Commonplace –
“The Lord is righteous; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked” (Psalm 129:4).
In this psalm, the writer is recalling times when their enemies have troubled them, yet the enemy did not prevail. The psalmist compares the wicked to a farmer, who plows the fields and sows his wickedness. Then, the psalmist asks that the plants of the wicked farmer wither, so they do not produce a crop. The psalmist prays that any who pass the wicked do not ask a blessing upon them.
The theme of this psalm is justice. The writer recalls when God has punished the wicked in the past and prays that justice will be served on the wicked who are against him in the present. Again, there is the remembering the past and the reminding of God’s preservation of the good and punishment of the wicked, which serves to encourage the afflicted in the present.
In reference to the last verse,
“Neither do they which go by say,
The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we bless you in the name of the Lord” (Psalm 129:8).
In reference to verse 8, Matthew Henry notes,
“It is a dangerous thing to let the church’s enemies have our good wishes in their designs against the church” (605).
He cites 2 John 1:10-11
“If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into your house, neither bid him God speed
For he that biddeth God speed is a partaker of evil deeds” (2 Jon 10-11)”.
It is fair warning that to even wish God speed upon an evil doer is considered an act of evil.
Works Cited
Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 129.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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