He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who goes out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, will certainly come again with joy, carrying his sheaves.
- BSB He who goes out weeping, bearing a trail of seed, will surely return with shouts of joy, carrying sheaves of grain.
- 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 that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
- Gal 6:7–8Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
- Ps 30:5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
- Isa 61:3To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
- Job 11:13–17If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
- Jer 50:4–5In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
- Rev 7:15–17Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
- Luke 15:18–24I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
- Acts 16:29–34Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down 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.