Psalms · Chapter 122

Verse 1. I was glad when they said] When Cyrus published an edict for their return, the very first object of their thanksgiving was the kindness of God in permitting them to return to his ordinances.

Verses 1, 2. I was glad when they said, Let us go, &c. — Or, We will go, into the house of the Lord — They are the words of the people, exhorting one another to go and attend upon the worship of God at his tabernacle or temple at Jerusalem, and especially at the three great festivals; and they are intended to signify with what great joy such Israelites as were pious received and complied with invitations from their brethren to accompany them on these occasions. But with how much greater joy ought Christians to embrace all opportunities of approaching God, and assembling with his people in the more rational, spiritual, and edifying worship of the New Testament church! Our feet shall stand within thy gates, &c. — Thither we will come, and there we will continue during the times of solemn worship; O Jerusalem — The city where the ark of the covenant and God’s holy altars are now fixed. We shall wander no more, as we did formerly, when the ark was removed from place to place. We have now got a settled habitation for it, and where it is there will we be.

1. I was glad—Literally, A light of joy was in my face. A characteristic testimony that the religion of the Hebrews, according to the liturgy of Moses, induced joy and praise, not a sordid superstition, as the heathen slanderously charged. (TACITUS, History, B. 5, § 4.) The past tense gives us a retrospection, which some take as evidence that the language is that of a pious Jew in exile. But the whole tone of the psalm is that of present joy, as if written immediately after receiving the call to go to the house of God. On the invitation, Let us go, see Deuteronomy 33:19; Isaiah 2:3. House, here, is to be understood of place, or the tent containing the ark. See note on Psalm 116:19. Delight in the worship of God springs from the love of God, and makes the way to the house of prayer pleasant. See notes on Psalm 84:5-8.

Verse 2. Our feet shall stand] For seventy years we have been exiled from our own land; our heart was in Jerusalem, but our feet were in Chaldea. Now God has turned our captivity, and our feet shall shortly stand within the gates of Jerusalem. What a transition from misery to happiness! and what a subject for rejoicing!

Verses 1, 2. I was glad when they said, Let us go, &c. — Or, We will go, into the house of the Lord — They are the words of the people, exhorting one another to go and attend upon the worship of God at his tabernacle or temple at Jerusalem, and especially at the three great festivals; and they are intended to signify with what great joy such Israelites as were pious received and complied with invitations from their brethren to accompany them on these occasions. But with how much greater joy ought Christians to embrace all opportunities of approaching God, and assembling with his people in the more rational, spiritual, and edifying worship of the New Testament church! Our feet shall stand within thy gates, &c. — Thither we will come, and there we will continue during the times of solemn worship; O Jerusalem — The city where the ark of the covenant and God’s holy altars are now fixed. We shall wander no more, as we did formerly, when the ark was removed from place to place. We have now got a settled habitation for it, and where it is there will we be.

2. Shall stand—Literally, Have been standing, or, have stood. So Septuagint, estwtev hsan, our feet have stood. This also is retrospective, but may apply to the recent past.

Verse 3. Jerusalem-compact together.] It is now well rebuilt, every part contributing to the strength of the whole. It is also a state of great political and spiritual union. It is the centre of union to all the tribes, for each tribe has an equal interest in that God who is worshipped there.

Verse 3. Jerusalem is builded as a city, compact together — Hebrew, hl hrbjv, shechubberah lah, quæ conjuncta est sibi, which is united, or, compacted to, or, in itself. The word signifies “the connection or joining of things aptly and closely to each other. Thus it is used of the coupling of the curtains of the tabernacle together, Exodus 36:18. Hence it is used to denote the connection and society of friendship, affection, and purpose, Genesis 14:3; Hosea 4:17. In the place before us, both senses seem to be united. Jerusalem was compact as to its buildings, and the inhabitants of it were firmly united by mutual harmony and friendship.” — Chandler. This clause is rendered by Mudge, As a city that is placed in the centre of union. “Jerusalem,” says Dr. Delaney, “the great seat and centre of religion and justice, was the centre of union to all the tribes; the palace, the centre of the city; and the tabernacle, of the palace. Blessed and happy is that nation whose prince is the centre of union to his people, and God (that is, true religion) the common centre and cement both of people and prince.” — Life of David, book 2., chapter 12., page 162.

3. Compact together—The city lay in a rocky region, between the valleys of Gihon on the west, and Kidron on the east, with an irregular circumference of (according to Josephus) thirty-three stadia (or a little less than three and four-fifths miles,) of the outer wall. The modern wall is about two and a half miles in circuit. Originally Jerusalem was composed of several sections, particularly the upper end lower city, (the name occurs five times in the Hebrew Bible, in the plural or dual,) lying on uneven ground, unequally fortified, and imperfectly united; but David captured, firmly united, and fortified the whole. 1 Chronicles 11:7, 9. The text, “compact together,” or joined to itself together, probably refers to the means of connexion between the different parts. It may be used, too, to illustrate the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church, “builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:21, 22.

V. 4. The tribes-Whom God has chosen to be his people. Unto-Unto the ark, called the testimony, because of the tables of the covenant laid up in it, which are called God’s testimony, and the tables of the testimony. And this is called the testimony of, or to Israel, because it was given by God to them. Give thanks-To worship God; this one eminent part thereof being put for all the rest.

Verse 4. The testimony of Israel] There is the ark, where the presence of God is manifested; there is the holy of holies; and there all the tribes assembled to worship Jehovah. He no doubt alludes to the assembling of the tribes annually at each of the three grand national festivals.

Verses 4, 5. Whither the tribes go up, &c. — Hebrew, Thither the tribes ascend; the tribes of the Lord — Whom God hath chosen to be his people, and whom he hath invited and required to resort thither. Unto the testimony of Israel — Unto the ark, called the testimony because of the tables of the covenant laid up in it, which are called God’s testimony, and the tables of the testimony. And this is called the testimony of, or to Israel, because it was given by God to them. To give thanks unto the name of the Lord — To worship God; this one eminent part thereof being put for all the rest. For there are set thrones of judgment — The supreme courts of justice for ecclesiastical and civil affairs. The thrones of the house of David — The royal throne, allotted by God to David and to his posterity, and the inferior seats of justice established by and under his authority.

Verse 4. The tribes go up, because they found all the testimonials of the covenant there; and because the thrones of David’s house would decide their causes with equity. Therefore this psalm could not be composed in Babylon.

4. Tribes go up—Tribes have gone up. The past tense indicates a custom established, which even the present implies. Testimony of Israel—Not “unto the testimony of Israel,” as in our English version. The Hebrew simply reads, A testimony to Israel; that is, it was a testimony, or command to Israel to assemble three times in a year for sacrifice and worship at the place which God should designate, which was now Jerusalem. See Exodus 23:14-17; 34:23; Deuteronomy 16:16. To give thanks— As the end or object of their assembling.

V. 5. Judgment-The supreme courts of justice for ecclesiastical and civil affairs. Thrones-The royal throne allotted by God to David and to his posterity, and the inferior seats of justice under his authority.

Verse 5. There are set thrones of judgment] There were the public courts, and thither the people went to obtain justice; and while the thrones of the house of David were there, they had justice.

Verses 4, 5. Whither the tribes go up, &c. — Hebrew, Thither the tribes ascend; the tribes of the Lord — Whom God hath chosen to be his people, and whom he hath invited and required to resort thither. Unto the testimony of Israel — Unto the ark, called the testimony because of the tables of the covenant laid up in it, which are called God’s testimony, and the tables of the testimony. And this is called the testimony of, or to Israel, because it was given by God to them. To give thanks unto the name of the Lord — To worship God; this one eminent part thereof being put for all the rest. For there are set thrones of judgment — The supreme courts of justice for ecclesiastical and civil affairs. The thrones of the house of David — The royal throne, allotted by God to David and to his posterity, and the inferior seats of justice established by and under his authority.

5. There are set thrones—There they established thrones. The Hebrew word for throne (kisseh) means also a high seat, whether for honour and rank, or for authority and judgment. Judges 3:20; 1 Samuel 4:13, 18; Esther 3:1. Here the plural “thrones” should be taken as seats of judicial and executive authority for the administration of justice established by David, and hence called “thrones of judgment,” “thrones of the house of David.” The force of the statement lies in the fact that the choice of Jerusalem, as the place of supreme judgment and of David’s kingly authority, had been sorely contested, but the attempt had proved abortive. The law required that the religious centre of the nation should be its supreme seat of judgment. Deuteronomy 7:8-12.

Verse 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem] שלום shalom signifies both peace and prosperity. Let her unanimity never be disturbed; let her prosperity ever be on the increase!

They shall prosper that love thee.] In the peace and prosperity of the city, they shall find their peace and their prosperity; and even on this ground they should love the city, and labour to promote its best interests. There is a remarkable alliteration in this verse, the letter v shin frequently recurring.

Ëybha wylvy ירושלם שלום wlav

Shaalu shelom yerushalam yishlayu ohabeycha.

“Ask ye the prosperity of Jerusalem; they shall be quiet that love thee.” There are remarkable specimens of similar alliteration to be found in all poets, ancient and modern. This formed the chief feature of our ancient poetry. Thus in Peter the ploughman:—

“In a somers seysoun whan sete was the sonne

I schoop me in a shrowde as I a sheep were.”

And the same manner often appears, even in Milton himself. See the Il Penseroso:—

“Oft, on a plat of rising ground,

I hear the far-off curfew sound

Over some wide-watered shore,

Swinging slow with sullen roar.”

Verses 6-9. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem — In the prosperity of which both your civil and religious privileges are deeply concerned. They shall prosper that love thee — Or, Let them prosper, the future being taken imperatively, as is very frequent. The Lord grant them prosperity and all happiness. Peace be within thy walls — In all thy dwellings; and prosperity within thy palaces — Especially in the dwellings of thy princes and rulers, whose welfare and prosperity may be a public blessing to all the people. For my brethren and companions’ sakes — And this I desire, says David, not only, nor chiefly, for my own security and for the glory of my empire, but for the sake of all my fellow-citizens, and of all the Israelites, whom, though my subjects, I must own for my brethren and companions in the chief privileges and blessings enjoyed at Jerusalem. Because of the house of the Lord — Which is now fixed in this city; because of the ordinances of his worship, which are here established. I will seek thy good — Thy protection, peace, and prosperity. Thus, “in these concluding verses, the psalmist declares the two motives which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to use his best endeavours for the prosperity of Jerusalem; namely, the love of his brethren, whose happiness was involved in that of their city; and the love of God, who had there fixed the residence of his glory. These motives are ever in force, and ought, surely, to operate with marvellous energy upon our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now before us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour for the salvation of men, and the glory of our great Redeemer; both which will then be complete, when the church militant shall become the church triumphant, and the heavenly paradise shall be filled with plants taken from its terrestrial nursery.” — Horne.

6, 7. Peace of Jerusalem… peace… prosperity—The “peace of

Jerusalem” involved the peace of the nation, the “peace” of the Church, and the orderly and edifying worship of God. Prayer for the “peace” of the Church and the nation, is a prime religious duty. There is an alliteration in the Hebrew, curious and sprightly, (somewhat like shelom, shelaim, yish-lavoo, shalom, shalvah,) indicated in the following italicized words: “Pray for the peace of the city of peace, (Jeru-shalem, Hebrews 7:2;) they shall have peace that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and peace within thy palaces,” (verse 7,) is according to the true Hebrew salutation. Numbers 6:26; Matthew 10:12, 13.

Verse 7. Peace be within thy walls] This is the form of prayer that they are to use: “May prosperity ever reside within thy walls, on all the people that dwell there; and tranquillity within thy palaces or high places, among the rulers and governors of the people.”

Verses 6-9. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem — In the prosperity of which both your civil and religious privileges are deeply concerned. They shall prosper that love thee — Or, Let them prosper, the future being taken imperatively, as is very frequent. The Lord grant them prosperity and all happiness. Peace be within thy walls — In all thy dwellings; and prosperity within thy palaces — Especially in the dwellings of thy princes and rulers, whose welfare and prosperity may be a public blessing to all the people. For my brethren and companions’ sakes — And this I desire, says David, not only, nor chiefly, for my own security and for the glory of my empire, but for the sake of all my fellow-citizens, and of all the Israelites, whom, though my subjects, I must own for my brethren and companions in the chief privileges and blessings enjoyed at Jerusalem. Because of the house of the Lord — Which is now fixed in this city; because of the ordinances of his worship, which are here established. I will seek thy good — Thy protection, peace, and prosperity. Thus, “in these concluding verses, the psalmist declares the two motives which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to use his best endeavours for the prosperity of Jerusalem; namely, the love of his brethren, whose happiness was involved in that of their city; and the love of God, who had there fixed the residence of his glory. These motives are ever in force, and ought, surely, to operate with marvellous energy upon our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now before us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour for the salvation of men, and the glory of our great Redeemer; both which will then be complete, when the church militant shall become the church triumphant, and the heavenly paradise shall be filled with plants taken from its terrestrial nursery.” — Horne.

6, 7. Peace of Jerusalem… peace… prosperity—The “peace of

Jerusalem” involved the peace of the nation, the “peace” of the Church, and the orderly and edifying worship of God. Prayer for the “peace” of the Church and the nation, is a prime religious duty. There is an alliteration in the Hebrew, curious and sprightly, (somewhat like shelom, shelaim, yish-lavoo, shalom, shalvah,) indicated in the following italicized words: “Pray for the peace of the city of peace, (Jeru-shalem, Hebrews 7:2;) they shall have peace that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and peace within thy palaces,” (verse 7,) is according to the true Hebrew salutation. Numbers 6:26; Matthew 10:12, 13.

Verse 8. For any brethren and companions’ sakes] Because this city is the abode of my kinsfolk and countrymen, I will wish it prosperity. I will promote its peace and tranquillity by all means in my power. I will affectionately say, May peace be within thee!

Verses 6-9. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem — In the prosperity of which both your civil and religious privileges are deeply concerned. They shall prosper that love thee — Or, Let them prosper, the future being taken imperatively, as is very frequent. The Lord grant them prosperity and all happiness. Peace be within thy walls — In all thy dwellings; and prosperity within thy palaces — Especially in the dwellings of thy princes and rulers, whose welfare and prosperity may be a public blessing to all the people. For my brethren and companions’ sakes — And this I desire, says David, not only, nor chiefly, for my own security and for the glory of my empire, but for the sake of all my fellow-citizens, and of all the Israelites, whom, though my subjects, I must own for my brethren and companions in the chief privileges and blessings enjoyed at Jerusalem. Because of the house of the Lord — Which is now fixed in this city; because of the ordinances of his worship, which are here established. I will seek thy good — Thy protection, peace, and prosperity. Thus, “in these concluding verses, the psalmist declares the two motives which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to use his best endeavours for the prosperity of Jerusalem; namely, the love of his brethren, whose happiness was involved in that of their city; and the love of God, who had there fixed the residence of his glory. These motives are ever in force, and ought, surely, to operate with marvellous energy upon our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now before us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour for the salvation of men, and the glory of our great Redeemer; both which will then be complete, when the church militant shall become the church triumphant, and the heavenly paradise shall be filled with plants taken from its terrestrial nursery.” — Horne.

Verse 9. Because of the house of the Lord our God] Particularly will I wish thee well, because thou art the seat of religion, the place where our merciful God has condescended to dwell.

To the captives in Babylon the Prophet Jeremiah had given this charge, Jeremiah 29:7: “And seek שלום shalom, the prosperity of the city, whither I have caused you to be carried captives, and pray unto the Lord for it; for in the prosperity thereof ye shall have prosperity.” Was this a duty for the captives? Yes. And is it the duty of every man for his own country? God, nature, common sense, and self-interest say, YES! And what must we think of the wretches who not only do not thus pray, but labour to destroy the public peace, to subvert the government of their country, to raise seditions, and to destroy all its civil and religious institutions? Think of them! Why, that hemp would be disgraced by hanging them.

There is a fine picture given us here of the state of Jerusalem after the restoration of the Jews. The walls were finished, the city rebuilt, beautiful, strong, and regular, the temple and its worship were restored, the courts of justice were re-established, the constituted authorities in Church and state were doing their duty; and God was pouring out his blessing upon all. Who could see this without praying, May God increase thy peace, and establish thy prosperity for ever!

Verses 6-9. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem — In the prosperity of which both your civil and religious privileges are deeply concerned. They shall prosper that love thee — Or, Let them prosper, the future being taken imperatively, as is very frequent. The Lord grant them prosperity and all happiness. Peace be within thy walls — In all thy dwellings; and prosperity within thy palaces — Especially in the dwellings of thy princes and rulers, whose welfare and prosperity may be a public blessing to all the people. For my brethren and companions’ sakes — And this I desire, says David, not only, nor chiefly, for my own security and for the glory of my empire, but for the sake of all my fellow-citizens, and of all the Israelites, whom, though my subjects, I must own for my brethren and companions in the chief privileges and blessings enjoyed at Jerusalem. Because of the house of the Lord — Which is now fixed in this city; because of the ordinances of his worship, which are here established. I will seek thy good — Thy protection, peace, and prosperity. Thus, “in these concluding verses, the psalmist declares the two motives which induced him to utter his best wishes, and to use his best endeavours for the prosperity of Jerusalem; namely, the love of his brethren, whose happiness was involved in that of their city; and the love of God, who had there fixed the residence of his glory. These motives are ever in force, and ought, surely, to operate with marvellous energy upon our hearts, to stir us up to imitate the pattern now before us, in fervent zeal and unwearied labour for the salvation of men, and the glory of our great Redeemer; both which will then be complete, when the church militant shall become the church triumphant, and the heavenly paradise shall be filled with plants taken from its terrestrial nursery.” — Horne.

9. Because of the house of the Lord—As in the previous verse the psalmist’s love of the brethren led him to wish peace to the city, so now the love of the house of God shows the love of God to be his leading motive. With a true Hebrew, religion underlaid patriotism. This alone could give the highest love of country, and offer the surest stability to government. Throughout this psalm the warmest piety and patriotism prevail, and a true spiritual and evangelical meaning lies beneath the letter. According to the common method of the Hebrews in expressing their spiritual faith and feelings, the language and metaphor seem to present only a secular garb; but the reader will do himself and the psalmist the highest injustice if he fails to trace a New Testament type of piety throughout. On “house,” as it bears on the question whether the temple was standing at this time, see on verse 1 and the reference there.