Psalms 129:5 — Word Study
WLCיֵ֭בֹשׁוּ וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ אָח֑וֹר כֹּ֝֗ל שֹׂנְאֵ֥י צִיּֽוֹן׃
BSAMay allkôl [every one of them, everything that] who hatesânêʼ [feel intense dislike or hostility towards, to detest] ZionTsîyôwn [the city of God, Jerusalem, the mountain of the Lord] be turnedçûwg▸ backʼâchôwr [driven back, confounded, and turned backward] in shamebûwsh▸ [disappointment, humiliation, or guilt, be ashamed]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ | may they be ashamed | Verb, Qal, imperfect third person masculine plural |
| וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ | and they may be turned back | Conjunction, verb niphal third person masculine plural |
| אָח֑וֹר | backward | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| כֹּ֝֗ל | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| שֹׂנְאֵ֥י | [those who] hate | Verb, Qal, participle (active) masculine plural common |
| צִיּֽוֹן׃ | Zion | Noun proper |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame. |
| KJV | Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. |
| ASV | Let them be put to shame and turned backward, All they that hate Zion. |
| YLT | Confounded and turn backward do all hating Zion. |
| WEB | Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion. |
| BBE | Let all the haters of Zion be shamed and turned back. |
There are no notable differences in the translations regarding the wording of this verse.
The verse consists of a single main clause with a clear subject and action.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbבּוֹשׁ
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 129:5
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Cry for Justice Against Enemiesgenerated
Psalm 129:5 expresses a plea for those who harbor hatred towards Zion to experience shame and retreat. This verse is situated within a larger psalm that reflects on the suffering of Israel and the hope for divine justice against its adversaries. The psalmist seeks a reversal of fortunes for those who oppose God's chosen city, emphasizing the righteousness of the Lord as a backdrop to this desire.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 83:4–11 | saying, “Come, let us erase them as a nation; may the name of Israel be remembered no more.” |
| 2 | Psalm 122:6 | Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper. |
| 3 | Esther 6:13 | Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall has begun, is Jewish, you will not prevail against him—for surely you will fall before him.” |
| 4 | Esther 9:5 | The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. |
| 5 | Isaiah 10:12 | So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ, Ye.vo.shugenerated
The verb בּוֹשׁ (buwsh) means 'to be ashamed' and conveys feelings of guilt or disappointment. In this context, it calls for those who hate Zion to experience shame, suggesting a strong emotional response to their actions. The parsing as an imperfect third person masculine plural indicates a collective group facing this shame.
The use of this verb highlights the emotional weight of the psalmist's desire for justice, as it is not merely a wish but a call for a significant emotional state to befall the enemies of Zion.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses be turned back in shame.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb of the verse is יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ, may they be ashamed, which governs the entire clause. It is followed by another verb וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ, and they may be turned back, which adds a further action for the subjects. The structure emphasizes the psalmist's desire for both shame and retreat.
The order of the Hebrew words places emphasis on the subjects who are to experience these actions, thus highlighting the collective nature of the enemies of Zion.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ as αἰσχυνθήτωσαν (aischunthētōsan), which carries the meaning of being put to shame. This choice aligns with the Hebrew intent, focusing on the emotional and social consequences of their actions.
For וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ, the LXX uses ἀποστραφήτωσαν (apostraphēthōsan), indicating a turning away, which also captures the essence of the Hebrew verb while expanding on the idea of retreat.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalm 129:5 expresses a desire for all who hate Zion to be turned back in shame. The psalmist is calling for those who oppose God's city to feel the weight of their actions and retreat in disgrace, emphasizing the need for justice against enemies of Israel.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It means that those who oppose Zion will experience a strong emotional response, feeling guilt or humiliation for their actions against God's city.
Zion represents the city of God, Jerusalem, and symbolizes God's presence and covenant with His people, making opposition to it a serious matter.
The psalmist seeks divine justice, desiring that those who harbor hatred towards Zion face consequences for their actions, which reflects a belief in God's righteousness.
Shame in this context implies feelings of guilt, disappointment, and a strong emotional reaction to wrongdoing, highlighting the seriousness of opposing Zion.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I respond to those who oppose what I believe, and do I seek justice or revenge?
- In what ways can I support the community of faith represented by Zion?
- What does it mean for me to experience shame in my own life, and how can I address it?
- How can I better understand the significance of Zion in my faith journey?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early church fathers, such as Augustine of Hippo, have commented on this verse, emphasizing its implications for the Church and its enemies.
"Let them be confounded and turned backward, as many as have evil will at Sion" [Psalms 129:5]. They who hate Sion, hate the Church: Sion is the Church.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 129 →
You accuse a person of greed, and he accuses God on the ground that he made gold. Do not be covetous. And God, you reply, should not make gold.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 129 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 129:5 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleLet them all be confounded,.... Or "ashamed": as all the enemies of God's people will be sooner or later, either in this world, or however when Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven; or let them
Read John Gill on Psalms 129 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryLet them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion. Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion - (Psalms 35:4.) Faith anticipates future triumphs over the enemy from those vouch-safed in times past.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 129 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleForced to retreat with shame and disappointment.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 129 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 129:5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.Ver. 5. Let them all be confounded, &c.] And if those that hate Zion, how much more those that hurt her with their virulent tongues or violent hands!
Read John Trapp on Psalms 129 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 5. Let them all be confounded] They shall be confounded. They who hate Zion, the Church of God, hate God himself; and all such must be dealt with as enemies, and be utterly confounded.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 129 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges5–8. The enemies of Zion shall be destroyed before their malicious schemes are matured.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 129 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleLet them all be confounded and turned back ... - This might be rendered in the indicative, “they are ashamed,” but the connection seems to require the rendering in our version.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 129 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible5. That hate Zion—This indicates that Zion still had living enemies, though their chief strength had been neutralized, and deliverance attained. See the introduction.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 129 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.
May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame.
May all who hate Zion be humiliated and turned back!
Tyndale line
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
Let them be put to shame and turned backward, All they that hate Zion.
Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all they that hate Zion.
Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.
They that hate Zion, shalbe all ashamed and turned backward.
Strictly literal
Let them be ashamed and turned backward, all that hate Zion;
Confounded and turn backward do all hating Zion.
All hating Zion [are] confounded and turn backward.
May all be put to shame and turned backward that hate Zion;
May they all be put to shame and turned back, those who hate Zion.
From the Latin
My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
Simplified
May everyone who hates Zion be driven back in humiliating defeat.
Let all the haters of Zion be shamed and turned back.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text (MT) of Psalms 129:5 reads, "יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ אָח֑וֹר כֹּ֝֗ל שֹׂנְאֵ֥י צִיּֽוֹן," which translates to, "May all who hate Zion be turned back in shame." The Septuagint (LXX) agrees with the MT in meaning, although its word order and articles differ as it presents a Greek translation rather than a direct match. The Dead Sea Scrolls (11Q5) also align with the MT, although it has two words that are partly restored and three that are supplied by an editor, indicating some textual variation. Overall, the core message remains consistent across these witnesses, emphasizing the shame of those who oppose Zion.
יֵ֭בֹשׁוּ וְיִסֹּ֣גוּ אָח֑וֹר כֹּ֝֗ל שֹׂנְאֵ֥י צִיּֽוֹן׃
6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
יבושו [ויסגו] [אחור] [כל] שנאי ציון
2 words on the leather — 1 partly restored, 3 supplied entire by an editor.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 129:5
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
בּוֹשׁ (buwsh) is a Hebrew root meaning 'to be ashamed.' It encompasses feelings of shame, disappointment, and disconcertion. The verb appears in various forms, including Qal (to feel shame), Piel (to delay in shame), and Hiphil (to put to shame). The entries indicate a range of uses, from personal feelings of shame to actions that cause shame to others.
בּוֹשׁ 109 vb. be ashamed
Qal
abs. feel shame
sq. מִן, be ashamed of, i.e. disconcerted, disappointed by reason of
with obj. I am ashamed to ask
Polel delay (in shame)
Hiph.
put to shame
put to shame
act shamefully
to be put to shame
be ashamed
Hithp. ashamed before one another
base
H954 בּוֹשׁ be ashamed
954 buwsh boosh
a primitive root; properly, to pale, i.e. by implication to
be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or
delayed:--(be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with,
a-)shamed(-d), be (put to) confounded(-fusion), become dry,
delay, be long.
בּוֹשׁ (bush) — be ashamed.
1) to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to feel shame
1a2) to be ashamed, disconcerted, disappointed (by reason of)
1b) (Piel) to delay (in shame)
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to put to shame
1c2) to act shamefully
1c3) to be ashamed
1d) (Hithpolel) to be ashamed before one another
V-Qal-Imperf-3mp — Verb · Qal · imperfect third person masculine pluralHVqi3mp
a-shamd': Almost exclusively moral in significance; confusion or abashment through consciousness of guilt or of its exposure. Often including also a sense of terror or fear because of the disgrace connected with the performance of some action. Capacity for shame indicates that moral sense (conscience) is not extinct. "Ashamed" occurs 96 out of 118 times in the Old Testament. Hebrew bosh, "to feel shame" (Latin, pudere), with derivatives occurs 80 times; kalam, "to shame," including the thought of "disgrace," "reproach"; chapher, "to blush": hence shame because of frustrated plans (uniformly in the Revised Version (British and American) "confounded"); Greek aischunomai, "suffused with shame," passive only and its compounds. Uses:
(1) A few times, of actual embarrassment, as of Hazael before the steadfast look of Elisha (2Ki 8:11; see…
סוּג (soog) is a Hebrew verb meaning to move away or backslide. It conveys the idea of retreating, either literally or figuratively, such as turning away from a commitment. The verb appears in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of turning back or being repulsed. It is related to the concept of apostasy.
[סוּג, seldom שׂוּג] vb. move away, backslide
Qal backslide, prove recreant to י׳
Niph.
refl. turn oneself away, turn back
be turned or driven back, be repulsed
Hiph.
usu. of displacing, moving back a boundary mark
remove, carry away
Hoph. and justice is driven back
base
H5472 [סוּג, seldom שׂוּג] move away, backslide
5472 cuwg soog
a primitive root; properly, to flinch, i.e. (by implication)
to go back, literally (to retreat) or figuratively (to
apostatize):--backslider, drive, go back, turn (away, back).
סוּג (sug) — to turn.
1) to move, go, turn back, move away, backslide
1a) (Qal) to backslide, prove recreant to
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to turn oneself away, turn back
1b2) to be turned or driven back, be repulsed
Also means: sug (שׂוּג "to turn back" H7734)
Conj | V-Niphal-Imperf-3mp — Conjunction · verb niphal third person masculine pluralHC/VNu3mp
אָחוֹר (achowr) refers to the hinder side or back part of something. It can also imply a direction, meaning backward or behind, and has temporal uses, indicating a time to come or hereafter. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to be behind' and encompasses various contexts, including physical and temporal references.
אָחוֹר 41 subst. the hinder side, back part
base
H268 אָחוֹר the hinder side, back part
268 'achowr aw-khore'
or (shortened) achor {aw-khore'}; from 299; the hinder part;
hence (adverb) behind, backward; also (as facing north) the
West:--after(-ward), back (part, -side, -ward), hereafter,
(be-)hind(-er part), time to come, without.
see HEBREW for 0299
אָחוֹר (a.chor) — back.
1) the back side, the rear
1a) backwards
1b) hereafter (of time)
1c) behind
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
שָׂנֵא (sane') is a primitive root meaning 'to hate.' It covers various forms of hatred, including personal animosity and enmity, and can refer to both humans and God. The word appears in different grammatical forms, with uses in Qal, Niphal, and Piel, indicating actions of hating or being hated. Its Aramaic equivalent is שְׂנָא.
שָׂנֵא 145 vb. hate
Qal 128 hate
Niph. is hated
Pi. enemy
base
H8130 שָׂנֵא hate
8130 sane' saw-nay'
a primitive root; to hate (personally):--enemy, foe, (be)
hate(-ful, -r), odious, X utterly.
שָׂנֵא (sa.ne) — to hate.
1) to hate, be hateful
1a) (Qal) to hate
1a1) of man
1a2) of God
1a3) hater, one hating, enemy (participle) (subst)
1b) (Niphal) to be hated
1c) (Piel) hater (participle)
1c1) of persons, nations, God, wisdom
Aramaic equivalent: se.ne (שְׂנָא "to hate" H8131)
V-Qal — Verb · Qal · participle (active) masculine plural commonHVqrmpc
צִיּוֹן (Tsiyyôn) refers to Zion, often identified as a mountain in Jerusalem and a symbolic name for the city itself, particularly in prophetic contexts. The term is linked to the Hebrew word for Jerusalem and is noted for meaning 'parched place.' It is consistently recognized across lexicons as a proper noun.
צִיּוֹן 154 n.pr.loc. Ṣiyyôn, Zion
base
H6726 צִיּוֹן Ṣiyyôn, Zion
6726 Tsiyown tsee-yone'
the same (regularly) as 6725; Tsijon (as a permanent
capital), a mountain of Jerusalem:--Zion.
see HEBREW for 06725
צִיּוֹן (tsiy.yon) — Zion.
Zion = "parched place"
another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books
Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389)
N-proper — Noun properHNpl
zi'-on (tsiyon; Sion):
1. Meaning of the Word
2. The Zion of the Jebusites
3. Zion of the Prophets
4. Zion in Later Poetical Writings and Apocrypha
5. Omission of Name by Some Writers
6. The Name "Zion" in Christian Times
LITERATURE
1. Meaning of the Word:
A name applied to Jerusalem, or to certain parts of it, at least since the time of David. Nothing certain is known of the meaning. Gesenius and others have derived it from a Hebrew root tsahah, "to be dry"; Delitzsch from tsiwwah, "to set up" and Wetzstein from tsin, "to protect." Gesenius finds a more hopeful suggestion in the Arabic equivalent cihw, the Arabic cahwat signifying "ridge of a mountain" or "citadel," which at any rate suitably applies to what we know to have been the original Zion (compare Smith, HGHL, under the word).
Zion
Sunny; height, one of the eminences on which Jerusalem was built. It was surrounded on all sides, except the north, by deep valleys, that of the Tyropoeon (q.v.) separating it from Moriah (q.v.), which it surpasses in height by 105 feet. It was the south-eastern hill of Jerusalem.
When David took it from the Jebusites (Josh. 15:63; 2 Sam. 5:7) he built on it a citadel and a palace, and it became “the city of David” (1 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 19:21, 31; 1 Chr. 11:5). In the later books of the Old Testament this name was sometimes used (Ps. 87:2; 149:2;
[JERUSALEM]
monument; raised up; sepulcher