Mazmur 131:1--133:3
KonteksA song of ascents, 2 by David.
131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor do I have a haughty look. 3
I do not have great aspirations,
or concern myself with things that are beyond me. 4
131:2 Indeed 5 I am composed and quiet, 6
like a young child carried by its mother; 7
I am content like the young child I carry. 8
131:3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
now and forevermore!
A song of ascents. 10
132:1 O Lord, for David’s sake remember
all his strenuous effort, 11
132:2 and how he made a vow to the Lord,
and swore an oath to the powerful ruler of Jacob. 12
132:3 He said, 13 “I will not enter my own home, 14
or get into my bed. 15
132:4 I will not allow my eyes to sleep,
or my eyelids to slumber,
132:5 until I find a place for the Lord,
a fine dwelling place 16 for the powerful ruler of Jacob.” 17
132:6 Look, we heard about it 18 in Ephrathah, 19
we found it in the territory of Jaar. 20
132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!
Let us worship 21 before his footstool!
132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,
you and the ark of your strength!
132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! 22
May your loyal followers shout for joy!
132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,
do not reject your chosen king! 23
132:11 The Lord made a reliable promise to David; 24
he will not go back on his word. 25
He said, 26 “I will place one of your descendants 27 on your throne.
132:12 If your sons keep my covenant
and the rules I teach them,
their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”
132:13 Certainly 28 the Lord has chosen Zion;
he decided to make it his home. 29
132:14 He said, 30 “This will be my resting place forever;
I will live here, for I have chosen it. 31
132:15 I will abundantly supply what she needs; 32
I will give her poor all the food they need. 33
132:16 I will protect her priests, 34
and her godly people will shout exuberantly. 35
132:17 There I will make David strong; 36
I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. 37
132:18 I will humiliate his enemies, 38
and his crown will shine.
A song of ascents, 40 by David.
133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is
when brothers live together! 41
133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head
which flows down the beard 42 –
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments. 43
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 44
which flows down upon the hills of Zion. 45
Indeed 46 that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available – eternal life. 47
[131:1] 1 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
[131:1] 2 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[131:1] 3 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
[131:1] 4 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”
[131:2] 6 tn Heb “I make level and make quiet my soul.”
[131:2] 7 tn Heb “like a weaned [one] upon his mother.”
[131:2] 8 tn Heb “like the weaned [one] upon me, my soul.”
[132:1] 9 sn Psalm 132. The psalmist reminds God of David’s devotion and of his promises concerning David’s dynasty and Zion.
[132:1] 10 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[132:1] 11 tn Heb “all his affliction.” This may refer to David’s strenuous and tireless efforts to make provision for the building of the temple (see 1 Chr 22:14). Some prefer to revocalize the text as עַנַוָתוֹ (’anavato, “his humility”).
[132:2] 12 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”
[132:3] 13 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows is David’s vow.
[132:3] 14 tn Heb “the tent of my house.”
[132:3] 15 tn Heb “go up upon the bed of my couch.”
[132:5] 16 tn The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; David envisions a special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 84:1).
[132:5] 17 tn Heb “the powerful [one] of Jacob.”
[132:6] 18 tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [’aron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)
[132:6] 19 sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).
[132:6] 20 tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (ya’ad, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat yÿ’arim, “Kiriath-jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).
[132:9] 22 tn Or “righteousness.”
[132:10] 23 tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”
[132:11] 24 tn Heb “the
[132:11] 25 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
[132:11] 26 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
[132:11] 27 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
[132:13] 29 tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”
[132:14] 30 tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
[132:14] 31 tn Heb “for I desired it.”
[132:15] 32 tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
[132:15] 33 tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”
[132:16] 34 tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”
[132:16] 35 tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.
[132:17] 36 tn Heb “there I will cause a horn to sprout for David.” The horn of an ox underlies the metaphor (cf. Deut 33:17; 1 Kgs 22:11; Pss 18:2; 92:10). The horn of the wild ox is frequently a metaphor for military strength; the idiom “exalt the horn” signifies military victory (see 1 Sam 2:10; Pss 89:17, 24; 92:10; Lam 2:17). In the ancient Near East powerful warrior-kings would sometimes compare themselves to a goring bull that used its horns to kill its enemies. For examples, see P. Miller, “El the Warrior,” HTR 60 (1967): 422-25, and R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 135-36.
[132:17] 37 tn Heb “I have arranged a lamp for my anointed one.” Here the “lamp” is a metaphor for the Davidic dynasty (see 1 Kgs 11:36).
[132:18] 38 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”
[133:1] 39 sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.
[133:1] 40 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
[133:1] 41 sn This statement refers to the extended family structure of ancient Israel, where brothers would often live in proximity to one another (Deut 25:5), giving the family greater social prominence and security. However, in its later application in the Israelite cult it probably envisions unity within the covenant community. See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 212-15.
[133:2] 42 tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”
[133:2] 43 tn Heb “which goes down in accordance with his measured things.” The Hebrew phrase מִדּוֹתָיו (middotayv, “his measured things”) refers here to the robes worn by Aaron. HALOT 546 s.v. *מַד derives the form from מַד (midah, “robe”) rather than מִדָּה (middah, “measured thing”). Ugaritic md means “robe” and is pluralized mdt.
[133:3] 44 sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
[133:3] 45 sn The hills of Zion are those surrounding Zion (see Pss 87:1; 125:2). The psalmist does not intend to suggest that the dew from Mt. Hermon in the distant north actually flows down upon Zion. His point is that the same kind of heavy dew that replenishes Hermon may also be seen on Zion’s hills. See A. Cohen, Psalms (SoBB), 439. “Dew” here symbolizes divine blessing, as the next line suggests.
[133:3] 47 tn Heb “there the
