Psalms 126:5
Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.
Interpretation
Wisdom shapes a sowing and reaping that is practiced in speech and habits in Psalms 126:5—consider "those" and "who". Work out sowing and reaping in how we make amends—learn freedom in service.
Context
This passage belongs to Psalms, a poetry/wisdom witness, developing sowing and reaping. Read in Psalms 126, its force becomes clearer. It also intersects wisdom & worship. Listen for “those” alongside “who”.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Hebrew text is preserved in the Masoretic tradition, stabilized between the 6th-10th centuries CE. The the Dead Sea Scrolls (found 1947-1956) provide manuscripts 1000+ years older than medieval texts, generally confirming the Masoretic Text's reliability with only minor variations. The Septuagint (Greek translation, 3rd-2nd century BCE) offers an independent textual witness. Variations between manuscripts are typically minor: spelling differences, word order, or clarifications that do not affect the core meaning. Modern translations compare all available manuscripts to reconstruct the probably reflects the initial text text.
Sources & witness notes
MT