Psalms 126:5

Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ¹ 

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.

So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest,

Those who put in seed with weeping will get in the grain with cries of joy.

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.

Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.

Those who shed tears as they plant will shout for joy when they reap the harvest. ¹ 

¹ sn O. Borowski says regarding this passage: “The dependence on rain for watering plants, the uncertainty of the quantity and timing of the rains, and the possibility of crop failure due to pests and diseases appear to have kept the farmer in a gloomy mood during sowing” (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 54). Perhaps the people were experiencing a literal drought, the effects of which cause them to lament their plight as they plant their seed in hopes that the rain would come. However, most take the language as metaphorical. Like a farmer sowing his seed, the covenant community was enduring hardship as they waited for a new outpouring of divine blessing. Yet they are confident that a time of restoration will come and relieve their anxiety, just as the harvest brings relief and joy to the farmer.