Psalms 132:13-18

Context

132:13 Certainly¹ the Lord has chosen Zion;

he decided to make it his home.²

132:14 He said,³ “This will be my resting place forever;

I will live here, for I have chosen it.⁴

132:15 I will abundantly supply what she needs;⁵

I will give her poor all the food they need.⁶

132:16 I will protect her priests,⁷

and her godly people will shout exuberantly.⁸

132:17 There I will make David strong;⁹

I have determined that my chosen king’s dynasty will continue.¹⁰

132:18 I will humiliate his enemies,¹¹

and his crown will shine.

[132:13] ¹tn Or “for.”

[132:13] ²tn Heb “he desired it for his dwelling place.”

[132:14] ³tn The words “he said” are added in the translation to clarify that what follows are the Lord’s words.

[132:14] ⁴tn Heb “for I desired it.”

[132:15] ⁵tn Heb “I will greatly bless her provision.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.

[132:15] ⁶tn Heb “her poor I will satisfy [with] food.”

[132:16] ⁷tn Heb “and her priests I will clothe [with] deliverance.”

[132:16] ⁸tn Heb “[with] shouting they will shout.” The infinitive absolute is used to emphasize the verb.

[132:17] ⁹tn 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] ¹⁰tn 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] ¹¹tn Heb “his enemies I will clothe [with] shame.”