Psalm 134 Study Notes

Ps 134 title This is the last of the fifteen Psalms of Ascents (see note at Ps 120 title).

134:1 Bless and “praise” are the same word in Hebrew (brk). To bless a person is to speak well of him. When people speak well of God, it is praise. When God speaks well of a person, that person is blessed (Gn 24:35; Jb 42:12). After the exile, servants designated the faithful community that exemplified an attitude of service (19:11,13; 79:2,10; 86:4,16; 90:13). Congregational singing at the temple often occurred in the evening.

134:2 On bless, see note at v. 1.

134:3 The “blessing” of the Lord represents divine attention (see note at v. 1; cp. 128:5; Nm 6:24; Dt 14:29). Maker of heaven and earth differentiates Yahweh the Creator from all false gods.