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November 6, 2021

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 127

Psalm 127^[a]

A song of ascents;^[b] by Solomon.

127 If the Lord does not build a house,^[c]
then those who build it work in vain.
If the Lord does not guard a city,^[d]
then the watchman stands guard in vain.
²It is vain for you to rise early, come home late,
and work so hard for your food.^[e]
Yes,^[f] he provides for those whom he loves even when they sleep.^[g]
³Yes,^[h] sons^[i] are a gift from the Lord;
the fruit of the womb is a reward.
⁴Sons born during one’s youth
are like arrows in a warrior’s hand.^[j]
⁵How blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them.
They will not be put to shame^[k] when they confront^[l] enemies at the city gate.

Footnotes

Psalm 127:1 sn Psalm 127. In this wisdom psalm the psalmist teaches that one does not find security by one’s own efforts, for God alone gives stability and security.
Psalm 127:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
Psalm 127:1 sn The expression build a house may have a double meaning here. It may refer on the surface level to a literal physical structure in which a family lives, but at a deeper, metaphorical level it refers to building, perpetuating, and maintaining a family line. See Deut 25:9; Ruth 4:11; 1 Sam 2:35; 2 Sam 7:27; 1 Kgs 11:38; 1 Chr 17:10, 25. Having a family line provided security in ancient Israel.
Psalm 127:1 sn The city symbolizes community security, which is the necessary framework for family security.
Psalm 127:2 tn Heb “[it is] vain for you, you who are early to rise, who delay sitting, who eat the food of hard work.” The three substantival participles are parallel and stand in apposition to the pronominal suffix on the preposition. See לָכֶם (lakhem, “for you”).
Psalm 127:2 tn Here the Hebrew particle כֵּן (ken) is used to stress the following affirmation (see Josh 2:4; Ps 63:2).
Psalm 127:2 tn Heb “he gives to his beloved, sleep.” The translation assumes that the Hebrew term שֵׁנָא (shenaʾ, “sleep,” an alternate form of שֵׁנָה, shenah) is an adverbial accusative. The point seems to be this: Hard work by itself is not what counts, but one’s relationship to God, for God is able to bless an individual even while he sleeps. (There may even be a subtle allusion to the miracle of conception following sexual intercourse; see the reference to the gift of sons in the following verse.) The statement is not advocating laziness, but utilizing hyperbole to give perspective and to remind the addressees that God must be one’s first priority. Another option is to take “sleep” as the direct object: “yes, he gives sleep to his beloved” (cf. NIV, NRSV). In this case the point is this: Hard work by itself is futile, for only God is able to bless one with sleep, which metonymically refers to having one’s needs met. He blesses on the basis of one’s relationship to him, not on the basis of physical energy expended.
Psalm 127:3 tn or “look.”
Psalm 127:3 tn Some prefer to translate this term with the gender neutral “children,” but “sons” are plainly in view here, as the following verses make clear. Daughters are certainly wonderful additions to a family, but in ancient Israelite culture sons were the “arrows” that gave a man security in his old age, for they could defend the family interests at the city gate, where the legal and economic issues of the community were settled.
Psalm 127:4 tn Heb “like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so [are] sons of youth.” Arrows are used in combat to defend oneself against enemies; sons are viewed here as providing social security and protection (see v. 5). The phrase “sons of youth” is elliptical, meaning “sons [born during the father’s] youth.” Such sons will have grown up to be mature adults and will have children of their own by the time the father reaches old age and becomes vulnerable to enemies. Contrast the phrase “son of old age” in Gen 37:3 (see also 44:20), which refers to Jacob’s age when Joseph was born.
Psalm 127:5 tn Being “put to shame” is here metonymic for being defeated, probably in a legal context, as the reference to the city gate suggests. One could be humiliated (Ps 69:12) or deprived of justice (Amos 5:12) at the gate, but with strong sons to defend the family interests this was less likely to happen.
Psalm 127:5 tn Heb “speak with.”

Ruth 4:18-22

Epilogue: Obed in the Genealogy of David

¹⁸These are the descendants^[a] of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron, ¹⁹Hezron was the father of Ram, Ram was the father of Amminadab, ²⁰Amminadab was the father of Nachshon, Nachshon was the father of Salmah, ²¹Salmon^[b] was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed, ²²Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.^[c]

Mark 11:12-14

Cursing of the Fig Tree

¹²Now^[a] the next day, as they went out from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³After noticing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, he went to see if he could find any fruit^[b] on it. When he came to it he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴He said to it,^[c] “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.^[d]

Mark 11:20-24

The Withered Fig Tree

²⁰In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered.” ²²Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³I tell you the truth,^[a] if someone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 127[a]

A song of ascents;[b] by Solomon.

Footnotes

Epilogue: Obed in the Genealogy of David

Footnotes

Cursing of the Fig Tree

Footnotes

The Withered Fig Tree

Footnotes

Psalm 127^[a]

A song of ascents;^[b] by Solomon.