United Commentaries

Ps.120.1-134.3

These short, appealing songs were sung during pilgrims’ journeys to Jerusalem for the national festivals three times per year (Deut 16:16). The title of these psalms includes the Hebrew word for stairs, which some take to mean “ascending to Jerusalem.” These psalms (sometimes called the Songs of Ascents) take the reader on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to praise God for his goodness to Israel throughout history.

Ps.126.1-6

This hymn celebrates Israel’s return from exile (126:1-3). The psalmist prays for full restoration (126:4-6).

Ps.126.1-3

The Lord brought about Israel’s restoration from exile, just as he had brought Israel out of Egypt (114:1). The restoration transformed the weeping of the Lord’s people into laughter and showed the Lord’s character to the nations (9:11; 64:9; Isa 12:4).

Ps.126.4-6

The prophets had spoken of the restoration as a time when the wilderness would change into the Garden of Eden (Isa 51:3; Ezek 47); the reality fell far short of paradise. Here the restoration community prays for full redemption (see Hag 2:19).

as streams renew the desert: The seasonal rains filled the dry river beds (wadis), and the land turned green again. The prayer looks for a similar transformation of Israel’s fortunes, a fulfillment of the imagery of the “Second Exodus” in Isaiah (see “The Promise of a Second Exodus” Theme Note).

The harvest represents God’s full restoration.