# Psalm 129 📖: Afflicted but Not Defeated [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 128]] | [[Psalm 130]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### A song of ascents. [[#Verse 01.]] “Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel say. [[#Verse 02.]] “Since my youth they have often attacked me, but they have not defeated me. [[#Verse 03.]] The plowers plowed my back; they made their furrows long. [[#Verse 04.]] The Lord is just; he cut the ropes of the wicked.” [[#Verse 05.]] May all who hate Zion be humiliated and turned back. [[#Verse 06.]] May they be like the grass on the rooftops, which withers before one can even pull it up, [[#Verse 07.]] which cannot fill the reaper’s hand, or the lap of the one who gathers the grain. [[#Verse 08.]] Those who pass by will not say, “May you experience the Lord’s blessing! We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Psalm 129 is a Song of Ascents. 2. "Let Israel say" (129:1) invites the congregation to join in, as in Psalm 124:1. 3. "Since my youth" points back to Israel's early days of slavery in Egypt (Hosea 11:1). 4. Plowers cutting long furrows on someone's back (129:3) is a vivid picture of cruel oppression or whipping. 5. The "ropes" of the wicked (129:4) may picture the cords that bound an ox to the plow or the bonds of captivity. 6. Ancient houses had flat roofs made of packed earth, and seeds that blew onto them sprouted quickly but withered in the shallow soil (129:6). 7. A reaper gathering grain held a handful of stalks in one hand and cut with the sickle in the other (129:7). 8. Passersby in Israel commonly greeted harvesters with a blessing, as Boaz and his workers did (Ruth 2:4). 9. The final verse (129:8) denies the wicked that harvest blessing. 10. The psalm moves from Israel's suffering (129:1-4) to a prayer for God's justice (129:5-8). ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the suffering Servant who gave His back to those who struck Him (Isaiah 50:6). The plowers plowed long furrows on Israel's back (129:3), and Jesus was scourged for us (John 19:1), yet He triumphed. ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. Israel says they have been attacked since their youth, but their enemies have not won (129:1-2). How has God sustained you through long seasons of opposition? 2. The Lord is righteous and cuts the ropes of the wicked (129:4). What does it mean to trust God to deal with those who oppose His people? 3. The wicked are like grass on a rooftop that withers before it grows (129:6). How does this picture help you see the true weakness of evil? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verses 1-2: They have often attacked me since my youth, but they have not defeated me. - 📖 verse 4: The Lord is just; He cut the ropes of the wicked. - 📖 verse 6: May they be like grass on the rooftops that withers before it can be pulled up. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Isaiah 50#Verse 06.|Isaiah 50:6]] - I gave My back to those who struck Me. - 🔗 [[John 19#Verse 01.|John 19:1]] - Pilate had Jesus flogged. - 🔗 [[2 Corinthians 04#Verse 08.|2 Corinthians 4:8-9]] - Struck down but not destroyed. - 🔗 [[Ruth 02#Verse 04.|Ruth 2:4]] - The Lord be with you. - 🔗 [[Matthew 16#Verse 18.|Matthew 16:18]] - The gates of Hades will not overpower the church. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 📂 Internal Notes