Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse paints a picture of enemies who seem elevated, like grass on flat rooftops, but their growth is superficial and destined for immediate failure. It's not just that they wither, but that they wither before they're even fully established, highlighting their inherent instability and lack of deep roots.
Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm describes the enduring persecution of God's people and prays for their enemies' destruction. Following prayers for their downfall, the text uses vivid imagery of unproductive and short-lived things to depict the enemies' fate. This verse specifically likens those who hate Zion to grass growing on flat rooftops, which, lacking deep roots and nourishment, quickly withers away before it can mature.
Ever seen a plant struggle and fail to thrive? This verse paints a vivid, almost pathetic, image of enemies of God's people.
The image of grass growing on flat, eastern housetops is striking. These roofs, often made of compacted earth or mud, could sprout seeds blown by the wind or dropped by birds. However, this wasn't fertile ground.
A Precarious Existence
This picture is a powerful metaphor for the enemies of Zion. Their endeavors, seemingly elevated or prominent, are ultimately unstable and destined for failure.
Why does the Psalmist use such a stark image? It's not just about failure, but about the nature of that failure.
The grass on the housetop doesn't just fail to thrive; it fails before it even reaches its potential. This speaks volumes about the fate of those who oppose God's purposes.
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The Theme of Unfulfilled Ambition
This highlights that opposition to God and His people is ultimately futile, doomed to an early and insignificant end.
Understand the original words
chatsiyr · Hebrew Noun
In biblical imagery, grass represents the fleeting, temporal nature of human life and earthly strength, which lacks inherent endurance apart from God's sustaining power.
gag · Hebrew Noun
In the Ancient Near East, housetops were flat; grass growing there lacked sufficient soil depth, serving as a metaphor for something that lacks root, stability, and lasting success.
shalaph · Hebrew Verb
To wither signifies the loss of vitality, beauty, or life; it is frequently used to describe the inevitable decay of all things that are not rooted in the eternal Word of God.
This psalm likely arose during or after periods of Babylonian and Persian dominance, reflecting the precariousness and vulnerability of God's people and their enemies.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Fall of Jerusalem
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, leading to the exile of many Judeans.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, marking the end of the Babylonian Empire and the beginning of the Persian Empire.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus
Cyrus allows exiled Judeans to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, though not all choose to do so.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Return to Jerusalem
The scribe Ezra leads another group of exiles back to Jerusalem, focusing on religious reform and adherence to the Law.
c. 445 BC
Nehemiah Rebuilds Jerusalem's Walls
Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, receives permission to return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, facing significant opposition.
This passage echoes the imagery of grass withering before it grows up, describing the enemies of God's people as having been quickly destroyed, just like grass on a rooftop.
Jeremiah 17:5-6These verses contrast the blessedness of trusting in the Lord with the curse upon those who trust in humans, likening the latter to a shrub in the desert that does not see when prosperity comes – a powerful parallel to the futility of the 'grass on the housetops'.
Matthew 13:5-6Jesus' parable of the sower describes some seed falling on rocky ground where it sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow, but it withered away because it had no root, mirroring the same image of rapid growth followed by swift destruction.
2 Kings 19:26This verse directly compares the defeated enemies of God's people to the grass of the field and the green herb that withers before it grows up, highlighting their ultimate powerlessness and swift demise.
clarkePsalms 129:6: "Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:"
As the grass upon the housetops - As in the east the roofs of the houses were flat, seeds of various kinds falling upon them would naturally vegetate, though in an imperfect way; and, because of the want of proper nourishment, would necessarily dry and wither away. If grass, the mower cannot make hay of it; if corn, the reaper cannot make a sheaf of it. Let the Babylonians be like such herbage - go…
poolePsalms 129:6: "Let them be as the grass upon the housetops, which withereth afore it groweth up:"
The house-tops there were flat, and therefore more capable of grass or green corn growing between the stones than ours are. Which withereth afore it groweth up; which having no deep root, never comes to maturity. And so all their designs shall be abortive, and never come to perfection.
This verse paints a picture of enemies who seem elevated, like grass on flat rooftops, but their growth is superficial and destined for immediate failure. It's not just that they wither, but that they wither before they're even fully established, highlighting their inherent instability and lack of deep roots.
This psalm describes the enduring persecution of God's people and prays for their enemies' destruction. Following prayers for their downfall, the text uses vivid imagery of unproductive and short-lived things to depict the enemies' fate. This verse specifically likens those who hate Zion to grass growing on flat rooftops, which, lacking deep roots and nourishment, quickly withers away before it can mature.
This psalm describes the enduring persecution of God's people and prays for their enemies' destruction. Following prayers for their downfall, the text uses vivid imagery of unproductive and short-lived things to depict the enemies' fate. This verse specifically likens those who hate Zion to grass growing on flat rooftops, which, lacking deep roots and nourishment, quickly withers away before it can mature.
"Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up," — This verse paints a picture of enemies who seem elevated, like grass on flat rooftops, but their growth is superficial and destined for immediate failure. It's not just that they wither, but that the…
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Last reviewed October 2026