Read & explore together
The Cords of the Wicked
Psalm 129 is a song in which Israel speaks about repeated affliction, strong pain, and Yahweh’s righteous action. The poem moves from remembering long trouble to asking that those who hate Zion would come to nothing.
Understanding the passage
Read these words in context
In this passage, Israel is invited to speak about suffering that has happened many times "from my youth up". The song uses pictures from farming, cords, grass, reaping, and blessing to describe both deep affliction and the failure of those who oppose Zion. It stays in the language of prayer and poetry.
Psalms 129:1–8Main takeaway
This psalm teaches that Israel has suffered repeatedly, yet the wicked have not finally prevailed because Yahweh is righteous.
Explore the poem and its images
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Israel names repeated afflictionThe song begins by calling Israel to speak: "Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up."
Explanation
The song begins by calling Israel to speak: "Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up." The line is repeated, which gives weight to the long history of trouble. Yet the repeated suffering does not end in defeat, because Israel also says, "they have not prevailed against me."
02A painful farming pictureVerse 3 uses a strong image: "The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long."
Explanation
Verse 3 uses a strong image: "The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long." As poetry, this compares affliction to deep, extended cuts made by a plough. The psalm does not turn this into a story scene here. It uses vivid language to express severe oppression.
03Yahweh cuts the cordsThe turning point comes with Yahweh’s character: "Yahweh is righteous." Because he is righteous, "He has cut apart the cords of the wicked."
Explanation
The turning point comes with Yahweh’s character: "Yahweh is righteous." Because he is righteous, "He has cut apart the cords of the wicked." The image suggests the wicked are stopped and their power is broken. The psalm’s confidence rests in who Yahweh is, not in Israel’s own strength.
04Enemies compared to rooftop grassThe closing prayer asks that those who hate Zion be turned back and become like rooftop grass that withers before growing tall.
Explanation
The closing prayer asks that those who hate Zion be turned back and become like rooftop grass that withers before growing tall. Unlike a fruitful field, it gives nothing to reapers or binders, and passers-by do not speak a blessing over it. The picture is of failure, not flourishing.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What repeated line at the start helps you hear how long the affliction has lasted?
Look at the words repeated in verses 1 and 2, and then notice the different ending in verse 2.
02How does the image of ploughing on the back help describe the suffering in this psalm?
Use the farming picture in verse 3 to explain the pain and length of the affliction.
03What future does the psalm ask for those who hate Zion, and which picture makes that clear?
Notice the prayer in verse 5 and the comparison to grass, reaping, and blessing in verses 6 to 8.
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Psalms 129:1–8
1Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say:
2many times they have afflicted me from my youth up, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long.
4Yahweh is righteous. He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.
5Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.
6Let them be as the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
7with which the reaper doesn’t fill his hand, nor he who binds sheaves, his bosom.
8Neither do those who go by say, “The blessing of Yahweh be on you. We bless you in Yahweh’s name.”