What Does Psalms 126:6 Mean?

(6) The original is very expressive, by the idiom of infinitive combined with finite verb. “He shall walk, and walk and weep, Bearing the handful of seed: He shall come, and come with singing, Bearing his sheaves,” where we must certainly see an extension and not a mere repetition of the former figure, for the very form of the expression suggests the long patient labour of the sower, and the reward which patience and perseverance always bring—a harvest in proportion to the toil and trouble of seed-time. The words of the prophet Haggai (Haggai 1:10-11; Haggai 2:19), contemporary with the Return, should be compared. The word rendered “precious” in the Authorised Version may be correctly represented by “handful.” Its meaning is “drawing;” and from Amos 9:13 (see margin) we see that the sower was called “the drawer of seed,” no doubt from the hand being repeatedly drawn out for the cast from the bag or basket containing the seed. Others render “seed-basket” here. The contrast so beautifully painted in this verse was certainly realised when “the priests and Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of the house of God with joy” (Ezra 6:16; comp. Ezra 6:22; Nehemiah 12:42). Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. Bible Hub