Psalm 128 3

Psalm 128:3 kjv

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

Psalm 128:3 nkjv

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants All around your table.

Psalm 128:3 niv

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Psalm 128:3 esv

Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Psalm 128:3 nlt

Your wife will be like a fruitful grapevine,
flourishing within your home.
Your children will be like vigorous young olive trees
as they sit around your table.

Psalm 128 verses

Psalm 128 3 Meaning

Psalm 128:3 beautifully illustrates the tangible blessings that God bestows upon those who fear Him and walk in His ways. It depicts a thriving household where the wife is productive and brings forth life, likened to a fertile vine providing sustenance and future generations. The children are depicted as vigorous and plentiful, surrounding the father at the family table, symbolizing life, unity, and continued family legacy within the security of the home. This verse paints a picture of a flourishing domestic life, a primary aspect of God's covenant blessing in ancient Israel.

Psalm 128 3 Context

Psalm 128 is one of the "Songs of Ascents" (Psalms 120-134), traditionally sung by pilgrims making their way to Jerusalem for the major feasts. This collection emphasizes reliance on God, restoration, and blessings. Psalm 128 specifically stands out as a wisdom psalm, directly connecting the "fear of the LORD" with concrete, earthly blessings, particularly centered around the family and home. It immediately follows Psalm 127, which asserts that "unless the LORD builds the house... unless the LORD watches over the city...," underscoring that human effort alone is futile without divine blessing. Psalm 128 then illustrates what that divine blessing looks like for the person who indeed fears the Lord—prosperity within their personal sphere. The context is of a stable, thriving household as a visible sign of God's favor in an agricultural, patriarchal society, where a large, productive family was a significant source of security, honor, and labor.

Psalm 128 3 Word analysis

• Your wife (אֶשְׁתְּךָ - `'ishtəka`): Refers to the husband's wife. In ancient Israelite society, the wife was the core of the household's nurturing and generational life. This highlights the marital union as foundational to the family's blessing.
• will be like: A simile, comparing the wife to a natural, fruitful entity, emphasizing the generative and sustaining aspects of her role.
• a fruitful vine (גֶּפֶן פּוֹרִיָּה - `gefen poriyyah`): "Vine" (`gefen`) typically refers to the grape vine, a symbol of fertility, abundance, prosperity, and joy in biblical imagery (e.g., Deut 8:8; Song 7:8; Hos 10:1). "Fruitful" (`poriyyah`) emphasizes its productivity, yielding fruit that brings forth wine, a staple and celebratory drink. This metaphor portrays the wife as bringing forth abundant life (children) and blessing (nourishment, joy) to the home.
• within your house (בְּיַרְכְּתֵי בֵיתֶךָ - `bəyarkəte veitekha`): "Within" (`bəyarkəte`) specifically means "in the innermost parts," "sides," or "chambers." It implies her place of influence and activity is deeply central to the home, managing and nurturing its private affairs, from which her fruitfulness extends outwards. This signifies the security and privacy of the domestic sphere.
• your children (בָּנֶיךָ - `banekha`): Refers primarily to sons, but inclusively to all offspring. Children were highly valued as a heritage and a sign of God's blessing, ensuring the continuity of the family line and prosperity.
• will be like: Another simile, comparing children to young, growing plants.
• olive shoots (שְׁתִילֵי זֵיתִים - `shtilei zeitaim`): "Shoots" or "saplings" (`shtilei`) suggests young, vigorous, thriving plants. "Olives" (`zeitim`) represent the olive tree, which symbolizes strength, endurance, prosperity, beauty, and often, anointing/blessing (e.g., Ps 52:8; Jer 11:16). Olive trees are long-lived and produce oil, a vital resource for light, food, and anointing. The image of "shoots" around a mature tree indicates healthy new growth from the parent plant, signifying robust, flourishing children who are firmly rooted in the family and grow to continue its legacy.
• around your table (סָבִיב לְשֻׁלְחָנֶךָ - `saviv ləshulchanekha`): The "table" is the center of family life, where meals are shared, symbolizing communion, provision, and unity. Children surrounding the table implies a full and active household, their presence a joyful sign of the family's health and the father's blessing. It speaks of security, togetherness, and nourishment—both physical and relational.

• "fruitful vine within your house": This phrase paints a picture of interior flourishing. The wife's productivity is not externalized but centers on the creation and nurturing of life within the sacred space of the home. It highlights the profound blessing of fertility and nurture that emanates from the woman in her dedicated domestic sphere, making the home a vibrant place of life.
• "olive shoots around your table": This phrase combines the imagery of new life and the focal point of family gathering. The children are not just present but are a vibrant, active presence surrounding the family's heart (the table). This signifies unity, ongoing vitality, and the tangible manifestation of God's blessing multiplying and enriching the family unit. The enduring nature of the olive tree implies the longevity and continuity of the family through its robust offspring.

Psalm 128 3 Bonus section

The "fear of the LORD" as mentioned in Psalm 128:1 is not a terror-filled dread, but a reverential awe and humble obedience that manifests in walking in God's ways. This posture of heart is presented as the prerequisite for the abundant blessings detailed in verse 3. The psalm presents a divine economy: faithful living leads to familial flourishing. This verse also implicitly critiques any worldview that undervalues family, children, or the role of a stable home environment. In an agricultural society, a full table and many children also implied future labor, support in old age, and societal standing, integrating practical wisdom with spiritual blessing. The "vine" and "olive tree" imagery links the family's vitality directly to the land and God's creation, suggesting a harmony between the blessed family and a blessed environment.

Psalm 128 3 Commentary

Psalm 128:3 illustrates the rich domestic blessings God grants to those who live in faithful obedience. The imagery of the "fruitful vine" speaks to the wife's pivotal role in procreation and nourishment, signifying a flourishing internal life of the household. Just as a vine provides sustenance and ensures future harvests, so too does a blessed wife contribute life, joy, and the continuity of the family line within the protective boundaries of the home. The "olive shoots around your table" powerfully symbolizes numerous, robust children who are actively part of the family's communal life. The olive tree, known for its longevity and sustained productivity, reflects the endurance and vitality of these offspring, who gather around the central point of the family's shared life—the table. This verse, therefore, portrays a vibrant, unified, and self-sustaining family unit, experiencing the fullness of God's tangible blessings through healthy relationships, progeny, and shared fellowship, all flowing from the father's devotion to the Lord. It underscores that true prosperity, from a biblical perspective, extends beyond mere material wealth to encompass a thriving household and generational continuity.