A song of ascents. 5
134:1 Attention! 6 Praise the Lord,
all you servants of the Lord,
who serve 7 in the Lord’s temple during the night.
134:2 Lift your hands toward the sanctuary
and praise the Lord!
1 tn Or “misled.”
2 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
3 tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.
4 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).
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 tn Heb “Look!”
7 tn Heb “stand.”