Psalms 134:1-3

Psalm 134 ¹ 

A song of ascents. ² 

134:1 Attention! ³  Praise the Lord,

all you servants of the Lord,

who serve ⁴  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 ⁵  from Zion! ⁶ 

[134:1]  ¹ 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).

[134:1]  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.

[134:1]  ³ tn Heb “Look!”

[134:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “stand.”

[134:3]  ⁵ tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine singular, suggesting that the servants addressed in vv. 1-2 are responding to the psalmist.

[134:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “may the Lord bless you from Zion, the maker of heaven and earth.”