Psalms Chapter 126

“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, etc.] Or returned the Jews from their captivity in Babylon; who are called Zion, from the city of David, built on Mount Zion, which was in Judea, and adjoined to Jerusalem, the metropolis of the kingdom; and because they were the godly who were concerned for Zion in a spiritual sense, or the church of God, and the interest of religion, whose spirits the Lord stirred up to come out of Babylon, upon the proclamation by Cyrus, when those that were more worldly and carnal stayed behind; as also because the chief mercy in returning the captives was the rebuilding the…”

“The temporal blessings of true piety. The eighth chapter of Zecariah is a virtual commentary on this Psalm. Compare Psa 128:3 with Zac 8:5; and Psa 128:2 with Lev 26:16; Deu 28:33; Zac 8:10; and Psa 128:6 with Zac 8:4. (Psa 128:1-6) (Compare Psa 1:1).”

“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion - Margin, as in Hebrew, “returned the returning of Zion.” The Hebrew word which is rendered in the text captivity means properly return; and then, those returning. The ancient versions render it captivity. The reference clearly is to those who were returning to Zion, and the psalmist fixes his eye on them as returning, and immediately says that it was the Lord who had thus restored them. The whole was to be traced to God. We were like them that dream - The Latin Vulgate and the Septuagint render this, “we were comforted.” The meaning is, “It seemed like a dream; we…”

“Turned - Brought the captive Israelites out of Babylon into their own land. Dream - We were so surprized and astonished. Psalms 126:4”

“Ps 126 This hymn celebrates Israel’s return from exile (126:1-3). The psalmist prays for full restoration (126:4-6). 126:1-3 The Lord brought about Israel’s restoration from exile, just as he had brought Israel out of Egypt (114:1). The restoration transformed the weeping of the Lord’s people into laughter and showed the Lord’s character to the nations (9:11; 64:9; Isa 12:4).”

“turned again: etc. Heb. returned the returning of Zion, Psa 53:6, Psa 85:1; Ezr 1:1-11; Job 42:10; Jer 31:8-10; Hos 6:11; Joe 3:1 we were like: Job 9:16; Mar 16:11; Luk 24:11, Luk 24:41; Act 12:9, Act 12:14-16 Psalms 126:2”

“When passages like Isa 1:9; Gen 47:25, or others where והיינו is perf. consec., are appealed to in order to prove that היינוּ כּחלמים may signify erimus quasi somniantes, they are instances that are different in point of syntax. Any other rendering than that of the lxx is here impossible, viz.: Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν Σιὼν ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι (כּנחמים? - Jerome correctly, quasi somniantes). It is, however, just as erroneous when Jerome goes on to render: tunc implebitur risu os nostrum; for it is true the future after אז has a future signification in passages where the…”