Question 1

What does the opening word “Behold” do in Psalm 127:3?

Accepted Answer

“Behold” functions like a verbal highlighter. It signals that what follows is meant to be noticed and considered carefully, not treated as background information. In this psalm, that matters because the surrounding lines (vv. 1–2) challenge the idea that outcomes are secured by anxious work or careful control. Verse 3 continues that theme by drawing attention to the household and family line. The speaker is not mainly offering new data about childbirth, but calling the listener to a particular way of understanding children: as something given by Yahweh.

Question 2

How do the two lines of Psalm 127:3 relate to each other?

Accepted Answer

The verse uses two parallel lines to communicate one main claim with two images. First, “children are a heritage of Yahweh” frames children as something received from him—like an allotted portion or inheritance. Second, “the fruit of the womb is his reward” restates the same idea with bodily and relational language: childbirth results in offspring, and that outcome is described as a “reward” attributed to Yahweh’s giving. The repetition is not redundant; it strengthens the point that children should be understood as a benefit granted, not as a product fully controlled by human effort.

Question 3

What does calling children a “heritage” from Yahweh suggest within the psalm’s context?

Accepted Answer

“Heritage” language fits a world where inheritance, family continuity, and household stability mattered socially and economically. Within Psalm 127, it suggests children belong to the category of outcomes that ultimately depend on Yahweh’s provision. The verse does not spell out every implication of “heritage” (ownership, responsibility, continuity), but it does clearly anchor the source: “of Yahweh.” That places children alongside the psalm’s other examples (house-building, city-watching, daily provision) where human work is real, yet not final in determining results.

Question 4

What does the phrase “fruit of the womb” contribute to the meaning?

Accepted Answer

“Fruit of the womb” is a concrete image that points to offspring produced through pregnancy and birth. It grounds the statement in embodied, ordinary life rather than in abstract ideas about blessing. By using “fruit,” the verse portrays a child as a result that emerges over time, not something instantly manufactured. At the same time, the line connects that outcome to Yahweh’s giving by calling it “his reward.” The phrase keeps the focus on real children in real households while reinforcing the psalm’s theme that life’s key outcomes are received.

Question 5

In Psalm 127:3, whose “reward” is in view, and what difference does that make?

Accepted Answer

The wording points to the reward as attributed to Yahweh (“his reward”), meaning the benefit is presented as something that comes from him as giver. The verse’s main direction is not that children are a reward paid by God to humans for something they did, but that children are a benefit Yahweh grants. This fits the parallel first line: “a heritage of Yahweh.” While the word “reward” can sometimes carry the sense of payment, the immediate context in Psalm 127 emphasizes dependence on Yahweh’s provision rather than a system of earning outcomes.

Question 6

How does Psalm 127:3 connect to the earlier statements in Psalm 127:1–2?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 127:1–2 argues that building, guarding, and relentless labor are “in vain” unless Yahweh is involved, and it pictures provision and rest as things he gives. Verse 3 extends that same outlook to family life: children, like security and livelihood, are not finally secured by human striving. The connection is thematic rather than argumentative; the psalm moves from public and economic concerns (house, city, work) to the household’s future (children). The shared idea is that the decisive factor is Yahweh’s giving.

Question 7

What is emphasized more in Psalm 127:3: the value of children or the source of children?

Accepted Answer

Both are present, but the verse emphasizes the source more explicitly. It certainly treats children as valuable by calling them “heritage” and “reward,” which are positive terms. Yet the grammatical focus repeatedly points to Yahweh: children are “of Yahweh,” and the fruit of the womb is “his reward.” That repetition anchors the value of children in God’s role as giver. The verse is not mainly defining parenting or describing children’s future roles (those come in vv. 4–5), but establishing a basic theological framing for how children are to be understood.

Children presented as Yahweh’s gift

Children presented as Yahweh’s gift

Children presented as Yahweh’s gift

Scripture

What this passage is saying

Children presented as Yahweh’s gift

Scripture

What this passage is saying