Psalms 129:6 Commentary: Grass on the Rooftops

In ancient Israel, houses had flat roofs made of beams covered with a plaster of clay and sand. Seeds carried by wind or birds would lodge in this thin layer of earth, germinate after the rainy season, and then quickly die under the intense sun because the soil had no depth. The Land and the Book (described by Dr. Thomson in Barnes’s notes) reports seeing this exact scene on a roof in Jerusalem: grass that had grown during the rains was now entirely withered and dry.

Psalm 129 is one of the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120, 134), sung by pilgrims going up to Jerusalem for festivals. The first half (vv. 1, 4) recalls Israel’s long affliction from Egypt onward, using the striking image of plowmen making furrows across the nation’s back. Then the tone turns to imprecation: “Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion” (v. 5). Verse 6 continues that prayer with the rooftop grass simile. The following verses (7, 8) finish the harvest picture: the withered grass cannot be gathered, and no one blesses the harvesters with the traditional greeting (compare Ruth 2:4). This agricultural context would have been immediately familiar to an ancient audience.

The psalm may have been written shortly after the return from exile (Lange suggests this), when Israel was breathing freely after oppression but knew that enemies had not vanished. The “youth” of Israel (v. 1) is commonly seen as the Egyptian sojourn (Hosea 11:1, Jeremiah 2:2). By evoking that history, the psalmist strengthens the people’s confidence that the same God who delivered them before will deal with present foes.

The supplied sources note a textual variation in the phrase “before it grows up.” The Masoretic Hebrew reads shalaph (“shoot up, draw out”), which the Jewish commentators and Keil & Delitzsch take intransitively: the grass withers before it blossoms. The Septuagint and Vulgate, however, read “before it is plucked up” (ἐκσπασθῆναι / evellatur), a reading followed by some English versions (e.g., Coverdale, P.B.V.). Barnes argues that “withereth afore it groweth up” in the KJV does not capture the Hebrew, which he takes as “before one pulls it, it withers.” No other significant variants are reported in the consulted sources.

Early Christian writers often read imprecatory psalms typologically. Augustine applied verses like this to the spiritual enemies of the soul, sin, death, and demons, rather than to human foes. In the medieval period, the psalm was sung by pilgrims heading to Jerusalem, reinforcing the hope that God would defend His people. Reformers such as Calvin and Luther took the imprecations literally as prayers for God to judge the church’s persecutors, and they used the psalm to comfort believers under Catholic or political oppression. Modern interpreters often wrestle with how to pray these verses after Auschwitz and in light of Jesus’ command to love enemies. Many pastors treat the psalm as an honest expression of pain that must be paired with the gospel call to forgiveness, while some conservative traditions continue to recite it as a prayer for justice against evildoers.

Three-point outline

1. Frail opposition. Those who hate Zion are like rooftop grass, elevated in pride but rootless, doomed to wither.
2. Divine justice. God cuts the wicked short before their plans mature; He does not need human retaliation to bring them down.
3. Secure hope for the faithful. The psalmist’s confidence rests on Yahweh’s righteousness (v. 4). The same God who saves His people will humble their enemies.

Five-point outline

1. Remembered affliction (vv. 1, 2): Israel’s long history of suffering under oppressors.
2. Justice declared (v. 4): The righteous Lord cuts the cords of the wicked.
3. The prayer for confusion (v. 5): “Let them be disappointed and turned backward.”
4. The withering image (v. 6): Grass on a rooftop, no depth, no harvest.
5. The silent fields (vv. 7, 8): No reaper fills his hand, no blessing is spoken.

Illustration hooks

• Grass growing in a sidewalk crack: it looks alive for a day, but a few hours of sun kill it. You can pull it up with a finger.
• Potted plants left on a hot rooftop with a shallow tray of soil, they spring up, then wilt before they ever flower.
• A crop that fails before harvest: a farmer watches the stalks turn brown too early, knowing the field will yield nothing.

Questions your congregation is asking

• Is it okay to pray for God to judge my enemies? Doesn’t Jesus say to love them?
• How do I handle anger at injustice without becoming bitter?
• If the wicked sometimes succeed and prosper, how can this psalm be true?

Psalm 129 shows that God’s people have always faced opposition. The prayer against enemies can be difficult for modern readers, but it reminds us that God sees every attack on His people and will act. This psalm gives voice to real pain while trusting God’s justice, not our own revenge.

Discussion questions

1. Read verses 1, 4. What does the image of “plowing on my back” tell you about the intensity of Israel’s suffering?
2. Verse 6 compares enemies to rooftop grass. What does this metaphor say about their strength and their end?
3. The Hebrew word for “before it grows up” can also mean “before it is plucked up.” How does each translation change the picture? Which one fits the context better?
4. How does the harvest imagery in verses 7, 8 (empty hands, no blessing) deepen the message of judgment?
5. Psalm 129 uses imprecatory language (calling for harm on enemies). How should Christians pray this psalm today, especially in light of Jesus’ command to love our enemies?
6. What does this psalm teach us about God’s character, specifically His righteousness and His care for the oppressed?
7. How can this psalm help someone who feels overwhelmed by opposition or injustice, without encouraging a vengeful spirit?