He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.
- KJV He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
- NKJV He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.
- NASB One who goes here and there weeping, carrying his bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
- NLT They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The weeping sower who scatters seed will surely return rejoicing with his harvest. It strengthens believers to persevere through hard labor in hope of certain reward.
Overview
This verse expands the previous image into a vivid promise: the one who goes out weeping will certainly come home with sheaves of joy. The certainty rests on God's faithfulness, not the laborer's strength. Christians sowing the gospel in tears can trust this promise, for Christ guarantees the final harvest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 9:2–3The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
- Gal 6:7–8Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.
- Ps 30:5For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.
- Isa 61:3to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
- Job 11:13–17As for you, if you direct your heart and lift up your hands to Him,
- Jer 50:4–5“In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the LORD their God.
- Rev 7:15–17For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
- Luke 15:18–24I will get up and go back to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
- Acts 16:29–34Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 126:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.