What Does Psalm 127:3 Mean?
Two renderings of the same sentence, the verses it belongs to, and what the passage is doing — so you can decide what it means rather than take someone's word for it.
"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." Psalm 127:3, King James Version
The same verse in modern English
"Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward." Psalm 127:3, Berean Standard Bible
What it sits inside
A verse quoted on its own is the commonest way one gets misread. Here it is with what comes immediately before and after, in the King James Version.
Psalm 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
Psalm 127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Psalm 127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
A conversation built on it
Loving someone that much turns every risk into a thing you must personally prevent. The psalm calls them a heritage — entrusted, not owned — and pairs it with the reminder that the watchman who never sleeps is still not the one keeping the city. Hannah handed Samuel back and he was no less hers.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 127:3 mean?
In modern English (Berean Standard Bible) it reads: “Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.” The King James rendering most people know is: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.”
What is the context of Psalm 127:3?
The verses immediately around it read: (Psalm 127:1) A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. (Psalm 127:2) It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:3) Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. (Psalm 127:4) As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. (Psalm 127:5) Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
How is Psalm 127:3 used in a conversation about this?
Loving someone that much turns every risk into a thing you must personally prevent. The psalm calls them a heritage — entrusted, not owned — and pairs it with the reminder that the watchman who never sleeps is still not the one keeping the city. Hannah handed Samuel back and he was no less hers.
Reading it is one thing. Saying what it stirs up is another.
Start a Conversation →