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Psalm 144:12-14
New Catholic Bible
Psalm 144:12-14
New Catholic Bible
12 [a]May our sons in their youth
be like carefully nurtured plants,
and may our daughters be like pillars
designed to adorn a palace.[b]
13 May our barns be filled
with every kind of crop.
May our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,[c]
14 and may our cattle be well fed.[d]
May there be no breach in our walls,
no going into exile,
no cries of distress in our streets.
Footnotes
- Psalm 144:12 The psalmist prays for the people, asking the Lord to bless their children, their lives, and their livelihoods. When the enemies are defeated, the rule of the Lord will reach its height and the Messianic blessings will pour in upon his people and upon the land. The blessings are described in terms that are understandable to a people whose main occupation was agriculture and cattle raising. Even the fortified cities will receive a Messianic blessing, that of invincibility.
- Psalm 144:12 The Hebrew text of this verse is obscure and its meaning uncertain. It may refer to the great strength of the sons and the physical beauty of the daughters.
- Psalm 144:13 Material abundance is a gift of God (see Lev 26:5; Deut 7:13).
- Psalm 144:14 May our cattle be well fed: other possible translations are: “may our oxen be heavy with flesh,” or “may our oxen be heavy with young,” or “may our chieftains be firmly established.”
