was low. The enemies who had sown hurt among God’s people would gain little.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. The ill-rooted roof grass, which withers before it grows up and procures for those gathering it no harvest blessing (Ru 2:4), sets forth the utter uselessness and the rejection of the wicked.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 6which, before it is plucked, withers Which, before they pluck it and uproot it from its place, is withered.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 129:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 129
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries