Psalms 129:6 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Let them be like grass that grows on rooftops, which dries up and dies before it can fully grow:

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The writer is asking that his enemies become like rooftop grass that quickly withers and dies before it can mature or be useful.

📚 Historical Context

In ancient Israel, grass would sometimes sprout on flat rooftops where dirt and seeds had accumulated, but this grass had shallow roots and no proper soil. When the hot sun beat down, this rooftop grass would quickly wither and die, making it completely useless - it couldn't even be harvested. The psalmist uses this imagery as a curse against Israel's oppressors who had afflicted the nation throughout its history.

Explore Similar Verses

2 Kings 19:26

That's why the people living in those cities had no strength to resist. They were terrified and confused, like grass in a field or tender green plants. They were like grass growing on rooftops or grain that gets destroyed before it can fully grow.

Isaiah 37:27

That's why the people living in those cities had no strength left to fight. They were terrified and completely confused. They were like grass in a field, like tender green plants, like grass growing on rooftops, and like grain that gets destroyed by wind before it can fully grow.

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📚 Historical Context

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