Unless the LORD Builds the House
Psalm 127 summary: what it means
Psalm 127 is a short wisdom psalm in two halves. The first is about work. Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain, and unless he watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain. Rising early, staying up late and eating the bread of toil are also called vain, because the LORD gives sleep to his loved ones.
The second half turns to children. They are called a heritage from the LORD and his reward, and compared to arrows in the hand of a mighty man. The psalm ends by calling the man with a full quiver happy: they will not be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127: Unless the LORD Builds the House
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-127
Psalm 127 commentary: explained verse by verse
Unless the LORD builds the house,they who build it labor in vain.Unless the LORD watches over the city,the watchman guards it in vain.
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
The psalm opens with two parallel pictures: a house being built and a city being guarded. In both, human effort is real but in vain unless the LORD is the one building and watching.
Also read Psalm 124:1, Proverbs 16:9, 1 Corinthians 15:14, Psalm 72:1
It is vain for you to rise up early,to stay up late,eating the bread of toil,for he gives sleep to his loved ones.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Working from early to late, eating the bread of toil, is called vain. The contrast is that the LORD gives sleep to his loved ones, so rest is presented as something God gives.
Also read Acts 12:5-6, Ecclesiastes 4:8, Ecclesiastes 1:14, Ecclesiastes 5:12
Behold, children are a heritage of the LORD.The fruit of the womb is his reward.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Children are called a heritage of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb his reward. Like the house in verse 1, they are presented as coming from the LORD.
Also read Genesis 1:28, 1 Samuel 2:20-21, Genesis 30:1-2, Genesis 24:60
As arrows in the hand of a mighty man,so are the children of youth.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
The children of one's youth are compared to arrows in the hand of a mighty man. The next verse carries the image into a meeting with enemies in the gate.
Also read Psalm 120:4, Jeremiah 50:9, Proverbs 31:28, Proverbs 17:6
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.They won’t be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
The man whose quiver is full of such arrows is called happy. They will not be disappointed when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Also read Genesis 50:23, Proverbs 27:11, Psalm 18:47, Job 42:12-16
A prayer from Psalm 127
LORD, unless you build the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless you watch over the city, the watchman guards it for nothing. When I rise up early and stay up late, eating the bread of toil, remind me that my work is not enough without you. Build what I am building. Watch over what I cannot guard. Help me receive the sleep you give to those you love. Thank you that children are a heritage from you and a reward. Amen.
Psalm 127 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, what two workers are named, and what does the psalm say about their work without the LORD?
- In verse 2, what does the psalm call vain, and what does it say the LORD gives to his loved ones?
- Where in your own life are you most tempted to rise up early and stay up late, as verse 2 describes?
- Verses 3 to 5 call children a heritage and a reward. How might a reader with or without children take these verses?
- Psalm 4:8 speaks of lying down in peace to sleep. How does it connect with the gift of sleep in Psalm 127:2?
Questions about Psalm 127
What does Psalm 127 mean?
It says human effort is in vain unless the LORD is behind it, that he gives sleep to those he loves, and that children are a heritage and reward from him.
Who wrote Psalm 127?
The heading attributes it to Solomon. The World English Bible reads A Song of Ascents. By Solomon, and the King James Version reads A Song of degrees for Solomon.
What does Psalm 127:1 mean?
It says that building a house or guarding a city is wasted effort unless the LORD is the one building and watching. It sets the theme for the whole psalm.
What does Psalm 127:2 mean in the KJV?
The KJV reads "It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep." Working from early to late is called vain, and sleep is described as God's gift.
What do Psalm 127:3 to 5 mean?
They call children a heritage and reward from the LORD, compare them to arrows in a warrior's hand, and call the man with a full quiver happy. The KJV has "they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate".
Psalm 127 KJV: the King James Version
Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.1
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.2
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.3
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.4
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.5
Psalm 127 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 שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֗וֹת לִשְׁלֹ֫מֹ֥ה אִם־יְהוָ֤ה ׀ לֹא־יִבְנֶ֬ה בַ֗יִת שָׁ֤וְא ׀ עָמְל֣וּ בוֹנָ֣יו בּ֑וֹ אִם־יְהוָ֥ה לֹֽא־יִשְׁמָר־עִ֝֗יר שָׁ֤וְא ׀ שָׁקַ֬ד שׁוֹמֵֽר׃
2 שָׁ֤וְא לָכֶ֨ם ׀ מַשְׁכִּ֪ימֵי ק֡וּם מְאַֽחֲרֵי־שֶׁ֗בֶת אֹ֭כְלֵי לֶ֣חֶם הָעֲצָבִ֑ים כֵּ֤ן יִתֵּ֖ן לִֽידִיד֣וֹ שֵׁנָֽא׃
3 הִנֵּ֤ה נַחֲלַ֣ת יְהוָ֣ה בָּנִ֑ים שָׂ֝כָ֗ר פְּרִ֣י הַבָּֽטֶן׃
4 כְּחִצִּ֥ים בְּיַד־גִּבּ֑וֹר כֵּ֝֗ן בְּנֵ֣י הַנְּעוּרִֽים׃
5 אַשְׁרֵ֤י הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁ֤ר מִלֵּ֥א אֶת־אַשְׁפָּת֗וֹ מֵ֫הֶ֥ם לֹֽא־יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ כִּֽי־יְדַבְּר֖וּ אֶת־אוֹיְבִ֣ים בַּשָּֽׁעַר׃
Psalm 127 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 126 there.
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1 Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it.
2 It is vain for you to rise before light, rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his beloved,
3 Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb.
4 As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken.
5 Blessed is the man that hath filled the desire with them; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 126.
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1 Canticum graduum Salomonis. Nisi Dominus ædificaverit domum, in vanum laboraverunt qui ædificant eam. Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem, frustra vigilat qui custodit eam.
2 Vanum est vobis ante lucem surgere: surgite postquam sederitis, qui manducatis panem doloris. Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum,
3 ecce hæreditas Domini, filii; merces, fructus ventris.
4 Sicut sagittæ in manu potentis, ita filii excussorum.
5 Beatus vir qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis: non confundetur cum loquetur inimicis suis in porta.
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Psalm 127 at a glance
| Verses | 5 |
| Heading in the text | A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to Solomon. The World English Bible heading reads A Song of Ascents. By Solomon, and the King James heading reads A Song of degrees for Solomon. |
| Type | Wisdom and Song of Ascents |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 126 |
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Psalm 127 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 127 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 127 belongs
Songs of AscentsPsalms of SolomonBook 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