New Living Translation
Psalms 127:3
3Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.
Psalms 127:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
- New International Version (NIV)Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Context of Psalms 127:3
1Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. 2It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones. Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. 4Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. 5How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.
Read all of Psalms 127Psalms 127:3 word by word
הִנֵּ֤ה נַחֲלַ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה בָּנִ֑ים שָׂ֝כָ֗ר פְּרִ֣י הַבָּֽטֶן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 127:3
- Psalms 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine, flourishing within your home. Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees as they sit around your table.
- Genesis 1:28Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
- Genesis 15:4Then the Lord said to him, “No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir.”
- Genesis 24:60They gave her this blessing as she parted: “Our sister, may you become the mother of many millions! May your descendants be strong and conquer the cities of their enemies.”
- Genesis 30:1When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
- Genesis 33:5Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?” “These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied.
- Genesis 41:51Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father’s family.”
- Genesis 48:4He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful, and I will multiply your descendants. I will make you a multitude of nations. And I will give this land of Canaan to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
- Deuteronomy 28:4Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed.
- Joshua 24:3But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac.
- 1 Samuel 1:19The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea,
- 1 Samuel 2:20Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:5And from among my sons—for the Lord has given me many—he chose Solomon to succeed me on the throne of Israel and to rule over the Lord’s kingdom.
- Isaiah 8:18I and the children the Lord has given me serve as signs and warnings to Israel from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies who dwells in his Temple on Mount Zion.
Commentaries on Psalms 127:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord - That is, To many God gives children in place of temporal good. To many others he gives houses, lands, and thousands of gold and silver, and with them the womb that beareth not; and these are their inheritance. The poor man has from God a number of children, without lands or money; these are his inheritance; and God shows himself their father, feeding and supporting them by a chain of miraculous providences. Where…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord - They are an inheritance derived from the Lord. They are bestowed by him as really as success is in building a house, or in guarding a city. The idea is, that everything which we value, or which we desire, is a gift from God, and is to be received as from him, and to be acknowledged as his gift. The general idea here, as in the previous verses, is that of entire dependence on God. And the fruit of the womb is his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-5Children are one of God’s blessings. In Hebrew, the word for children (banim) sounds like the word for builders (bonim; Psalm 127:1). This wordplay shows that having children helps build a family.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-53-5. Posterity is often represented as a blessing from God (Ge 30:2, 18; 1Sa 1:19, 20). Children are represented as the defenders (arrows) of their parents in war, and in litigation.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 127:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 127
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- 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
- EGW Writings
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