A song of ascents, 2 by David.
122:1 I was glad because 3 they said to me,
“We will go to the Lord’s temple.”
A song of ascents, 5 by David.
124:1 “If the Lord had not been on our side” –
let Israel say this! –
A song of ascents, 7 by David.
131:1 O Lord, my heart is not proud,
nor do I have a haughty look. 8
I do not have great aspirations,
or concern myself with things that are beyond me. 9
1 sn Psalm 122. The psalmist expresses his love for Jerusalem and promises to pray for the city’s security.
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.
3 tn Heb “in the ones saying to me.” After the verb שָׂמַח (samakh), the preposition בְּ (bet) usually introduces the reason for joy.
4 sn Psalm 124. Israel acknowledges that the Lord delivered them from certain disaster.
5 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.
6 sn Psalm 131. The psalmist affirms his humble dependence on the Lord and urges Israel to place its trust in God.
7 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.
8 tn Heb “and my eyes are not lifted up.”
9 tn Heb “I do not walk in great things, and in things too marvelous for me.”