Devotional Short Note on Psalm 126: One of the items that catches one’s eye, is the similar parking of two similar words in lines five (126:2a and 2c) just like David’s Psalm in 124 (124:3a; 4a and 5a). The spelling is different though. David did not say az as here but azy with an extra yod. Scholars thought it is a spelling error and tried to correct it by dropping the extra yod. Az means “then” but what is the meaning of David’s azy? A head-scratcher. So my own solution is to look at the Egyptian word ìsi = “to make haste” or “to make pass quickly”. Instead of translating David in 124:3a as “Then alive they had swallowed us up…” translate as “Making haste, alive they had swallowed us up…”

I owe it to Hengstenberg in his 1840 commentary on Psalms pointing out that Luther was following Middle Ages Rabbis Ibn Ezra and Kimchi by suggesting that in 126:1-3 we need to read the future and not the present, contra Hengstenberg who is a preterist and wishes to read the present.

“In the returning of the Lord those that returned of Zion…” Note that there is no preposition “to” before Zion in the original. The form of the noun before Zion is in the genitive so that one should use “of” in the sense of “of Zion”. “The returning ones of Zion” is also possible. What does this say? It says that the Lord is doing the returning. Secondly, the returning ones is “of Zion” and that can be Heavenly Zion as opposed to the Zion Gate in Old Jerusalem.

126:1 says that as the Lord turned “we were like unto them that dream”. Conversion is also a turning around. In the conversion by the Lord of those who are of heavenly Zion, the saved ones, we were like those who dream of the future eschaton. That is what the Rabbis and Luther is going for, not Hengstenberg though.

Luther et al pointed out that the form is future in 126:2: “Then [when we were dreaming of the eschaton] will fill [future form] laughter our mouths and our tongue a song”.

“Then they will sing [future form] among nations:

‘The Lord caused great things [hiphil form] to be done with these’” (126:2d).

“‘The Lord caused great things [hiphil form] to be done with us’” (126:3a)

“We are the rejoicing ones” (126:3b). This phrase is the same form as in 126:1c.

Saved, and seeing others getting saved, lifted up the spirits of all who witnessed it, like at a baptism event. All become dreamers of the past and the future. Past when they were baptized and promised the Lord to follow Him all the way unreservedly, future, since they have unfinished business and look forward to the completion thereof.

Waking up from this dream of future songs of joy, the current pilgrim realized the present reality and prayed to the Lord:

“Turn O Lord our captivity”. Circumstances hold fast on to us. Turn it for us. “As streams in the dry land” (126:4b). After a rain the water runs fast then this way and then that way searching for a course to run.

“The sowing ones in tears, in joy they shall gather” (126:5a). Maybe now evangelism and missionwork is difficult in Buddhist or Islam countries and other mono-religious countries like Catholic countries or Hindu countries, but this verse seems to indicate there will be a time that though the sower of our time is weeping, the harvest will be in joy after the Latter Rain. In Joel 3:1 (Hebrew) and 2:28 (English) it is said that the Spirit of the Lord shall be poured out upon “all flesh” [al kal basar]. It will be the final call. What the test is going to be, is to remain in the Lord. Resisting the Spirit of God and His workings will be to reject God and choose Satan. There may be a massive falling out until only a remnant faithful crowd remains. “And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance as the Lord said, and among the survivors whom the Lord keep calling” [qorehh = call]. The participle in the original is a form that indicates continuous action without limits and without stopping [Gesenius and Kautzsch, Hebrew Grammar § 116b on the participle]. It is not just a call of five seconds. It is a call until the divine schedule does not allow Him any longer to call. Isaiah 24:14 says about this event: “they cry out from the west concerning the majesty of the Lord” therefore “from the east, glorify the Lord” (Isaiah 24:15). Result? “From the ends of the earth we hear the songs ‘Glory to the Righteous One’” (Isaiah 24:16).

“Going He shall go and weeping that lifted up the measure of the seed” (126:6a). The Messiah shall come at the First Advent since may rejected Him during evangelism and mission still ongoing until the end.

“Coming He shall come in joy lifting up His sheaves” (126:6b). Joyful is the harvest of the Lord when He comes at the Second Coming to reap what the Spirit of God sowed.