Psa 129:1-2 | KD | STEP | The End of the Oppressors of Zion Just as with the words “let Israel say” was followed by with “peace be upon Israel,” so with “peace be upon Israel” is followed by with “let Israel say.” This has not only the call “let Israel say,” but also the situation of a deliverance that has been experienced (cf. with Psa 124:6.), from which point it looks gratefully back and confidently forward into the future, and an Aramaic tinge that is noticeable here and there by the side of all other classical character of form, in common with -8.

‏ Psalms 129:1-2

The End of the Oppressors of Zion

Just as Psa 124:1-8 with the words “let Israel say” was followed by Psa 125:1-5 with “peace be upon Israel,” so Psa 128:1-6 with “peace be upon Israel” is followed by Psa 129:1-8 with “let Israel say.” This Psa 129:1-8 has not only the call “let Israel say,” but also the situation of a deliverance that has been experienced (cf. Psa 129:4 with Psa 124:6.), from which point it looks gratefully back and confidently forward into the future, and an Aramaic tinge that is noticeable here and there by the side of all other classical character of form, in common with Psa 124:1-8. Psa 129:1-2

Israel is gratefully to confess that, however much and sorely it was oppressed, it still has not succumbed. רבּת, together with רבּה, has occurred already in Psa 65:10; Psa 62:3, and it becomes usual in the post-exilic language, Psa 120:6; Psa 123:4, 2Ch 30:18; Syriac rebath. The expression “from my youth” glances back to the time of the Egyptian bondage; for the time of the sojourn in Egypt was the time of Israel’s youth (Hos 2:17, Hos 11:1, Jer 2:2; Eze 23:3). The protasis Psa 129:1 is repeated in an interlinked, chain-like conjunction in order to complete the thought; for Psa 129:2 is the turning-point, where גּם, having reference to the whole negative clause, signifies “also” in the sense of “nevertheless,” ὅμως (synon. בּכל־בּכל), as in Eze 16:28; Ecc 6:7, cf. above, Psa 119:24 : although they oppressed me much and sore, yet have they not overpowered me (the construction is like Num 13:30, and frequently).