Psalms 144:12

Then ¹  our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. ²  Our daughters will be like corner pillars, ³  carved like those in a palace. ⁴ 

Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace.

Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace;

May our sons flourish in their youth like well–nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.

Make our sons in their prime like sturdy oak trees, Our daughters as shapely and bright as fields of wildflowers.

Our sons are like tall young plants; and our daughters like the shining stones of a king’s house;

May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace.

That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style;

Then ¹  our sons will be like plants, that quickly grow to full size. ²  Our daughters will be like corner pillars, ³  carved like those in a palace. ⁴ 

¹ tn Some consider אֲשֶׁר (’asher) problematic, but here it probably indicates the anticipated consequence of the preceding request. (For other examples of אֲשֶׁר indicating purpose/result, see BDB 83 s.v. and HALOT 99 s.v.) If the psalmist – who appears to be a Davidic king preparing to fight a battle (see vv. 10-11) – is victorious, the whole nation will be spared invasion and defeat (see v. 14) and can flourish. Some prefer to emend the form to אַשְׁרֵי (“how blessed [are our sons]”). A suffixed noun sometimes follows אַשְׁרֵי (’ashrey; see 1 Kgs 10:8; Prov 20:7), but the presence of a comparative element (see “like plants”) after the suffixed noun makes the proposed reading too awkward syntactically.

² tn Heb “grown up in their youth.” The translation assumes that “grown up” modifies “plants” (just as “carved” modifies “corner pillars” in the second half of the verse). Another option is to take “grown up” as a predicate in relation to “our sons,” in which case one might translate, “they will be strapping youths.”

³ tn The Hebrew noun occurs only here and in Zech 9:15, where it refers to the corners of an altar.

⁴ tn Heb “carved [in] the pattern of a palace.”