Psalms 127:5
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
The psalm is a song of Solomon written about the time the temple was being built. It is also a post-Davidic psalm associated with the return from Babylonian captivity in the reign of Cyrus, belonging with psalms that recount the returning exiles' mixed joy, sorrow, and anxiety and refer to the building and dedication of the second temple and the triumphs connected with it. It belongs to the Psalms of Degrees, which were chanted on the fifteen steps leading to the inner court of the temple.
Children are compared to arrows in a warrior's hand, so that as arrows must be aimed by the archer to hit the mark, children require purposeful guidance and training so that when they leave home and school they do not miss the kingdom of God. Children are a blessing from God, and a large family brings happiness and honor, making a man secure and unashamed when confronting his enemies at the city gate. A man with a quiver full of children is happy and truly rich, since children are riches greater than money, land, and noble houses. A poor father is richer than a rich childless neighbor, little children's love secures a father's heart, and a wealthy man without children is poverty-poor and should envy the blessed father.
Children give strength to speak confidently before opponents at the gate, and children prepared through love in the home, with love in action as a firm foundation, will be ready to face opposition, especially in a time of crisis. God puts great honor upon Britain by making her His quiver for His arrows, which are the Bible Society, the Missionary Societies, and the Tract Society and their work of faith and labor of love in spreading the knowledge of Christ among heathen and other unenlightened nations. Through gospel preaching by evangelists at home and abroad, despite national crimes, God gathers from a world lying in wickedness a seed to serve Him from every country and clime and from every kindred, nation, people, and tongue. The image of a full quiver describes happiness and freedom from shame and is applied to the large families of the Boers, whose cradle is constantly refilled.