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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Psalms 127:1–5

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
EXCEPT the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
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PASSAGE SELECTION

Build from either side

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Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

Start of chapter− Remove Psalms 127:1

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

24 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 1

  1. Proverbs 16:9Rank 1 from verse 1
    Open

    9A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

  2. 1 Corinthians 3:7Rank 2 from verse 1
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    7So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

  3. Proverbs 21:30–31Rank 3 from verse 1
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    30There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

    31The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

  4. 1 Corinthians 3:9–15Rank 4 from verse 1
    Open

    9For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

    10According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

    11For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

    12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

    13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

    14If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

    15If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

  5. Psalms 33:16–18Rank 5 from verse 1
    Open

    16There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.

    17An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

    18Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

From verse 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 5:12Rank 1 from verse 2
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    12The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

  2. Psalms 4:8Rank 2 from verse 2
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    8I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

  3. Job 11:18Rank 3 from verse 2
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    18And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.

  4. Psalms 3:5Rank 4 from verse 2
    Open

    5I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.

  5. Ecclesiastes 2:20–23Rank 5 from verse 2
    Open

    20Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

    21For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

    22For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

    23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

From verse 3

  1. Psalms 128:3–4Rank 1 from verse 3
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    3Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.

    4Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

  2. Deuteronomy 28:4Rank 2 from verse 3
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    4Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

  3. 1 Samuel 1:27Rank 3 from verse 3
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    27For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:

  4. Genesis 48:4Rank 4 from verse 3
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    4And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

  5. Genesis 33:5Rank 5 from verse 3
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    5And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

From verse 4

  1. Proverbs 17:6Rank 1 from verse 4
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    6Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

  2. Proverbs 31:28Rank 2 from verse 4
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    28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

  3. Jeremiah 50:9Rank 3 from verse 4
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    9¶ For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

  4. Psalms 120:4Rank 4 from verse 4
    Open

    4Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.

From verse 5

  1. Proverbs 27:11Rank 1 from verse 5
    Open

    11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.

  2. Job 42:12–16Rank 2 from verse 5
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    12So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.

    13He had also seven sons and three daughters.

    14And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Keren-happuch.

    15And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren.

    16After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations.

  3. Genesis 50:23Rank 3 from verse 5
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    23And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.

  4. Job 5:4Rank 4 from verse 5
    Open

    4His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

  5. Psalms 18:47Rank 5 from verse 5
    Open

    47It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Psalms 127:1

COMBINED MEANING

except

↗

Sense 1: Unless; with the exclusion of; apart from. Sense 2: To exclude or leave out. Sense 3: To object or take exception.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

house

↗

Sense 1: A building or dwelling. Sense 2: The people of a household or family. Sense 3: A lineage or family line. Sense 4: As a verb, to shelter, lodge, or provide a dwelling for.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

labour

↗

1. Work, toil, effort, exertion, service, or the product of work. 2. Weariness or trouble. 3. Travail in childbirth. 4. To work, strive, serve, or exert oneself.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

vain

↗

Empty, fruitless, ineffective, unprofitable, worthless, false, unsubstantial, or conceited.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

keep

↗

To guard, watch, protect, preserve, secure, retain, possess, hold, maintain, support, tend, manage, observe, obey, fulfil, celebrate, continue in, refrain from, or remain faithful to a person, place, trust, command, promise, way, time, or thing.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

watchman

↗

A person stationed to stay alert, observe, guard, detect approach or danger, and report or warn what is seen.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

DEFINED WORDS

Psalms 127:2

COMBINED MEANING

vain

↗

Empty, fruitless, ineffective, unprofitable, worthless, false, unsubstantial, or conceited.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

you

↗

The second-person plural pronoun referring to those being addressed.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

rise

↗

To get up, stand, ascend, increase, begin, appear, come forth, awaken, proceed to act or oppose, attain authority, or return from the dead.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

eat

↗

To take food into the body; to consume, devour, or waste away.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

sleep

↗

Sense 1: Natural bodily rest with suspended waking activity; figuratively, inattention or inactivity; or death described as sleep. Sense 2: To rest in sleep; figuratively, to lie in death.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Psalms 127:3

COMBINED MEANING

lo

↗

An exclamation meaning look, see, behold, observe, or take notice, used to call immediate attention to what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

children

↗

Sons or daughters; descendants; or persons likened to children by age, relation, or character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

fruit

↗

Sense 1: The produce borne by plants or the land. Sense 2: Offspring or increase. Sense 3: A result, product, consequence, character, or work proceeding from something.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

womb

↗

Sense 1: The bodily place in a female where a child is conceived and carried before birth. Sense 2: A source pictured as such a place.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

reward

↗

Sense 1: A benefit, payment, honour, punishment, or recompense given or received. Sense 2: As a verb, to give such a return.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Psalms 127:4

COMBINED MEANING

arrows

↗

Sense 1: Pointed missiles shot from bows. Sense 2: Figuratively, instruments or images of attack, judgment, pain, or sudden force.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

hand

↗

Sense 1: The part of the body at the end of the arm. Sense 2: Figuratively, power, possession, aid, or agency.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

mighty

↗

Possessing or displaying great strength, power, ability, rank, or effect.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

man

↗

1. A human being or person. 2. Mankind collectively. 3. A male person.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

children

↗

Sons or daughters; descendants; or persons likened to children by age, relation, or character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

youth

↗

Sense 1: The period of life following childhood and preceding mature age. Sense 2: A young person or young people.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Psalms 127:5

COMBINED MEANING

man

↗

1. A human being or person. 2. Mankind collectively. 3. A male person.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

shall

↗

An auxiliary verb expressing future action, intention, promise, command, requirement, or determination.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

ashamed

↗

1. Brought to shame, dishonour, confusion, or disappointed expectation. 2. Feeling or showing shame or embarrassment because of conduct, condition, or exposure. 3. Unwilling or reluctant to own, acknowledge, associate with, or do something because of shame.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

but

↗

Sense 1: However; marking contrast or qualification. Sense 2: Except or unless; excluding all others or alternatives. Sense 3: Only; no more than what follows.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

speak

↗

Sense 1: To utter words or articulate sounds, or to use a language. Sense 2: To address or converse with someone. Sense 3: To state, declare, make mention of, or otherwise make a matter known.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

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Surrounding Verses

Nearby Scripture remains separate from the selected passage until you add it.

1EXCEPT the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

Selected passage

2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Selected passage

3Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Selected passage

4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

Selected passage

5Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

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