God’s Word Translation
Psalms 144:12
12May our sons be like full-grown, young plants. May our daughters be like stately columns that adorn the corners of a palace.
Psalms 144:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:
- New International Version (NIV)Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.
- English Standard Version (ESV)May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace;
- New King James Version (NKJV)That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style;
Context of Psalms 144:12
10You are the one who gives victory to kings. You are the one who snatches your servant David away from a deadly sword. 11Snatch me, and rescue me from foreigners’ hands. Their mouths speak lies. Their right hands take false pledges. May our sons be like full-grown, young plants. May our daughters be like stately columns that adorn the corners of a palace. 13May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops. May our sheep give birth to thousands of lambs, tens of thousands in our fields. 14May our cattle have many calves. May no one break in, and may no one be dragged out. May there be no cries of distress in our streets.
Read all of Psalms 144Psalms 144:12 word by word
אֲשֶׁ֤ר בָּנֵ֨ינוּ׀ כִּנְטִעִים֮ מְגֻדָּלִ֪ים בִּֽנְעוּרֵ֫יהֶ֥ם בְּנוֹתֵ֥ינוּ כְזָוִיֹּ֑ת מְ֝חֻטָּב֗וֹת תַּבְנִ֥ית הֵיכָֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That our sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- as plantsנָטִיעַnâţîya‛ · plantH5195
- grown upגָּדַלgâdal · to magnifyH1431
- in their youthנְעוּרִיםnâ‛ûr nâ‛ûr ne‛ûrâh · youthH5271
- our daughtersבַּתbath · daughterH1323
- as corner stonesזָוִיתzâvîyth · cornerH2106
- polishedחָטַבchâţab · to chopH2404
- the similitudeתַּבְנִיתtabnîyth · patternH8403
- of a palaceהֵיכָלhêykâl · temple: palaceH1964
Cross-references for Psalms 144:12
- Psalms 115:14May the Lord continue to bless you and your children.
- Psalms 127:4The children born to a man when he is young are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
- Psalms 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine inside your home. Your children will be like young olive trees around your table.
- Isaiah 44:3I will pour water on thirsty ground and rain on dry land. I will pour my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants.
- Lamentations 4:2“Zion’s precious children, who are worth their weight in fine gold, are now treated like clay pots, like those made by a potter’s hands.
- Job 42:15Nowhere in the whole country could be found women who were as beautiful as Job’s daughters. Their father gave them and their brothers an inheritance.
- Proverbs 31:10“Who can find a wife with a strong character? She is worth far more than jewels.
- Isaiah 3:16The Lord adds, “The women of Zion are arrogant. They walk with their noses in the air, making seductive glances, taking short little steps, jingling the ankle bracelets on their feet.”
- 1 Peter 3:3Wives must not let their beauty be something external. Beauty doesn’t come from hairstyles, gold jewelry, or clothes.
Commentaries on Psalms 144:12
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth - That our sons - not called forth to the hardships of the tent and the field, the perils and the exposures of war - may grow up under the culture of home, of the family, in quiet scenes, as plants carefully cultivated and flourishing. Compare Psalm 128:3. The Hebrew here is, “grown large in their youth;” not “grown up,” which has a paradoxical appearance. The meaning is, that they may be stout…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-15Verses 9-15 Fresh favours call for fresh returns of thanks; we must praise God for the mercies we hope for by his promise, as well as those we have received by his providence. To be saved from the hurtful sword, or from wasting sickness, without deliverance from the dominion of sin and the wrath to come, is but a small advantage. The public prosperity David desired for his people, is stated. It adds much to the comfort and happiness of parents in this…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The psalmist compares sons and daughters to plants and pillars, which are images of strength and beauty.Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 12For our sons are, etc. That is to say that now too this generation is righteous.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 144:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 144
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries