132:11 The Lord made a reliable promise to David; 1
he will not go back on his word. 2
He said, 3 “I will place one of your descendants 4 on your throne.
132:17 There I will make David strong; 5
I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue. 6
132:18 I will humiliate his enemies, 7
and his crown will shine.
A song of ascents, 9 by David.
133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is
when brothers live together! 10
133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head
which flows down the beard 11 –
Aaron’s beard,
and then flows down his garments. 12
133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, 13
which flows down upon the hills of Zion. 14
Indeed 15 that is where the Lord has decreed
a blessing will be available – eternal life. 16
A song of ascents. 18
134:1 Attention! 19 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 20 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
134:2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary
and praise the Lord!
134:3 May the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth,
bless you 21 from Zion! 22
135:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord!
Offer praise, you servants of the Lord,
135:2 who serve 24 in the Lord’s temple,
in the courts of the temple of our God.
135:3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good!
Sing praises to his name, for it is pleasant! 25
135:4 Indeed, 26 the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel to be his special possession. 27
135:5 Yes, 28 I know the Lord is great,
and our Lord is superior to all gods.
135:6 He does whatever he pleases
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all the ocean depths.
135:7 He causes the clouds to arise from the end of the earth,
makes lightning bolts accompany the rain,
and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
135:8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
including both men and animals.
135:9 He performed awesome deeds 29 and acts of judgment 30
in your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.
135:10 He defeated many nations,
and killed mighty kings –
135:11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan.
135:12 He gave their land as an inheritance,
as an inheritance to Israel his people.
135:13 O Lord, your name endures, 31
your reputation, O Lord, lasts. 32
135:14 For the Lord vindicates 33 his people,
and has compassion on his servants. 34
135:15 The nations’ idols are made of silver and gold,
they are man-made. 35
135:16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see,
135:17 and ears, but cannot hear.
Indeed, they cannot breathe. 36
135:18 Those who make them will end up 37 like them,
as will everyone who trusts in them.
135:19 O family 38 of Israel, praise the Lord!
O family of Aaron, praise the Lord!
135:20 O family of Levi, praise the Lord!
You loyal followers 39 of the Lord, praise the Lord!
135:21 The Lord deserves praise in Zion 40 –
he who dwells in Jerusalem. 41
Praise the Lord!
1 tn Heb “the
2 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
3 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
4 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”
5 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.
6 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).
7 tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”
8 sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.
9 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.
10 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.
11 tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”
12 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.
13 sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.
14 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.
15 tn Or “for.”
16 tn Heb “there the
17 sn Psalm 134. The psalmist calls on the temple servants to praise God (vv. 1-2). They in turn pronounce a blessing on the psalmist (v. 3).
18 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.
19 tn Heb “Look!”
20 tn Heb “stand.”
21 tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.
22 tn Heb “may the
23 sn Psalm 135. The psalmist urges God’s people to praise him because he is the incomparable God and ruler of the world who has accomplished great things for Israel.
24 tn Heb “stand.”
25 tn Heb “for [it is] pleasant.” The translation assumes that it is the
26 tn Or “for.”
27 sn His special possession. The language echoes Exod 19:5; Deut 7:6; 14:2; 26:18. See also Mal 3:17.
28 tn Or “for.”
29 tn Or “signs” (see Ps 65:8).
30 tn Or “portents”; “omens” (see Ps 71:7). The Egyptian plagues are alluded to here.
31 tn Or “is forever.”
32 tn Heb “O
33 tn Heb “judges,” but here the idea is that the
34 sn Verse 14 echoes Deut 32:36, where Moses affirms that God mercifully relents from fully judging his wayward people.
35 tn Heb “the work of the hands of man.”
36 tn Heb “indeed, there is not breath in their mouth.” For the collocation אַף אֵין (’af ’en, “indeed, there is not”) see Isa 41:26. Another option is to take אַף as “nose” (see Ps 115:6), in which case one might translate, “a nose, [but] they have no breath in their mouths.”
37 tn Heb “will be.” Another option is to take the prefixed verbal form as a prayer, “may those who make them end up like them.”
38 tn Heb “house” (here and in the next two lines).
39 tn Heb “fearers.”
40 tn Heb “praised be the
41 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.