Psalm 126:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

NIV: Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

NASB: Then our mouth was filled with laughter And our tongue with joyful shouting; Then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.'

CSB: Our mouths were filled with laughter then, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

NLT: We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, 'What amazing things the Lord has done for them.'

KJV: Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.

NKJV: Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

The God-honoring Israelite people living in captivity in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21) longed to return to their homeland. Being cut off from their Promised Land was painful (Psalm 137:1–3). After seventy years, just as promised (Jeremiah 29:10), the Lord allowed them to return (Ezra 2:1). This resulted in celebration (Psalm 126:1) to see the Lord's guarantee fulfilled (Jeremiah 29:14). The people were excited to see their nation rebuilt and their culture restored (Jeremiah 31:1–3, 13).

Upon their return home, sadness vanished as the returnees laughed and shouted for joy (Psalm 126:2). Even Gentile nations were astonished at what the Lord had done for His people by bringing them home. They admitted, "The Lord has done great things for them." In the Old Testament, references to "the nations" typically use the word goyim', meaning Gentiles: those outside of Israel. The Jewish people's survival and return to their land surprised the pagan world; it sometimes made them angry (Nehemiah 4:1–4). Part of the psalmist's joy is knowing that the Lord's greatness is being seen everywhere.

Psalm 126:1–3 expresses joy beyond belief over news which seemed too good to accept. Hearing that the people of Israel could return from exile (2 Chronicles 36:17–21; Ezra 2:1) was a dream come true. This unlikely restoration showed the nations outside of Israel how the Lord was working for their good.

Learning that they could return to the Promised Land (2 Chronicles 36:17–21) would have been incredible news for Israel. It seemed too good to be true. Yet God's work was being seen by the entire world. The psalmist prays for the Lord to continue restoring the people. This would have included those who chose to remain in Babylon.

This is a "song of ascent," sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for one of three annual festivals (Deuteronomy 16:16). Psalm 126 seems inspired by Israel's return from exile in Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17–21; Ezra 2:1). A few scholars suggest a connection to the thwarted siege of Jerusalem during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:32–36). The psalmist celebrates what God has done. Yet he also prays to bring all the people of Israel back to the Promised Land.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.