Psalm 126:1 kjv
When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
Psalm 126:1 nkjv
A Song of Ascents. When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
Psalm 126:1 niv
A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
Psalm 126:1 esv
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Psalm 126:1 nlt
When the LORD brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,
it was like a dream!
Psalm 126 1 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 29:10-14 | "For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed...I will restore your fortunes..." | God's promise to restore Israel from exile |
| Ezr 1:1-3 | "Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia...the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus..." | Historical fulfillment: Cyrus's decree for the exiles to return and rebuild |
| Neh 1:8-9 | "If you return to me...even if your outcasts are in the farthest parts...I will gather them..." | Echoes God's promise to gather His scattered people after repentance |
| Deut 30:3-5 | "...then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes...and gather you from all the peoples..." | Prophetic promise of future return and restoration for disobedience |
| Isa 52:8-9 | "The Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord has bared his holy arm..." | Describes God's visible work of redemption and the resulting joy |
| Ezek 36:24-28 | "I will take you from the nations and gather you...I will give you a new heart..." | Spiritual and physical restoration after exile, covenant renewal |
| Psa 53:6 | "Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people" | A prayer for the Lord to bring complete restoration, parallel to Psa 126 |
| Job 42:10 | "And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job..." | Individual example of "restoring fortunes," emphasizing divine intervention |
| Isa 29:7-8 | "...it will be like a dream, a vision of the night...it is as when a hungry man dreams..." | A negative parallel: unfulfilled dreams, emphasizing the real nature of Ps 126's joy |
| Gen 45:26-27 | "...Jacob's heart became numb, for he did not believe them...when he saw the wagons..." | Jacob's initial disbelief at news too good to be true, akin to dreaming |
| Acts 12:9 | "...he went out and followed, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real..." | Peter's release from prison felt like a dream, a parallel to unexpected joy |
| Luke 24:40-41 | "He showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy..." | The disciples' disbelief at the resurrection due to overwhelming joy |
| Isa 65:17-19 | "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth...I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad..." | Prophecy of ultimate, final restoration beyond physical return |
| Rev 21:1-4 | "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth...He will wipe away every tear from their eyes..." | Ultimate, perfect, eternal restoration by God in the New Creation |
| Jer 30:18-19 | "Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob...and thank them." | God's promise for the complete restoration of Jacob/Israel |
| Zech 8:7-8 | "Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the country of the sunrise..." | God's promise to bring His people back from all directions |
| Rom 8:24-25 | "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?" | The nature of hope in what is yet unseen, yet believed—like a future "dream" fulfilled |
| Isa 66:10 | "Rejoice with Jerusalem...rejoice with her, all you who mourn over her;" | Call to share in the joy of Jerusalem's restoration |
| Lam 3:21-23 | "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases..." | The bedrock of hope that undergirds God's ability to restore |
| Psa 126:5-6 | "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping...shall come home..." | The continuation of Psalm 126, illustrating the contrast between past sorrow and future joy |
Psalm 126 verses
Psalm 126 1 Meaning
Psalm 126:1 describes the overwhelming, almost unbelievable, joy of the Israelites upon their return from the Babylonian exile. The verse vividly captures the moment when the Lord supernaturally intervened to restore their nation's state and bring back His people to Zion. Their deliverance was so sudden and profound that it felt like an unreal dream, a stark contrast to the harsh reality of their captivity.
Psalm 126 1 Context
Psalm 126 is one of the "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134), traditionally sung by Jewish pilgrims traveling up to Jerusalem for the annual feasts. This specific Psalm vividly reflects the period following the Babylonian exile (circa 586-538 BCE). After enduring generations in a foreign land, separated from their homeland and temple, a decree from Cyrus the Great (Persian king who conquered Babylon) permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. The initial return, documented in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, was an astonishing act of divine providence.
Verse 1 serves as the opening exclamation of remembrance and profound thanksgiving for this event. It recalls the Lord's mighty deed in bringing them back from what seemed an impossible and unending captivity. The "return" signifies not just a physical journey but a national restoration, where Jerusalem and Zion, central to their faith and identity, could again be inhabited and worshipped. The Psalm transitions in later verses to a prayer for a fuller restoration, indicating that even the initial return was just the beginning of God's work.
Psalm 126 1 Word Analysis
When (בְּשׁוּב – B'shuv): This prepositional prefix with the infinitive construct of the verb
שׁוּב(shuv) means "when turning," "when returning," or "when restoring." It signifies a precise point in time or event.the Lord (יהוה – YHWH, Adonai): Refers to Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God of Israel. His personal name emphasizes that this was not a chance occurrence or a political maneuver, but His direct, personal, and faithful intervention.
restored the fortunes (שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן – shivat Tzion): This phrase translates an idiom
שָׁב שְׁבוּת(shav shvut), which literally means "returned a return," or "brought back a captivity." It specifically refers to the reversal of a desolate or captive state. It implies a dramatic, supernatural change from great loss and suffering to restoration and prosperity, encompassing both the literal return of captives and the reversal of the nation's spiritual and physical fortunes.of Zion (צִיּוֹן – Tzion): Mount Zion is a hill in Jerusalem, often used poetically to refer to Jerusalem itself, the dwelling place of God, and the symbolic center of the Israelite nation and faith. Restoring "the fortunes of Zion" means restoring the entire spiritual and national well-being tied to God's presence in Jerusalem.
we were like (הָיִינוּ כְּחֹלְמִים – hayinu k'kholmim):
הָיִינוּ(hayinu) means "we were."כְּחֹלְמִים(k'kholmim) means "like dreamers" or "like those who dream." The particleכְּ(k') means "like" or "as."those who dream (חֹלְמִים – kholmim): This word emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the experience. It wasn't merely surprising or joyful, but felt unreal, too good to be true, like awakening from a deep slumber or a nightmare into an impossibly good reality. It conveys an initial disbelief due to the sheer magnitude and unexpectedness of God's deliverance.
Words-group Analysis:
- "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion": This phrase pinpoints the divine agency and the recipient of God's action. It declares God as the initiator and orchestrator of this miraculous national deliverance. It underlines His sovereignty over the nations and His faithfulness to His covenant promises, despite Israel's unfaithfulness. The historical and prophetic context reveals this restoration as a unique event, signifying a divine reversal of judgment.
- "we were like those who dream": This conveys the profound psychological and emotional impact of the restoration. It was a joy that bordered on disorientation, a realization so wondrous that it defied ordinary experience. This sensation speaks to the severity of the past suffering (the "nightmare" of exile) and the unexpected nature of the return. It emphasizes the contrast between despair and unparalleled joy, indicating God's intervention transcended human expectation or planning.
Psalm 126 1 Bonus Section
The idiom שוב שבות (shuv shvut), translated as "restored the fortunes," is unique in its grammatical construction, featuring a verb (shuv, to return/restore) and a noun derived from the same root (shvut, a state of captivity/return). This idiomatic repetition serves to intensify the meaning, highlighting a complete reversal, an emphatic turning point from sorrow to joy. It is not merely "return" but a full restoration from a dire state.
Psalm 126 stands as a mini-drama, opening with a triumphant backward glance at God's amazing work (vv. 1-3) and then shifting to a forward-looking prayer for present and future need (vv. 4-6). Verse 1 anchors this journey of faith, grounding all future hopes in the demonstrable reality of God's past intervention, serving as a powerful reminder of His faithfulness to deliver His people even from seemingly insurmountable situations.
Psalm 126 1 Commentary
Psalm 126:1 bursts forth as a declaration of pure, incredulous joy. It articulates the overwhelming astonishment felt by the exiles returning from Babylon. Their long years of suffering, tears, and longing made the decree of release and their subsequent return feel entirely surreal. This verse does not merely state they were happy; it conveys a deep sense of disorientation that only profound, divinely-wrought change can produce. It was a waking dream, where the boundary between reality and impossibility dissolved in the face of God's magnificent work.
The emphasis is squarely on God's action ("the Lord restored"). Human effort played no significant part in initiating or executing this liberation; it was an act of sovereign grace. The "restoration of fortunes" signifies not only the physical return of people but also the renewal of national identity, dignity, and their covenant relationship with God centered in Zion. This initial, breathtaking experience sets the tone for the entire Psalm, laying the foundation for remembering God's faithfulness and inspiring hope for future complete restorations. It reminds believers that God's answers to prayer and His fulfillment of promises can be far more glorious and unexpected than anything we can imagine, sometimes feeling too good to be true.