Psalm 128 A Song of Ascents.
1 Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in His ways. 2 When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. 5 Yahweh bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life. 6 Yes, may you see your children’s children.
Song of degrees— "Psalm 128 follows Psalm 127 for the same reason as Psalm 2 follows Psalm 1. In both instances they are Psalms placed together, of which one begins with ashrê (happy, very happy), and the other ends with ashrê. In other respects Psalm 128 and Psalm 127 supplement one another. They are related to one another much as the New Testament parables of the treasure in the field and the one pearl are related. That which makes man happy is represented in Psalm 127 as a gift coming as a blessing, and in Psalm 128 as a reward coming as a blessing, that which is briefly indicated in the word ùÒÈëÈø, sakar, reward, in Psalm 127:3 being here expanded and unfolded.” (Delitzsch)
“The prosperity of the city (Psalm 127) would extend to every family in the nation (Psalm 128) ultimately. Seeing one’s grandchildren also expresses God’s continued blessing for many years to come. ‘From bride and groom to grandparents in just six verses! How time flies! Three generations are represented in the Psalm , and all of them walking with the Lord.’ This psalm beautifully tied family and nation together in the thinking of the pilgrim Israelite who traveled with his family to Jerusalem for a national feast. It is a reminder of the importance of God’s blessing on both home and nation that are mutually dependent. Families and nations can only succeed with God's blessing.” [Dr. Thomas B Constable]
“‘Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh,’ be he who he will; of whatsoever nation, Jew or Gentile; of whatsoever sex, age, or condition, high or low, rich or poor, Acts 10:35; such an one is blessed now, and will be hereafter.” (John Gill)— “while thou livest, better when thou diest, and best of all in eternity.” (Mathew Henry) ‘who walks in His ways,’ (1) which God has prescribed and directed His people to walk in, his ordinances and commands, Psalm 119:63.” (John Gill) “Those alone are entitled to the promised 'blessedness' who, by obedience, evidence the reality of their faith and reverential fear toward God.” (Jamieson, Faussett, Brown) “This [blessedness] stands in splendid contrast to the terrible threat which Moses addressed to the Israelites of old, should they break God’s law (Exodus 25:35; Deuteronomy 18:40).” (W. M. Roger) Also: “You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:3-6)
“’When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, your children [shall be] like olive plants all around your table.’ The olive is the symbol of enduring prosperity and joy. The young plants will presently be bedded out to become trees of mature growth.” (F. B. Meyers) This symbolizes “everlasting peace and rest that remain for the Israel of God.” (Matthew Henry)— not marriage and earthly children necessarily, but rather spiritual children. “The imagery of vine and olive tree are reminiscent of the eras of David and Solomon (1 Kings 4:25) and the blessings associated with the messianic era (Mic 4:4; Zech 3:10)...
To sit under one's vine and fig tree was an expression of a state of tranquility, peace, and prosperity. Even when the country faces adversity, the man who fears the LORD is insulated against adversity by wife and children as the blessings of the LORD are found under the roof of his house. The metaphor of the fruitfulness of the vine extends, not only to the bearing of children, but also to everything the wife contributes to the welfare of family (cf. Prov 31:10-31). The children, who are likened to olive shoots, are strong and in due time will continue the work that their father has begun (cf. 52:8; Jer 11:16; Hos 14:6). Though the olive tree may not bear after it has been planted for forty years, it is a symbol of longevity and productivity. So are children within the household of faith! They are not like grass, which is here today but is gone tomorrow. Rather, they are olive trees that in due time bear their fruit. The blessedness of the godly man will extend to other generations. What a privilege God bestows on his children in this life that we may already taste the firstfruits of our heritage!" (Expositor's Bible Commentary)
“As if he had said, ‘Look upon this picture. See the farmer cultivating his fields; see him gathering in the grain; see him at his own table calmly, quietly, and gratefully enjoying the fruit of his toil. Look upon that picture of a happy family - numerous, cheerful, beloved - giving promise of upholding the name of the family in future years - and see all this as coming from the Lord - and you have an illustration of the blessedness which follows a religious life.’” (Albert Barnes)
“’Yahweh bless you out of Zion’ The Hebrew knows no blessing apart from the Church, the covenant, and worship of God. The blessing must come from Zion, if it comes from God. ‘And may you see the good of Jerusalem,’ Next to his Church ranks his country, his nation…” (Daniel Whedon)— All the days of your life-.... even those of the hereafter. "No higher blessing could be promised to a pious man than that he should see religion always prospering; that the last view which he would have of this world should be the rapid advances of religion.” (Albert Barnes)
“The promissory future in Psalms 128:5 is followed by imperatives which call upon the God-fearing man at once to do that which, in accordance with the promises, stands before him as certain.” (Keil & Delitzsch) “These fine things which are said of the covenant might be regarded as a dream, had not providence multiplied the Jews in Egypt, and prospered them under David and Solomon beyond what language can paint. We must add, that all those blessings belong to the christian church; the Hebrew and the Christian covenant being in substance the same.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
“’Yes, may you see your children’s children.' This is a continuation of the idea of blessedness as connected with a numerous posterity- an object of so much interest to the Hebrews, and having its foundation in our nature…” (Albert Barnes) “’Peace be upon Israel!—that is, God is invoked to grant the blessing of peace to His Church and to all its members, according to the promise of His Word, the blessings of this peace then resting also on the homes.” (Paul E. Kretzmann)