Psalms 127:5

Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them,.... That is, his house full of them; called a quiver, referring to arrows before mentioned, this being the case in which they are put up: to have

Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

That hath his quiver full of them; who hath a numerous issue; which as it is a great blessing in itself, so Solomon’ s want of it made it more valuable in his eyes. They shall not be ashamed; such parents fear not the reproach of barrenness, which was grievous, especially among the Jews; of which see ; nor any other shame from their enemies. They shall speak with the enemies in the gate; they shall courageously plead their cause in courts of judicature, which were in the gates, 25:7, not fearing to be crushed by the might of their adversaries, as weak and helpless persons frequently are.

Psalms 127:5 Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.Ver. 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver] That is, his house, full of them, so they be good children; for else to be childless is a mercy, it is ευτυχηςατυχια, a blessed misery, saith Euripides; and Aristotle concludeth that πολυγονια is no blessing, unless it be ευγενεια, that is, to have a numerous issue, unless they be virtuous. They shall not be ashamed] Neither father nor children, se enim illi mutuo muniunt ac firmant, they help each other. But they shall speak with the enemies] Periment, saith Tremellius, they shall foil them, and nonsuit them.

(5) They.—Not the sons. There is here one of the sudden changes of number in which Hebrew poetry abounds. (See especially Psalms 107:43.) Parents who have large families of sons are evidently intended. From the figure of the warrior and the arrows we should expect here, too, a martial image. They shall not be discomfited, but they shall challenge their enemies in the gates. In illustration may be quoted: “Therefore men pray to have around their hearth, Obedient offspring, to requite their foes With harm, and honour whom their father loves; But he whose issue is unprofitable, Begets what else but sorrow to himself, And store of laughter to his enemies?” SOPH.: Antig., 641 On the other hand, it is the habit of Hebrew poetry to accumulate metaphors, and the gate is so commonly spoken of as the place of public resort, where legal cases were decided (Isaiah 29:21; Amos 5:12, &c), that it is quite as likely that the allusion here is to the support which a man’s just cause would receive when evidently backed up by a long retinue of stalwart sons. This view certainly receives support from Job 5:4, where we have the very opposite picture of a tyrant’s sons, not only unable to support their father, but themselves “crushed in the gate;” and the phrase “speak with their enemies” in this same verse may be illustrated from Joshua 20:4; Jeremiah 12:1.

Verse 5. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them] This is generally supposed to mean his house full of children, as his quiver if full of arrows; but I submit whether it be not more congenial to the metaphors in the text to consider it as applying to the wife: "Happy is the man who has a breeding or fruitful wife;" this is the gravida sagittis pharetra "the quiver pregnant with arrows." But it may be thought the metaphor is not natural. I think otherwise: and I know it to be in the Jewish style, and the style of the times of the captivity, when this Psalm was written, and we find the pudendum muliebre, or human matrix, thus denominated, Ecclus 26:12: Κατεναντιπαντοςπασσαλουκαθησεται, καιεναντιβελουςανοιξειφαρετραν. The reader may consult the place in the Apocrypha, where he will find the verse well enough translated. With the enemies in the gate.] "When he shall contend with his adversaries in the gate of the house of judgment."-Targum. The reference is either to courts of justice, which were held at the gates of cities, or to robbers who endeavour to force their way into a house to spoil the inhabitants of their goods. In the first case a man falsely accused, who has a numerous family, has as many witnesses in his behalf as he has children. And in the second case he is not afraid of marauders, because his house is well defended by his active and vigorous sons. It is, I believe, to this last that the psalmist refers. This Psalm may be entitled, "The Soliloquy of the happy Householder: - The poor man with a large loving family, and in annual expectation of an increase, because his wife, under the Divine blessing, is fruitful." All are blessed of the Lord, and his hand is invariably upon them for good. ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-SEVENTH PSALM The Jews were at this time very busy in rebuilding their temple, and the houses and walls of their city; and the prophet teaches them that without the assistance of God, nothing will be blessed or preserved, and that their children are his especial blessing also. This the prophet shows by these words repeated, nisi, nisi, frustra, frustra, and proves it by an induction. I. In civil affairs, whether in house or city. 1. "Except the Lord build the house," c. God must be the chief builder in the family his blessing and help must be prayed for, for the nourishment of wife, children, servants, cattle, &c. 2. "Except the Lord keep the city," &c. And so it is in kingdoms and commonwealths. The Jews had now a trowel in one hand, and a sword in the other, for fear of their enemies: but the prophet tells them that the Lord must be their protector and keeper, else their watch, magistrates, judges, &c., would be of little value. And this he illustrates by an elegant hypothesis of an industrious man who strives to be rich, but looks not to God. 1.

5. his quiver] The figure of the preceding verse is continued. they] i.e. the fathers of such numerous families. but they shall speak &c.] Rather, when they speak with enemies in the gate. The open space by the city gate was the place where justice was administered and the citizens met for business or social intercourse (Deuteronomy 21:19; Psalms 69:12). ‘Speak’ may be used in the technical sense of ‘pleading a cause’ (Joshua 20:4), or in a general sense; and the meaning will be that a man with a stalwart family to support him runs no risk of being wronged by powerful enemies through the maladministration of justice, as was too commonly the case (Job 5:4, and the prophets passim): or that in ordinary business and intercourse he will meet with respect as a man of influence and consideration. This explanation is preferable to that which supposes the reference to be to war. In that case ‘speak’ must denote the ‘parley’ which might take place before the assault on a town. When the enemy demands the surrender of the town, it may boldly defy its assailants if it is well manned by a numerous population. Professor Bevan suggests that the allusion may be to ‘boasting-matches’ like the Mufâchara of the Arabs. Before a battle the champion of the tribe would step in front of the ranks, and proclaim to the enemy the nobility and prowess of his tribe. Even in times of peace it was a common occurrence in Arab society for poets to engage in such rivalries, and sometimes they led to fierce and bloody tribal feuds. In such contests the strength of a family would naturally form an important element. See Goldziher, Muhammedanische Studien, 1. 54 ff.

Happy is the man - Hebrew, The happiness of the man. See the notes at Psalms 1:1.

5. Quiver full of them—The figure is elliptical. The idea is, that of protection, vindication. As the warrior is safe—able to defend himself— with his quiver full of arrows, so the parent with numerous children.