Continuing my walk through the psalms of ascent (see 127, 123, with others to follow), I was struck by how many times this short psalm focuses on blessing. There are three different lexemes which can all mean "blessing" at various places in the Bible depending on their context.
The first is אשׁרי (ashrei), in verses 1 and 2, but you would also know it as the first word of the psalter: blessed is the one who...
The second is טוב (tob), which just means "good", but can mean anything from a gift, prosperity, wellness, the best, etc. It's there in 128:2 (and goodness is yours) and also v5 (see the prosperity), where, in both cases, the word "blessing", understood as a gift from God, would fit just as well.
The third is the verb ברך (barak), to bless, which we know from its Arabic cognate in names like Barak and Mubarak. It's there as a passive in v4 (shall be blessed) and actively in v5 (Yhwh will bless).
Those are the formal blessings we see in this psalm, but there are also some images of blessing too.
Interestingly the first word of v3 is אשׁה (wife), so while we have v1 אשׁרי, v2 אשׁרי, then v3 אשׁתך (your wife). This similar sound leads us to the images of a family as a blessing (continuing the theme of Ps 127), with a wife like a fruitful vine inside the house, and children like shoots of olive trees around the table.
Finally the last verse also has an image which is well known as blessing (although cf Eccl 6!), the hope of seeing future descendants, with v6, see the children of your children!
With the formal language of blessing as well as the rich imagery of blessing, Psalm 128 in each verse points to Yhwh as the one who brings blessing to those who look to him (ראה) and fear him (ירא) and walk in his paths.
And as a psalm of ascent, where does that blessing come from? Although we already know it, v5 reminds us: Yhwh will bless from Zion.
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