5 Let them be disappointed and turned backward,
all those who hate Zion. 6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops,
which withers before it grows up; 7 with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand,
nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom. 8 Neither do those who go by say,
“The blessing of Yahweh be on you.
We bless you in the name of Yahweh.”
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Psalm 129:5-8
Commentary on Psalm 129:5-8
(Read Psalm 129:5-8)
While God's people shall flourish as the loaded palm-tree, or the green and fruitful olive, their enemies shall wither as the grass upon the house-tops, which in eastern countries are flat, and what grows there never ripens; so it is with the designs of God's enemies. No wise man will pray the Lord to bless these mowers or reapers. And when we remember how Jesus arose and reigns; how his people have been supported, like the burning but unconsumed bush, we shall not fear.