Psalms 133:1-3

Psalm 133 ¹ 

A song of ascents, ²  by David.

133:1 Look! How good and how pleasant it is

when brothers live together! ³ 

133:2 It is like fine oil poured on the head

which flows down the beard ⁴  –

Aaron’s beard,

and then flows down his garments. ⁵ 

133:3 It is like the dew of Hermon, ⁶ 

which flows down upon the hills of Zion. ⁷ 

Indeed ⁸  that is where the Lord has decreed

a blessing will be available – eternal life. ⁹ 

Ezekiel 37:16-23

37:16 “As for you, son of man, take one branch, and write on it, ‘For Judah, and for the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another branch and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the branch of Ephraim and all the house of Israel associated with him.’ 37:17 Join ¹⁰  them as one stick; ¹¹  they will be as one in your hand. 37:18 When your people ¹²  say to you, ‘Will you not tell us what these things mean?’ 37:19 tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the branch of Joseph which is in the hand of Ephraim and the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will place them on the stick of Judah, ¹³  and make them into one stick – they will be one in my hand.’ ¹⁴  37:20 The sticks you write on will be in your hand in front of them. 37:21 Then tell them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am about to take the Israelites from among the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from round about and bring them to their land. 37:22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. They will never again be two nations and never again be divided into two kingdoms. ¹⁵  37:23 They will not defile themselves with their idols, their detestable things, and all their rebellious deeds. I will save them from all their unfaithfulness ¹⁶  by which they sinned. I will purify them; they will become my people and I will become their God.

John 17:21-23

17:21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray ¹⁷  that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 17:22 The glory ¹⁸  you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – 17:23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, ¹⁹  so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

[133:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 133. The psalmist affirms the benefits of family unity.

[133:1]  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.

[133:1]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Heb “[it is] like the good oil on the head, going down on the beard.”

[133:2]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ sn Hermon refers to Mount Hermon, located north of Israel.

[133:3]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Or “for.”

[133:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forever.”

[37:17]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “bring near.”

[37:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “one to one for you for one stick.”

[37:18]  ¹² tn Heb “the sons of your people.”

[37:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “I will place them on it, that is, on the stick of Judah.”

[37:19]  ¹⁴ sn The reunification of Israel and Judah is envisioned as well in Ezek 33:23, 29; Jer 3:18; 23:5-6; Hos 1:11; Amos 9:11.

[37:22]  ¹⁵ sn Jeremiah also attested to the reuniting of the northern and southern kingdoms (Jer 3:12, 14; 31:2-6).

[37:23]  ¹⁶ tc Heb “their dwellings.” The text as it stands does not make sense. Based on the LXX, a slight emendation of two vowels, including a mater, yields the reading “from their turning,” a reference here to their turning from God and deviating from his commandments. See BDB 1000 s.v. מְשׁוּבָה, and D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 2:407.

[17:21]  ¹⁷ tn The words “I pray” are repeated from the first part of v. 20 for clarity.

[17:22]  ¹⁸ tn Grk And the glory.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

[17:23]  ¹⁹ tn Or “completely unified.”