Log inSign up

Psalm 129 · a question people ask

"He has cut apart the cords of the wicked" (129:4). What are the cords?

In the text

The psalm doesn't say. The Hebrew word (tap cords) is a cord or rope, and it is used more than one way. In the LORD's words to Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1) it is an animal's harness in a furrow: "Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness?" (Job 39:10). It is the "two new ropes" Samson was bound with (Judges 15:13). And in Psalm 2 the kings of the earth, standing against the LORD and his Anointed (Psalm 2:2), say, "Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us" (Psalm 2:3). Psalm 129 puts the cords in the verse after the plowing (129:3-4), but doesn't say whether they belong to the same picture, and these notes don't say either. What it does say is who cut them: "The LORD is righteous. He has cut apart the cords of the wicked" (129:4).

The verses

“The plowers plowed on my back. They made their furrows long. The LORD is righteous. He has cut apart the cords of the wicked.”
Psalm 129:3-4 · World English Bible
“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind,”
Job 38:1 · World English Bible
“Can you hold the wild ox in the furrow with his harness? Or will he till the valleys after you?”
Job 39:10 · World English Bible
“They spoke to him, saying, “No, but we will bind you securely and deliver you into their hands; but surely we will not kill you.” They bound him with two new ropes, and brought him up from the rock.”
Judges 15:13 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 129

Psalm 129: Yet they have not prevailed

Psalm 129 says one line twice, and only the second time does it end: "yet they have not prevailed against me" (129:2). Between the plowers and the withered grass stands "The LORD is righteous" (129:4). And its grass on the housetops is two Hebrew words found together in only two other verses, both about people with "little power" (2 Kings 19:26).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekPsalm 129 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Psalm 129

All questions about Psalms →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions