Translations
A Song of degrees. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
A Song of Ascents.
When YHWH restored the fortunes of Tziyon, we were like those who dream.
A Song of the Steps.
When Yahweh restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those caught up in a dream.
A song of ascents. When the LORD restored the captives of Zion, we were like dreamers.
Footnotes
The superscription Shir HaMa'alot ("Song of Ascents") heads fifteen psalms (120–134), likely sung by pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem for the three great festivals; ma'alot ("goings-up") carries both geographical and spiritual freight. The key phrase shuv et-shivat (or shevut) is contested: it can mean "restore the captivity" (pointing to the specific Babylonian return) or "restore the fortunes" (a broader reversal of loss), and the two senses are not mutually exclusive. Both translations retain "fortunes" to honor the full semantic range. Ke-cholmim ("like dreamers") captures the disorienting, almost surreal quality of joy—the restoration was too good to feel real.

