Psalms 129:1
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
American King James Version (AKJV)
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
American Standard Version (ASV)
Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, Let Israel now say,
Basic English Translation (BBE)
<A Song of the going up.> Great have been my troubles from the time when I was young (let Israel now say);
Webster's Revision
A Song of degrees. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:
World English Bible
Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,
English Revised Version (ERV)
A Song of Ascents. Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, let Israel now say;
Clarke's Psalms 129:1 Bible Commentary
Many a time have they afflicted me - The Israelites had been generally in affliction or captivity from the earliest part of their history, here called their youth. So Hosea 2:15 : "She shall sing as in the days of her youth, when she came up out of the land of Egypt." See Jeremiah 2:2, and Ezekiel 16:4, etc.
Barnes's Psalms 129:1 Bible Commentary
Many a time - Margin, as in Hebrew, "much." Probably, however, the idea is, as expressed in our translation, "many a time;" "often." So it is in the Latin Vulgate and the Septuagint; and this accords better with the connection.
Have they afflicted me from my youth - Have I been afflicted; have others dealt unjustly by me. The youth here is the beginning. of the history of that people: since we began to be a people; since the nation was founded.
May Israel now say - May the nation now say. It is clear from this that the psalm was not written at an early period of their history.
Wesley's Psalms 129:1 Bible Commentary
129:1 From my youth - From the time that I was a people.
