Those Who Sow in Tears
Psalm 126 summary: what it means
Psalm 126 looks back and then looks forward. It begins with a memory: when the LORD brought back those who returned to Zion, it was like a dream. Mouths filled with laughter and tongues with singing, and even the nations noticed and said the LORD had done great things for them. In verse 3 the people say the same words about themselves, and add, we are glad.
Verse 4 turns the memory into a request: restore our fortunes again, like the streams in the Negev. The ending does not promise a quick change. It uses a farming picture: those who sow in tears will reap in joy. The one who goes out weeping with seed will come back carrying sheaves. Tears and joy are joined by a season of growth.
Psalm 126: Those Who Sow in Tears
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-126
Psalm 126 commentary: explained verse by verse
When the LORD brought back those who returned to Zion,we were like those who dream.
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
The psalm begins with a memory of the return to Zion. Those who lived through it say, we were like those who dream.
Also read Psalm 122:1, Luke 24:11, Psalm 121:1, Hosea 6:11
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,and our tongue with singing.Then they said among the nations,“The LORD has done great things for them.”
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.
Joy spills out as laughter and singing. The nations saw it too and said that the LORD had done great things for them.
Also read Job 8:21, Jeremiah 31:12-13, Joshua 9:9-10, Psalm 51:14
The LORD has done great things for us,and we are glad.
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
The people take the words of the nations and say them about themselves: the LORD has done great things for us. They add a simple response, and we are glad.
Also read Psalm 18:50, Revelation 19:1-7, Isaiah 52:9-10, Isaiah 66:14
Restore our fortunes again, LORD,like the streams in the Negev.
Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
The psalm turns from memory to prayer. The God who restored before is asked to do it again, and the request is pictured as streams flowing in the Negev.
Also read Psalm 85:4, Isaiah 43:19, Isaiah 41:18, Psalm 126:1
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Sowing in tears is not the end of the story, because the same people will reap in joy. The work is done in sorrow and the harvest is gathered in gladness. The KJV reads: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Also read Jeremiah 31:9-13, John 16:20-22, Joel 2:17, Joel 2:23
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing,will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
The picture of verse 5 is filled out. Someone goes out weeping, carrying seed, and will certainly come back with joy, carrying sheaves. The tears come first and the harvest follows, and the psalm says the return is certain.
Also read Acts 16:29-34, Psalm 30:5, Revelation 7:15-17, Isaiah 61:3
A prayer from Psalm 126
LORD, you have done great things for us, and we are glad. When you brought back those who returned to Zion, they were like people who dream. Their mouths were filled with laughter and their tongues with singing. Restore our fortunes again, LORD, like the streams in the Negev. Some of us are sowing in tears now. Some go out weeping, carrying seed. Let those who sow in tears reap in joy. Let those who go out weeping come home again with joy, carrying their sheaves. Amen.
Psalm 126 Bible study questions
- In verses 1 to 3, how do the people describe what it was like when the LORD brought them back, and what did the nations say?
- In verse 4, the people ask for restoration again. What picture do they use for it?
- The psalm remembers past joy and then asks for help in the present. How does remembering what has already happened affect the way you pray now?
- Verses 5 and 6 picture someone sowing while weeping. What might it mean to keep sowing when you are sad?
- Psalm 30:5 says weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning. How does that line compare with the sowing and reaping of Psalm 126:5?
Questions about Psalm 126
What does Psalm 126 mean?
It remembers a time when the LORD restored Zion and the people were filled with laughter, then asks him to restore them again. It ends with the promise that those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
Who wrote Psalm 126?
The psalm does not name its author. The heading calls it a Song of Ascents.
What does Psalm 126:5-6 mean?
It uses sowing and harvest to describe sorrow followed by joy. Those who plant in tears will gather in gladness, and the one who goes out weeping with seed will come back rejoicing with sheaves.
What does Psalm 126:6 say in the KJV?
"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."
What does Psalm 126:1 mean?
It remembers the time the LORD brought people back to Zion and says, we were like those who dream.
What is a Song of Ascents?
It is the heading given to fifteen psalms, 120 to 134. The psalms themselves do not explain the title.
Psalm 126 KJV: the King James Version
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.1
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.2
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.3
Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.4
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.5
He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.6
Psalm 126 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת בְּשׁ֣וּב יְ֭הוָה אֶת־שִׁיבַ֣ת צִיּ֑וֹן הָ֝יִ֗ינוּ כְּחֹלְמִֽים׃
2 אָ֤ז יִמָּלֵ֪א שְׂח֡וֹק פִּינוּ֮ וּלְשׁוֹנֵ֪נוּ רִ֫נָּ֥ה אָ֭ז יֹאמְר֣וּ בַגּוֹיִ֑ם הִגְדִּ֥יל יְ֝הוָ֗ה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִם־אֵֽלֶּה׃
3 הִגְדִּ֣יל יְ֭הוָה לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת עִמָּ֗נוּ הָיִ֥ינוּ שְׂמֵחִֽים׃
4 שׁוּבָ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־שבותנו כַּאֲפִיקִ֥ים בַּנֶּֽגֶב׃
5 הַזֹּרְעִ֥ים בְּדִמְעָ֗ה בְּרִנָּ֥ה יִקְצֹֽרוּ׃
6 הָ֘ל֤וֹךְ יֵלֵ֨ךְ ׀ וּבָכֹה֮ נֹשֵׂ֪א מֶֽשֶׁךְ־הַ֫זָּ֥רַע בֹּֽ֬א־יָב֥וֹא בְרִנָּ֑ה נֹ֝שֵׂ֗א אֲלֻמֹּתָֽיו׃
Psalm 126 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 125 there.
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1 When the lord brought back the captivity of Sion, we became like men comforted.
2 Then was our mouth filled with gladness; and our tongue with joy. Then shall they say among the Gentiles: The Lord hath done great things for them.
3 The Lord hath done great things for us: we are become joyful.
4 Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as a stream in the south.
5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6 Going they went and wept, casting their seeds.
7 But coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 126 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 125.
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1 Canticum graduum. In convertendo Dominus captivitatem Sion, facti sumus sicut consolati.
2 Tunc repletum est gaudio os nostrum, et lingua nostra exsultatione. Tunc dicent inter gentes: Magnificavit Dominus facere cum eis.
3 Magnificavit Dominus facere nobiscum; facti sumus lætantes.
4 Converte, Domine, captivitatem nostram, sicut torrens in austro.
5 Qui seminant in lacrimis, in exsultatione metent.
6 Euntes ibant et flebant, mittentes semina sua. Venientes autem venient cum exsultatione, portantes manipulos suos.
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Psalm 126 at a glance
| Verses | 6 |
| Heading in the text | A Song of Ascents. |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. The heading calls it a Song of Ascents, one of fifteen psalms with that heading, Psalms 120 to 134. |
| Type | Song of Ascents and Prayer |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 125 |
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Psalm 126 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 126 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 126 belongs
Songs of AscentsBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source