Psalm 129

This article is about Psalm 129 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 129 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 130.
Psalm 129
"Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth"
Song of Ascents
Beginning of Psalm 129 in Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry, Folio 62r
Other name
  • Psalm 128
  • "Saepe expugnaverunt me a iuventute"
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 129
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

Psalm 129 is the 129th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, this psalm is Psalm 128. In Latin, it is known as "Saepe expugnaverunt me a iuventute".[1] It is one of 15 psalms that begin with the words "A song of ascents" (Shir Hama'alot). The New King James Version calls it "A Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies",[2] and the Revised Standard Version calls it a "Prayer for the Downfall of Israel’s Enemies",[3] but Albert Barnes notes that the psalm itself is merely entitled "A Song of Degrees" (i.e. a Song of Ascents) and it is not attributed to any author.[4]

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and other Protestant liturgies.

  1. ^ Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 128 (129) medievalist.net
  2. ^ Psalm 129: NKJV
  3. ^ Psalm 129: RSV
  4. ^ Barnes, A., Barnes' Notes on Psalm 129, accessed 12 June 2022