Psalm 127:2

Context

Psalm 127 bears the superscription "A Song of degrees for Solomon." It is one of the fifteen "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120–134), traditionally understood as songs sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. Verse 1 declares that if the LORD does not build the house or keep the city, human labor is in vain. Verse 2 extends this principle to the everyday labor of earning a living, placing toil from early morning until late at night under the same verdict of "vanity": "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." Verses 3–5 celebrate children as a heritage (an inherited portion) given by the LORD. Taken as a whole, the psalm teaches that the foundations of life—house, city, livelihood, and children—are all gifts from God.

Interpretation

• Providence and trust: This is the most widely held reading. On this view, what the verse calls vain is not labor itself but the anxiety and excessive toil that fail to trust God's providence. Commentators in the Reformation tradition, including John Calvin, interpret the verse not as a condemnation of diligence but as a warning against labor pursued apart from God's blessing. Some commentators note that the Hebrew word rendered "sorrows" in "the bread of sorrows" shares a root with the word rendered "sorrow" in Genesis 3:17.
• Rest as a gift: This reading regards sleep as a gift from God and interprets laying aside anxiety and resting as itself an expression of trust.
• "Even while they sleep": The final clause of the Hebrew text can be read either as "he gives sleep to his beloved" or as "he gives [what they need] to his beloved while they sleep." On the latter reading, the verse means that God continues to work even while people rest.
• Connection with Solomon: The Hebrew word for "beloved" shares a root with Jedidiah, the name Nathan gave to Solomon (2 Samuel 12:25). For this reason some commentators read the term in connection with Solomon, who is named in the superscription.

Questions of Application

• Translation: The New Korean Revised Version, like the earlier Korean Revised Version, renders the clause "he gives sleep." Some modern translations reflect the "even while they sleep" sense described above.
• Relation to diligence: Proverbs warns against laziness (Proverbs 6:6-11), leading some to ask how the two teachings fit together. The usual answer is that they do not conflict: Proverbs exhorts people to work, whereas this verse warns against labor driven by anxiety.
• Relation to dawn prayer: In Korean churches the question occasionally arises whether the phrase "rise up early" stands in tension with the practice of early-morning prayer meetings. The common explanation is that the phrase refers not to prayer but to anxious labor undertaken for the sake of a livelihood.

In the Korean Church

Psalm 127:1 is frequently read on occasions connected with church construction, at dedication services, and in worship held in homes and workplaces. Verse 2 is cited in sermons dealing with anxiety, overwork, and rest. In particular, the phrase "he giveth his beloved sleep" is used as a word of comfort for those suffering from anxiety or insomnia.

Related Passages

• Psalm 121:3-8
• Matthew 6:24-34
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Genesis 3:17-19
• Proverbs 16:1-3