1Un cántico para los peregrinos que van a Jerusalén. Muchos enemigos me han atacado desde que era joven. Que todo Israel diga:
2Muchos enemigos me han atacado desde que era joven, pero nunca me vencieron.
3Me golpearon en la espalda, dejando largos surcos como si hubiera sido golpeado por un granjero.
4Pero el Señor hace lo correcto: me liberado de las ataduras de los impíos.
5Que todos los que odian Sión sean derrotados y humillados.
6Que sean como la grama que crece en los techos y se marchita antes de que pueda ser cosechada,
7y que no es suficiente para que un segador la sostenga, ni suficiente para que el cosechador llene sus brazos.
8Que al pasar nadie les diga, “La bendición del Señor esté sobre ti, te bendecimos en el nombre del Señor”.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
A song recalling the many afflictions Israel has suffered since its youth (Egypt), comparing its enemies to plowmen who plowed its back, yet declaring that they never prevailed and will be like grass without root.
Explanation
This tenth 'Song of Degrees' uses strong agricultural imagery to describe both suffering (a back 'plowed' like a field) and the hope that the enemies' plans will fail, like plants that grow on clay rooftops (common on ancient houses) without deep roots, quickly withering in the sun. The repeated refrain 'many a time have they afflicted me... but they have not prevailed' celebrates the people's historical resilience despite repeated suffering. The application for today is to find strength in remembering that past hardships, however intense, did not have the final word.
Fun facts
- The 'grass upon the housetops' (v.6) refers to plants that sprouted spontaneously on the packed-clay roofs of ancient Near Eastern houses but, lacking deep soil, withered quickly — a common image for something with no real future.
- The image of 'plowing the back' (v.3) vividly describes the whippings and physical suffering inflicted by oppressors, a poetic device common in Hebrew lament literature.