Psalm 133

Doctrines Covered

Doctrines Alluded To

Aaron

At this time, I am unsure where I will eventually place the writing of this psalm. Therefore, I will present some of the theories below:

Theories as to When and Why David Wrote this Psalm

Exegete

Time Period

Clarke

There are different opinions concerning this Psalm; the most probable is, that it represents the priests and Levites returned from captivity, and united in the service of God in the sanctuary. This, the preceding, and the following, appear to make one subject. In the one hundred and thirty-second, the Lord is entreated to enter his temple, and pour out his benediction; in the one hundred and thirty-third, the beautiful order and harmony of the temple service is pointed out, and in the one hundred and thirty-fourth, all are exhorted to diligence and watchfulness in the performance of their duty. It is attributed to David by the Hebrew, the Syriac, and the Vulgate; but no name is prefixed in the Septuagint, Ethiopic, Arabic, and Anglo-Saxon. The problem is that we do find David’s name in 3 sets of extremely important manuscripts (more important than the sets named as lacking David’s name), as well as in the Alexandrian Septuagint. Clarke’s theory only works if David’s name is not attached. However, we do not find David’s name in the surrounding psalms (except for Psalm 122 124 131).

Barnes

This psalm is entitled “A Song of Degrees of David.” It is one of the four in this collection ascribed to him, and there is no reason to doubt the correctness of the inscription. As to the occasion on which the psalm was composed, however, we have no information. Perhaps there was nothing special in the occasion which called it forth, since it may have been written at any time to set forth the beauty and the power of brotherly love. It may have been composed either for the service of the people when gathered in their annual festivals, or in view of the harmony - the beauty and order - evinced when they were thus gathered together. This psalm could be applied to the gathering of a family, of a church or of friends. Having three brothers whose company I enjoy tremendously, this seems to me to be an apropos application.

Gill

Gill actually makes two suggestions: after David consolidated his power into one kingdom (2Sam. 5:1) or as Zodhiates suggests below.

Gill

Although Gill does not adhere to any of these theories, he also mentions that there are some who actually place this psalm during the time of the early church when Christians were of one heart and soul (Acts 4:32). The problem is, this did not last very long (see the first letter to the Corinthians) and this psalm would have been found in the Septuagint, translated from the Hebrew into the Greek 100-200 years prior to the time frame that they theorize it was written.

Hengstenberg and Keil and Delitzsch

In this Psalm, says Hengstenberg, “David brings to the consciousness of the church the glory of the fellowship of the saints, that had so long been wanting, the restoration of which had begun with the setting up of the Ark in Zion.” The Psalm, in fact, does not speak of the termination of the dispersion, but of the uniting of the people of all parts of the land for the purpose of divine worship in the one place of the sanctuary. They see Psalm 122 as being the counterpart to Psalm 133.

Henry

David had many sons by many wives; probably he penned this psalm for their instruction, to engage them to love another, and, if they had done this, much of the mischief that arose in his family would have been happily prevented. The tribes of Israel had long had separate interests during the government of the Judges, and it was often of bad consequence; but now that they were united under one common head he would have them sensible how much it was likely to be for their advantage, especially since now the ark was fixed, and with it the place of their rendezvous for public worship and the centre of their unity. Now let them live in love. Immediately, I thought to myself, David is not exhorting his sons to try to get along; however, what David is doing is saying how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. So Matthew Henry’s proposition does have some validity.

Kimchi and Ben Melech

These two separately suggest that this psalm is a prediction of the peace and concord between the King Messiah and the priest, of which Zerubbabel and Joshua were types (Zech. 6:13). This does not really tell us when David wrote the psalm, however.

Kukis

I originally placed this psalm right after 1Sam. 16:11, as something David wrote while in the woods, watching the sheep, missing his brothers. Two factors which mitigate against this placement are a relative particle in this psalm which is usually found in the late Hebrew writings or in the norther Palestinian writings (see v. 2) and the mention of Zion, which may more properly place this psalm after David conquered Zion as king.

Kukis

David could have written this psalm in anticipation of the celebration of a Temple to God, where Israel would be gathered. It was in David’s heart to build such a Temple for Jehovah, but he was not to be the one to build it (2Sam. 7). By the way, it appears as though David never united the Ark of God with the Tabernacle of God (2Chron. 1:3–4).

Spurgeon

Although Spurgeon does not deprive David of the authorship of this psalm, he suggests that this refers to the believing Jews who return to Zion from their captivity. It might been a psalm they would have sung on route back to Jerusalem.

               Theodoret

Theodoret supposes it to be prophetic, and to have respect to the union of the tribes after the Babylon captivity, who had been disunited in the times of Rehoboam, but now were no more two nations and kingdoms, but one; see Ezek. 37:16. The idea is, David looks forward to the time of great unity. The problem here is, Israel was more or less united under David, as well as under Saul and Solomon (yes, there was some tension). However, David did not look forward to a time that Israel would be divided (which would have surprised him) and then, from that perspective, look forward to be united. This does not make any sense, unless written by someone other than David, which would be contrary to the first few words of this psalm.

Zodhiates

Zodhiates places this psalm after David regained his throne following Absalom’s rebellion and cites 2Sam. 5:1 19:14 1Chron. 12:38–40. Gill adds 2Sam. 19:9. The idea is, the various tribes of Israel wanted to show David solidarity after the Absalom rebellion. The union between brothers is really about Israelites in general, and not about David’s familial brothers in specific. None of the verses given really tie this psalm to that era; however, his opinion here is every bit as valid as mine. The weakness I see in the suggestions of Gill or Zodhiates is there is less mention of David’s brothers in this time period (although, David could certainly be waxing nostalgic); and, as I mentioned, this could refer to David and his brothers in Israel, rather than to his literal brothers.

It should be obvious that there is no definitive time period that we can assign this psalm to. That it may have wide application, rather than be simply assigned to just one event, is not something that we should be concerned about.

Psalm 133 inscription a

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

shîyr (רי.ש) [pronounced sheer]

song, singing

feminine singular construct

Strong’s #7892 BDB #1010

ma׳ălâh (הָלֲע-מ) [pronounced mah-ģuh-LAW]

what comes up; steps, stair, stories, ascent; degrees; an upper room

feminine plural noun with the definite article

Strong’s #4609 BDB #752

First of all, we should examine....

A Summary of the Similarities and Differences of the Song of Ascent Psalms

1.    Psalms 120–134 are all titled Song of Ascents (or, steps).

2.    Several of these psalms have allusions to Zion (Psalms 125 126 128 129 132 133 134).

       a.    Overall, 20% of all the psalms mention Zion.

       b.    Nearly 50% of the Ascent psalms mention Zion.

               i.      Several of these psalms have allusions to Jerusalem (Psalm 122 125 128).

       c.     Overall, 7% of all the psalms mention Jerusalem.

       d.    20% of these psalms mention Jerusalem (which is not statistically too different).

       e.    Less than 25% of the psalms mention Zion or Jerusalem. However, of the Songs of Ascent, over half of them mention Zion or Jerusalem.

       f.     This may explain why some theorize that these psalms were related to the gathering of the Israelites to Jerusalem for the three religious festivals held there each years.

                                              1)    Since I am dealing with statistics here, every Psalm of Ascent mentions Jehovah. Only eight psalms in the entire book of Psalms lack the name Jehovah (5%—statistically irrelevant).

                                              2)    David wrote four of these psalms; Solomon one; the other authors are unknown.

                                              3)    General themes:

       g.    The psalmist cries out to God for help in Psalms 120 121 130.

       h.    The psalmist asks God for grace in Psalms 123.

       i.      The psalmist speaks of going up to Jerusalem and praying for Jerusalem in Psalm 122.

       j.      The psalmist praises God for deliverance in Psalm 124; for being brought back to Jerusalem after the exile in Psalm 126.

       k.     The psalmist thanks God for protection in Psalm 125a.

       l.      The psalmist asks for people to get their due in Psalm 125b.

       m.   Psalm 126 appears to be about the captives of Israel.

       n.    The psalmist (Solomon) speaks of the blessings of having children in Psalm 127. The psalmist speaks of the blessings of fearing God and walking in His ways in Psalm 128. The psalmist speaks of blessing the Lord in the short Psalm 134.

       o.    The psalmist speaks of being persecuted in Psalm 129.

       p.    David is introspective in the very short Psalm 131. David writes of personal blessing in the very short Psalm 133 as well.

       q.    Psalm 132 sounds like a dedication of the Temple, as an eventual result of David’s desire to have it built.

       r.     My point here is, there are no real consistent themes in these psalms. 15 other psalms chosen at random could reasonably result in a similar set of themes.

                                                              i)     Because of the inordinate number of times that Zion and Jerusalem are mentioned, and because Psalm 122 speaks of going to Jerusalem, and because Psalm 119 is the death march out of Judah, many have therefore postulated that this group of psalms were sung either when marching to Jerusalem for the three religious festivals, or as a celebration of returning to Jerusalem from the exile.

Since we will deal with the meaning and interpretation of these psalms, I feel we should cover this material first.

There are a few theories about what these first few words of the title mean. We find them applied to Psalms 120–134 exclusively.

Theories on the Significance of the Title “Song of Ascents”

Source

Theory

Barnes

Others have supposed that the title refers to some uniqueness of structure in the psalms - a gradation or elevation of thought - approaching to a climax. Barnes offers this as one explanation of many. It is unlikely, as these psalms were composed at different times by different authors for a variety of purposes.

Barnes

Some have suggested that these psalms were for the exiles to sing when they returned from Persia. Barnes says that this understanding makes little sense, as three of the psalms of Davidic and another written by Solomon—both long before either the northern or southern kingdom’s were removed from the land. Furthermore, only Psalm 122 and 126 have any possible references to having been exiled (and, to my reading, only Psalm 126 could be possibly classified in that way).

Barnes

The remaining supposition seems to have much more plausibility than anyone here suggested. It is that the term is a musical expression; that there was something special in the “scale” of the music to which these psalms were sung, though that is now lost to us...It is impossible, however, now to ascertain “what” there is that would make this appellation especially appropriate to these psalms. All that can be known is, that there was some reason why these psalms were, so to speak, bound up together, and designated by a common title. This does not prevent a special title being prefixed to some of them in regard to their author and design. Barnes also points out that this is similar to the opinions of John D. Michaelis (Notes on Lowth’s Lectures on Hebrew Poetry, xxv., p. 512); Asseman (Biblioth. Orient., t. i., p. 62), and by Castell (Lex. Syr.)

Matthew Henry

Suggests that this group of psalms received their designation not from the various authors but from the publisher. He suggests these because these psalms are authored at different times by different authors and the subject matter is diverse.

Jewish Rabbins

Some Jewish Rabbins believe these are the psalms sung as the people ascend the 15 steps of Ezekiel’s Temple (Ezek. 40:22, 37). The idea is one psalm per step. This makes little sense, as this is the Temple in the Millennium (Ezekiel saw this in a vision).

Kukis

This group of psalms (Psalms 120–134) could have received their name, A Song of Ascents, after the fact—that is, they were written whenever they were written, and then gathered together and given that name at a later date. Since many assign these particular psalms to being recited or sung when the Jews returned to Israel after their exile, it is possible that this group of psalms were so used and therefore so classified. My view is not significantly different from Henry’s.

Kukis

Now, don’t quote me on this approach, but, perhaps these psalms taken together result in a spiritual ascension or growth as one studies from Psalm 120 through Psalm 134. I am only thinking out loud here. Superficially, I do not actually see a spiritual progression in these psalms.

Michaelis

Michaelis supposes that the title is a musical term, and that the reference is to something special in the rhythm, or what is called by us, “feet” of the psalm, but which in the East would be called “steps” or “ascents.”

NIV Study Bible

This refers to the steps of the Temple, so it is a song related to ascending the steps of the Temple. These were possibly the psalms read aloud at the Feast of Tabernacles. The problem with this is, several of these psalms are attributed to David, who spoke of building a Temple, but never did—his son Solomon did.

One might suggest that these psalms were collected to be used for this purpose. Therefore, they could have been written at any time.

NIV Study Bible

Most associated these psalms with the religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Ex. 23:14–17 Deut. 16:16 Psalm 84:5–7 Micah 4:2 Zech. 14:16—these latter two citations refer to men of Gentile nations coming to Zion to worship). The worshipers would sing these psalms on their way to Zion (see Isa. 30:29). This does not mean that these psalms were not also used in Temple worship services.

Apparently, the reason for this theory is, Psalm 122 begins with “Let us go to the house of Jehovah.” In fact, this particular psalm is all about going to the house of Jehovah, which could refer to the Tabernacle or to the Temple. Barnes comments: It seems to me equally improbable that they were called “Songs of Degrees or Ascents,” because they were used by the people when “going up” to Jerusalem to attend on the great festivals. As in the previous specification, it may be remarked that the psalms here referred to had no special applicability to such a use; that there is no evidence that any such practice prevailed; that it is wholly improbable that there would be any such set and fixed arrangement, or that the people in going up to Jerusalem on those occasions would move along to measured music. I don’t find Barnes’ argument here as compelling as his other critical remarks.

Scofield

These are psalms possibly chanted by the people as they walked up toward Jerusalem during the feasts where Israel was to gather. This would suggest that the titles, A Song of Ascents, was added sometime after the psalms were written.

NIV Study Bible tells us that these titles were probably applied during post-exilic times in Judah and that these psalms became a literary unit around that time as well. Along with Psalm 135–136, this group of psalms became known as the Great Hallel (which is to be distinguished from the Egyptian Hallel—Psalms 113–118).

At least one of these psalms was written after the exile, as it begins When Jehovah brought back the captive ones of Zion (Psalm 126:1a).

The problem with these theories are that they are simply theories. Some are simply not reasonable; however, others are possibly true.

Barnes concludes with: In this variety of conjecture - for it can be regarded as little more than conjecture - it is impossible now to determine with any degree of certainty what is the true meaning of the title, or why it was given to these psalms. It is evident that, from some cause, there was such a unity in them, either from the nature of the composition, or from the occasion on which they were used, that they could properly have a general title given to them, as indicating what would be well understood among the Hebrews in regard to their design...It is impossible, however, now to ascertain “what” there is that would make this appellation especially appropriate to these psalms. All that can be known is, that there was some reason why these psalms were, so to speak, bound up together, and designated by a common title. This does not prevent a special title being prefixed to some of them in regard to their author and design. So, in any case, there is nothing of spiritual value that I can see in the title of this and the other ascent psalms. I realize, that is a long way to Tipperary.

Psalm 133 inscription b

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

lâmed (ל) [pronounced l^e]

to, for, towards, in regards to, with reference to, as to, with regards to, belonging to

directional preposition

No Strong’s # BDB #510

Dâvid (ד̣וָ); also Dâvîyd (די.וָ) [pronounced daw-VEED]

beloved and is transliterated David

masculine proper noun

Strong’s #1732 BDB #187

Now, I want you to know I pursue some statistical analysis which does not lead anywhere. I am including a little of that here so you don’t waste your time. I was thinking psalms by David and Zion; how often in the psalms which mention Zion do we find that David is the author?

Authors of Psalms which Mention Zion

Author

Psalm

No Author

97, 99, 102, 125, 126, 128, 129, 132, 135, 137, 146, 147, 149 (13 psalms)

Asaph

50, 74, 76, 78 (4 psalms)

David

2, 9, 14, 20, 51, 53, 65, 69, 110, 133 (10 psalms)

Sons of Korah

48, 84, 87 (3 psalms)

As you can see, there is nothing which indicates that if a psalm mentions Zion that David will be the author.

Psalm 133:1a

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

hinnêh (הֵ ̣ה) [pronounced hin-NAY]

lo, behold, or more freely, observe, look here, look, listen, pay attention, get this, check this out

interjection, demonstrative particle

Strong’s #2009 (and #518, 2006) BDB #243

mâh (ה ָמ) [pronounced maw]

what, how, why; what [thing]; anything, something, whatever

interrogative; exclamatory particle; indefinite pronoun; relative pronoun

Strong’s #4100 BDB #552

ţôwb (בט) [pronounced toh^bv]

pleasant, pleasing, agreeable, good, better

masculine singular adjective which acts like a substantive

Strong’s #2896 BDB #373

w^e (or v^e) (ו) [pronounced weh]

and, even, then; namely

simple wâw conjunction

No Strong’s # BDB #251

mâh (ה ָמ) [pronounced maw]

what, how, why; what [thing]; anything, something, whatever

interrogative; exclamatory particle; indefinite pronoun; relative pronoun

Strong’s #4100 BDB #552

nâ׳îym (םי.עָנ) [pronounced naw-GEEM]

pleasant, agreeable, delightful; pleasures; generous

masculine singular adjective

Strong’s #5273 BDB #653

Barnes: And how pleasant - The word used here means lovely, charming, attractive; that which fills the mind with delight, spoken of one beloved, SOS. 7:6; of a friend, 2Sam. 1:26; of a place, Gen. 49:15; of words, Prov. 15:26; of beauty or glory, as of Yahweh, Psalm 27:4. It is descriptive of the pleasure which we derive from a picture, from a landscape, from sweet sounds and gentle voices, or from love.

Psalm 133:1b

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

shebeth (ת∵ב∵ש) [pronounced SHE^B-veth]

seat, dwelling place; same place

feminine singular construct

Strong’s #7675 BDB #443

or...

yâshab (בַשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAH^BV]

to remain, to stay, to inhabit, to sit, to dwell

Qal infinitive

Strong's #3427 BDB #442

Both Zodhiates and E-Sword list the verb, yâshab (בַשָי) [pronounced yaw-SHAH^BV], here. The New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament lists this as the Qal infinitive of that verb. Strong lists this as a separate noun, although it is properly the Qal infinitive of the verb. By the way, Strong’s #7674 (cessation, rest, interruption, loss of time) is spelled identically.

Properly, a prefixed preposition brings out the temporal quality, which is how I translated this. It may be more properly rendered to dwell rather than when...dwell.

âch (ח ָא) [pronounced awhk]

brother, kinsman or close relative

masculine plural noun

Strong's #251 BDB #26

gam (ם ַ) [pronounced gahm]

also, furthermore, in addition to, even, moreover

adverb

Strong’s #1571 BDB #168

yachad (דַחַי) [pronounced YAH-khahd]

together, alike, all together; union, junction

adverb

Strong’s #3162 BDB #403

Perhaps a few summary points might be in order...

Believers as Members of a Family Who Will be Gathered Together

1.    All believers are members of the same family—the family of God. We who have been redeemed by Christ are all brothers in Jesus Christ and fellow heirs to the same inheritence. Matt. 23:8 Gal. 1:1–2 Eph. 1:5 Col. 1:1

2.    There are families who actually enjoy one another’s company and enjoy getting together for family gatherings. I say this, as I realize there are some who might read this and scoff at the idea.

3.    Our relationship with fellow believers, even though we may not feel this now, will become greater and closer than even our relationship to our own brothers, in eternity.

4.    I personally can think of believers who, if they are in northern heaven, then I will prefer to live in southern heaven. However, in eternity, we will not feel like that. Interestingly enough, we will actually enjoy and look forward to one another’s company, without even one word to, “Yeah, well, on earth, you were such a lousy human being—you were wrong in so many ways.”

5.    This gathering together in eternity is good and it is pleasant and enjoyable. The fact that we will be gathered together forever in eternity is a part of God’s plan, which is divine good. However, insofar as we are concerned, despite how we feel today, this gathering will be pleasant and enjoyable.

6.    Ideally speaking, our unity is powerful on this earth. You may not realize this, but some churches have a great impact in this world, and that can be attributed to the unity of that church. Let me see if I can explain that:

       a.    Believers of widely different backgrounds gather together in a local church.

       b.    Even though there may be hundreds of reasons why they should not get along, they manage to spend time together in an auditorium for several hours a week learning doctrine.

       c.     They develop poise and tolerance and they learn God’s Word.

       d.    They function as a unit to perform certain acts which are divine good. The church may have a mission or sponsor a mission or a soup kitchen (I am sure it is not called that anymore); they may send out missionaries to other countries to teach the gospel and to teach God’s Word. All of this requires some sort of teamwork. That is, Charlie and Lucy Brown might take their family to a mission field, but they do not have the means themselves to actually put themselves there. This requires the financial support of the church. The church I attend and give money to sends out missionaries, supports various missionary organizations (if I recall right), sends out tapes and CD’s all over the world, educates our young people with Bible doctrine, and helped to support at least one other church for a long time which lacked our financial resources. None of these things happened by one or two people. Even when a relatively small subset of our church did this or that, it would not be possible without the prayer support and financial support of hundreds of others. ‘

       e.    Therefore, an early unity can be a tool for good and a dynamic witness in the devil’s world.

7.    All this may help to explain why there is such a call for unity of the church in Scripture.

       a.    We have positional unity in Christ. We are in the same body; we have the same Holy Spirit (1Cor. 12:4, 7–8, 11–13). The book of Corinthians, by the way, is an excellent place to go for information on unity of the body of Christ, because the church had disintegrated into so many factions. This provides the backdrop for the first 14 chapters of that book.

       b.    We should therefore demonstrate unity in behavior and actions.

               i.      This would mean that believers should not sue one another (1Cor. 6:1–7).

               ii.     This is why we are not necessarily to flaunt our liberty at the expense of other believers (1Cor. 8)

               iii.    This is why we should not have factions within a church (1Cor. 11:18–19).

               iv.    This is why our gifts should function so as to unify and edify the church. Your gift should edify the church, not yourself. This is why each and every gift is necessary and important. 1Cor. 12

               v.     A church service should be orderly and dignified. Someone should not wander into your church and think it is a 3-ring circus (1Cor. 14:23, 29–33). I have been in many holy roller churches and, even though many of the members can quote Paul, “I thank my God that I speak in tongues [foreign languages] more than all of you;” (1Cor. 14:18) still they attend a church where everyone babbles nonsensically at once. This, by the way, is an outstanding example of proof texting, where a verse is pulled completely away from its context in order to make a point; yet the actual teaching of the context from whence that verse is pulled is ignored.

8.    Finally, we are mandated on earth to love the brothers (1Cor. 1:10 Heb. 13:1 1Peter 3:8 1John 3:14-19). This means we are mandated to love fellow believers in Jesus Christ, including the four who came to my mind who do not evoke feelings in me of sunshine and butterflies. But love is a mental attitude—I should not be jealous of these four, I should not hate them, I should not be angry with them, I should not have any sort of negative thoughts about them. Furthermore, there are behaviors I should or should not exhibit: I should not berate them (you do not know who they are), I should not gossip about them (you do not know why I feel as I do), and I should take no action against them (fighting, suing or killing them). In eternity, God will take the mental attitude love (and sometimes hate) between fellow believers and He will make it thoroughly genuine.

Psalm 99:2a

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

kaph or k^e ( ׃) [pronounced k^e]

like, as, according to; about, approximately

preposition of comparison or approximation

No Strong’s # BDB #453

shemen (ן∵מ∵ש) [pronounced SHEH-men]

fat, oil

masculine singular noun with the definite article

Strong’s #8081 BDB #1032

ţôwb (בט) [pronounced toh^bv]

pleasant, pleasing, agreeable, good, better

masculine singular adjective with the definite article

Strong’s #2896 BDB #373

׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ]

upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside

preposition of proximity

Strong’s #5921 BDB #752

rôsh (שאֹר) [pronounced rohsh]

head, top, chief, front, choicest

masculine singular noun with the definite article

Strong's #7218 BDB #910

Psalm 133:2b

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

yârad (ד ַר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAHD]

to descend, to go down

Qal active participle

Strong’s #3381 BDB #432

׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ]

upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside

preposition of proximity

Strong’s #5921 BDB #752

zâqân (ןָקָז) [pronounced zaw-KAWN]

chin, beard

masculine singular noun with the definite article

Strong’s #2206 BDB #278

Psalm 133:2c

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

zâqân (ןָקָז) [pronounced zaw-KAWN]

chin, beard

masculine singular construct

Strong’s #2206 BDB #278

ahărôn (ןֹרֲה-א) [pronounced ah-huh-ROHN]

transliterated Aaron

masculine proper noun

Strong’s #175 BDB #14

she– (–∵ש) [pronounced sheh],

who, which, that

relative particle:

Strong’s #834? BDB #979

This appears to be a form of or a synonym of the relative pronoun ăsher (ר∵שֲא) [pronounced uh-SHER], which means that, which, when, who or how. Strong's #834 BDB #81. Its usage appears to be confined to later Hebrew and passages with a northern Palestine coloring.

yârad (ד ַר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAHD]

to descend, to go down

Qal active participle

Strong’s #3381 BDB #432

׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ]

upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside

preposition of proximity

Strong’s #5921 BDB #752

peh (ה∵) [pronounced peh]

mouth [of man, animal; as an organ of speech]; opening, orifice [of a river, well, etc.]; edge; extremity, end

masculine singular construct

Strong’s #6310 BDB #804

middâh (הָ̣מ) [pronounced mihd-DAW]

extension, length; stature, size; a large, tall, high [whatever]; measure, measurement; garment; tribute [Chaldean]

feminine plural noun with the 3^rd person masculine singular suffix

Strong’s #4060 BDB #551

Although the New Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance of the Old Testament and Strong agree that this is Strong’s #4060 here, this is the only time that this word is translated garments. There are several very similar nouns which do mean garment (e.g., Strong’s #4055 or #4063) which vary by a letter or a vowel point, and I think that is what should be found here. The actual difference between #4060 and the other two, is the noun here is feminine; and the two similar nouns are masculine. It is possible that this lone usage is simply a feminine form of one of the two masculine nouns.

After examining this, and making these statements, I find that in the Dead Sea Scrolls, this is a masculine noun in the two scrolls which came from cave 11 (which is the cave from which we got most of the psalms and which psalms are nearly complete). This is a feminine noun in the MT and the LXX.

It would be good for us to glance over the anointing of the priesthood as we find it in the Torah (the first five books of Moses):

Anointing in the Torah

I.     Anointing in Genesis:

       1.    Jacob has a dream where God promises to give to him and to his descendants the land where he was (Gen. 28:10–16).

       2.    When Jacob awoke, he set up the stone where his head had lain as a pillar, and then he poured oil on that pillar, and called the place Bethel, of house of God. Jacob made a vow to give a tenth of his income to God as long as God would be with him on his journey and provide him with food and clothing (Gen. 28:18–22).

       3.    This is anointing, and with spiritual implication, but not necessarily the same as we find in the Mosaic Law (which is more properly Exodus–Deuteronomy). Gen. 31:13

       4.    Anointing can refer to the simple act of pouring something on something else. Here, Jacob was not equipping the rock for spiritual duty, but simply making a pact with God as a result of his dream.

       5.    God revealed Himself to Jacob again in Gen. 35:9–12, reiterating His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob again sets up a pillar and pours oil upon that pillar. This is all very similar to the first anointing.

       6.    Remember the what Jacob knew was limited; I do believe that he had access to a portion of the book of Genesis and that he added to this book—for instance, Gen. 29:20 sound as if they were written by the man who experienced that love, which would be Jacob.

       7.    Since Jacob might be able to distinguish between God the Father and God the Son (by Gen. 1), it is not necessarily likely that he understand the communication ministry of God the Holy Spirit a this time (or, ever, in his lifetime). Therefore, from Jacob’s point of view, the oil was not necessarily a reference to God the Holy Spirit. However, God had just communicated with Jacob in both of these instances, so, from the God-ward point of view, the oil—apparently chosen from Jacob’s free will—represents the Holy Spirit, Who reveals spiritual information to us.

II.    Anointing as we know it is more properly found in the Mosaic Law. It was properly set up to consecrate Aaron and his sons for the priesthood.*

       1.    One of the first institutions which God set up was the Aaronic priesthood in Ex. 28–29. In Ex. 28:41, God tells Moses that the priest garments would be put on the priests (Aaron and his sons) and then they would be anointed, ordained and consecrated. That is, oil would be poured on them to indicate the power of the Holy Spirit; they would be proclaimed priests of God; and they would be set aside specially for the office of priesthood.

       2.    When someone or something was anointed, it was set aside for service to God. In Lev. 7:35, the NASB reads: “This is that which is consecrated to Aaron and that which is consecrated to his sons from the offerings by fire to the Lord, in that day when he presented them to serve as priests to the Lord.” However, what this verse literally says is: "This is the anointing of Aaron and the anointing of his sons from the offerings made by fire to Yahweh on the day that they were brought near to serve as priests to Yahweh." Those who were anointed were consecrated for service to God. The word which were the NASB rendered that which is consecrated is rendered anointing elsewhere (and is usually found in conjunction with the word oil).

       3.    Because Aaron’s family had been consecrated with the anointing oil of God, they were set aside for His service. When his two eldest sons violated this responsibility, they were executed. Lev. 10:1–7

       4.    Their responsibility in relationship to the anointing is mentioned in again in Num. 18:8.

               (1)   The word anointing might be hidden in your translation and rendered something like a portion (the NASB). The verse should read: And then Y^ehowah said to Aaron, "And I, even I, have given to you the responsibility of My contributions, of all the separated things of the sons of Israel—to you, I have given them for the anointing, and to your sons, by a perpetual decree [or, a statute forever].

       5.    Part of the ceremony that consecrated Aaron and his sons as priests involved unleavened wafers which were spread (or, anointed) with oil. Ex. 29:2.

       6.    Oil was poured on the head of Aaron during the consecration ceremony. Ex. 29:7 30:30 Lev. 8:12 21:10, 12

       7.    Aaron and his sons were anointed with oil and their clothing was anointed with oil on the day that the Tent of God was erected (Ex. 40:1–16).

       8.    Although the Scripture does not specifically tell us, apparently no one took a jar of olive oil and poured it out over Aaron’s head during this ceremony. There was apparently a container which allowed a drop out at a time. Lev. 8:12

       9.    Aaron’s priestly garments were to be sprinkled with both oil and the blood of the sacrifices (Ex. 29:21 Lev. 8:23, 30). The oil, again, represents the Holy Spirit, and the blood represents the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Aaron represented our Lord as a type. He was both associated with blood and with the Holy Spirit as the first High Priest to Israel and as a type of our Great High Priest To Come. Now the main point in what has been said is: we have such a High Priests, Who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister in the sanctuary and in the true Sacred Tent, which the Lord pitched, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; hence it is necessary that this High Priest have something also to offer. Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law, who serve as a copy and a shadow of the heavenly thins, just as Moses was warned when he was about the erect the Sacred Tent, for, “See,” He says, “That you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” But now He has obtains a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises (Heb. 8:1–6 Ex. 25:40).

       10.  There was a grain offering associated with the anointing of the priests. Lev. 6:20–23

       11.  The anointing oil which was used in the Sacred Tent in association with various religious ceremonies was to be kept separate from secular use. In a very rare reference to the cost of individual items, God told Moses which spices should be used and their cost. In any case, the resulting oil was a very pleasantly aromatic oil.

       12.  Each day, after a bull was offered as a sin offering, the altar was consecrated with oil, setting it aside for holy service. Ex. 29:36

       13.  Part of what was offered by the Israelites was to be given to the priests in Lev. 7. The anointing of the priests is mentioned in Lev. 7:36

       14.  The Tent of God was also anointed. When this was done, the High Priest Aaron was anointed as well. Lev. 8:10–12

       15.  There was a great offering of the various leaders of the Israelites when the Tent and altar were anointed in Num. 7 (see Num. 7:1, 10, 84, 88).

       16.  The anointed High Priest was the one who performed the ceremonial duties on that great Day of Atonement. Lev. 16:29–34

       17.  The anointed priests are named in Num. 3:1–4.

III.   Surprisingly enough (at least, to me), there are as many references in the Law to the anointing oil (which is the Hebrew word mish^echâh (הָחש̣מ) [pronounced mish-KHAW]; Strong’s #4888 BDB #603) as there are to the verb to anoint.

       1.    I’ve got to admit that when I think of anointing with oil, I think of someone taking a bottle of salad oil and pouring it over the head of someone else. However, the oil is olive oil, it comes out in a couple of drops, and Ex. 25:6 tells us that spices were among the things collected for the sanctuary. The spices were to be used in the anointing oils. Spices for the anointing oil was among the items that the Israelites brought to Moses for the building of the Sacred Tent (Ex. 35:8). See also Ex. 30:25, 31, which indicate that such a scented oil would be God’s holy anointing oil throughout the generations of Israel.

       2.    God reminds Moses once again that the things that would be made should be as per His specifications, including the anointing oil. Ex. 31:11

       3.    The anointing oil is included in the naming of the articles of furniture built for the Sacred Tent (Ex. 37:29 39:38).

       4.    The anointing oil was to be used to anoint the Tent of God and all of the furniture. Ex. 40:9 Lev. 8:10

       5.    The anointing oil was just as important as anything else in the ceremony of the consecration of Aaron and his sons. It is mentioned among the items which were to be assembled in Lev. 8:2–3. Its use in this ceremony is mentioned three more times: Lev. 8:10, 12, 30.

       6.    Part of Eleazar’s responsibilities was tending to the anointing oil (Num. 4:16).

       7.    Other passages where this anointing oil is mentioned: Ex. 35:15, 28

* These points were taken directly from the Doctrine of Anointing (from 1Sam. 10:1).

We should not cover anointing without making reference to what anointing is a shadow of. The person who was anointed was someone whom God had set aside for a specific task or tasks or office. However, these ones who are so set aside are shadows of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Anointed One = The Messiah*

I.     Most importantly, anointing is a reference to Jesus Christ.

       1.    The transliteration of the word anointed is messiah. The word is the masculine substantive mâshîyach (-חי.שָמ) [pronounced maw--SHEE-ahkh]. In the Septuagint, the corresponding Greek word is christos (χριστός) [pronounced krees-TOSS], which means anointed one, Messiah, Christ. The transliteration of christos is, of course, Christ. (Strong’s Greek #5547). Strong’s #4899 BDB #603.

       2.    The Anointed One to Come is mentioned in Psalm 45:7

II.    One of the most important words related to anointing is the masculine substantive cognate is mâshîyach (-חי.שָמ) [pronounced maw--SHEE-ahkh], which means anointed, anointed one, Messiah, Christ. Obviously, this is the basis for our English word messiah. What is surprising is, this word is found mostly in Samuel and Psalms. We find it four times in Leviticus and nowhere else in the Law, Joshua or Judges. It will be found twice in Chronicles and four different prophets will use this word five times. Strong’s #4899 BDB #603.

       1.    We first find this word associated with the anointed priests, their personal sin or sins, bringing guilt upon the whole people, and the appropriate sacrifice. Adam, by his personal sin, brought guilt upon all mankind. Jesus, the second Adam, by His blood sacrifice, took it away. It is difficult to put together a perfect analogy, as the High Priest would undoubtedly sin, and actual provision should be made for that. However, the High priests are simply men, and men sin. They represent the Messiah to come. So their sin (as men) brings guilt upon all of Israel; the sacrifice they offer, representing Jesus, takes away this sin. Lev. 4:1–12

       2.    The mixture of actuality and analogy is continued in this same chapter. If the entire congregation of Israel commits sin (which, obviously, they have to, being human), then one anointed priest makes an offering for all of Israel. We do not have a plurality of priests in this function. One priest offers the sacrifice and that priest goes through all the rituals to atone for the sin of the entire congregation. Lev. 4:13–21

       3.    The first person to use this term mâshîyach after Moses is Hannah at the birth of Samuel. What is amazing is that she is the first person in Scripture to use this word in reference to the Messiah to come (1Sam. 2:10). However, the key is, Samuel was a type of Christ; he was brought up as a priest, but he was not related to the priests (this is discussed more in detail in my exegesis of 1Sam. 1).

       4.    In 1Sam. 2:36, God differentiates between His faithful priest, whom He will raise up, and His Anointed One. “But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.” (1Sam. 2:35). The interpretation of this passage requires about a full page. Therefore, I will leave you with the understanding that the prophecy of the priest is fulfilled several times, by Samuel, by Zadok, by the line of Zadok and by Christ; God’s anointed would be, respectively, Saul, David, Jesus Christ and believers of the Church Age.

       5.    Samuel gives his testimony before Israel, and asks Israel to witness before Jehovah and His anointed (which could be interpreted as Saul; but it could also be interpreted as God’s Son) that he has not personally defrauded anyone. Even though Samuel was not perfect, this furthers the analogy that he represents Jesus Christ. 1Sam. 12:1–5

       6.    Soon, the king of Israel became associated with this term. However, this only applied to Saul and David.

               (1)   When Samuel was going to Jesse’s home to show that David was Israel’s new king, the first son who walked before Samuel was Eliab, and Samuel thought to himself, surely this is Jehovah’s anointed one. 1Sam. 16:6

               (2)   David called Saul Jehovah’s anointed in 1Sam. 24:6, 10 26:9, 11, 16, 23 2Sam. 1:14, 16.

               (3)   David is called Jehovah’s anointed in 2Sam. 19:21.

               (4)   David and his descendants are referred to as Jehovah’s anointed in 2Sam. 22:51.

               (5)   David refers to himself as Jehovah’s anointed in 2Sam. 23:1.

               (6)   When Solomon dedicates the Temple, he says to God, “O Jehovah God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember grace to [Your] servant David.” (2Chron. 6:42). I would assume that Solomon is referring to himself here.

               (7)   David, of course, is a type of Christ.

       7.    Asaph’s psalm of thanksgiving includes the line: “Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm.” (I Chron. 16:22). The anointed ones are the ones whom God has chosen, anointed and consecrated or His work. This would, in this context, refer to the believers of Israel.

* These points were also taken from the Doctrine of Anointing (1Sam. 10:1).

It is in the psalms where it is clear that Jehovah’s Anointed One or His Messiah refers to the Messiah Who would come. This brings us to...

Messiah in the Psalms*

1.    Psalm 2 is taken as a Messianic psalm by Jews and Christians alike. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against Jehovah and against His Anointed (Psalm 2:2). When Peter (or John) quote this verse, they replace His Anointed with His Christ. Acts 4:26 reads: “The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ.”

2.    David refers to the Lord’s Anointed as a reference to Jesus to come. Psalm 18 is nearly identical to 2Sam. 22. The final verse reads: He gives a great deliverance to His king and show grace to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever (Psalm 18:50).

3.    David has faith that God will answer his call in the day of calamity, and believes that this applies to all those who belong to Him. Now I know that Jehovah saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand (Psalm 6:6). The anointed here refers to believers. We have a psalm with a similar theme and a similar line: Jehovah is their strength and He is a saving defense to His anointed. Save Your people and bless Your inheritance; be their shepherd as well, and carry them forever (Psalm 28:8–9).

4.    The sons of Korah also ask God for protection and deliverance: O Jehovah God of the armies, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God, and look upon the face of You anointed (Psalm 84:9–10).

5.    In the Davidic covenant of Psalm 89, anointed, in v. 38, appears to refer to David and to his seed. However, at the end of the psalm, it appears to refer to the Messiah to come. Your enemies insulted [me]. They insulted your Messiah every step he took (Psalm 89:51; God’s Word™).

6.    Psalm 105:15, when one is warned not to touch the Lord’s anointed, the anointed refers to those chosen for His work.

7.    Psalm 132 refers to the line of David, and, therefore, ultimately to Jesus the Messiah, David’s greater Son, Who would sit on the throne of David forever. Therefore, vv. 10 and 17 are references to both David’s sons and to Jesus.

* These points were also taken from the Doctrine of Anointing (1Sam. 10:1).

Psalm 133:3a

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

kaph or k^e ( ׃) [pronounced k^e]

like, as, according to; about, approximately

preposition of comparison or approximation

No Strong’s # BDB #453

ţal (ל-ט) [pronounced tahl]

night mist, mist, dew

masculine singular construct

Strong’s #2919 BDB #378

cher^emôwn (ןמ ר∵ח) [pronounced Hermon]

sacred [mountain]; and is transliterated Hermon

proper noun mountain

Strong’s #2768 BDB #356

Psalm 133:3b

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

she– (–∵ש) [pronounced sheh],

who, which, that

relative particle:

Strong’s #834? BDB #979

This appears to be a form of or a synonym of the relative pronoun ăsher (ר∵שֲא) [pronounced uh-SHER], which means that, which, when, who or how. Strong's #834 BDB #81. Its usage appears to be confined to later Hebrew and passages with a northern Palestine coloring.

yârad (ד ַר ָי) [pronounced yaw-RAHD]

to descend, to go down

Qal active participle

Strong’s #3381 BDB #432

׳al (ל ַע) [pronounced ģahl ]

upon, beyond, on, against, above, over, by, beside

preposition of proximity

Strong’s #5921 BDB #752

har (ר ַה) [pronounced har]

hill, mountain, hill-country

masculine plural construct

Strong’s #2042 (and #2022) BDB #249

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls and a few Massoretic manuscripts have this as a mountain of. Now, there is only one Mount Zion, which is actually why this is a difficult call. It would make more sense that someone would have changed this from the plural to the singular, because there is only one Mount Zion. Hence, we would expect to find the singular in a couple of manuscripts, which is what we find. However, I am going to translate this as a singular because there is but one Mount Zion, despite the fact that Biblical criticism would point toward this being a plural (Biblical criticism will generally choose as the original text the least likely word or form of a word). I have obviously straddled the fence on this one, choosing the plural for my most literal translation, and the singular for my near-literal translation.

Tsîyyôwn (ן̣צ) [pronounced tzee-YOHN]

dry, parched ground; and is transliterated Zion

proper noun location

Strong’s #6726 BDB #851

Clarke tells us that this is Sion, which is a part of the Hermon mountain range (as in Deut. 4:48) and not Zion; however, in the Hebrew, it is Zion. Sion, by the way, is Sîyôn (ןֹאי.) [pronounced see-OHN], which sounds similar to Zion, but is not equivalent to Zion. In the Hebrew, only the 2^nd and 4^th letters are the same. Strong’s #7865 BDB #673.

Let me offer an alternate rendering....

tsâyôwn (ןיָצ) [pronounced tzaw-YOHN]

dry, parched ground; and is transliterated Zion

proper noun location

Strong’s #6726 BDB #851

You will note, the only difference we find is in the vowel points, which vowel points were not found in the Hebrew manuscripts until after our Lord’s incarnation, 1000 years after this was first written. This interpretation would actually solve the problem of mountain being in the plural. This also makes a great deal of sense, for the dew, which represents refreshment, which represents the Holy Spirit (as it is in parallel with oil) to go to where it is needed; where the mountains are parched and wanting of water. On the negative side, we only find this noun in one other place: Isa. 25:5 (however, its meaning is well-established by the more often used feminine form).

Psalm 133:3c

Hebrew/Pronunciation

Common English Meanings

Notes/Morphology

BDB and Strong’s Numbers

kîy (י̣) [pronounced kee]

for, that, because; when, at that time, which, what time

conjunction; preposition

Strong's #3588 BDB #471

shâm (ם ָש) [pronounced shawm]

there; at that time, then; therein, in that thing

adverb

Strong’s #8033 BDB #1027

11QPsa. Has [this] place.

tsâvâh (ה ָו ָצ) [pronounced tsaw-VAW]

to commission, to mandate, to lay charge upon, to give charge to, charge, command, order

3^rd person masculine singular, Piel perfect

Strong's #6680 BDB #845

YHWH (הוהי) [pronunciation is possibly yhoh-WAH]

transliterated variously as Jehovah, Yahweh, Y^ehowah

proper noun

Strong’s #3068 BDB #217

êth (ת ֵא) [pronounced ayth]

generally untranslated

indicates that the following substantive is a direct object

Strong's #853 BDB #84

b^erâkâh (הָכָר׃) [pronounced b^eraw-KAW]

blessing, benediction, invocation of good; extremely fortunate and happy; a gift, a present; peace, prosperity

feminine singular noun with the definite article

Strong’s #1293 BDB #139

chayyîym (םי.ַח) [pronounced khay-YEEM]

life, lives, living, being alive, having life, immortality, a long life, sustenance, sustaining life; refreshment; being vigorous; prosperity, welfare, happiness, living prosperously

masculine plural substantive

Strong's #2416 BDB #313

11QPs^a does not have the word life in it.

׳ad (דַע) [pronounced ģahd]

as far as, even to, up to, until

preposition

Strong’s #5704 BDB #723

׳ôwlâm (םָלע) [pronounced ģo-LAWM]

long duration, forever, perpetuity, antiquity, futurity

masculine singular noun

Strong’s #5769 BDB #761

Together, they mean and from everlasting to everlasting, from eternity past to eternity future or from antiquity to everlasting, forever.

11QPs^a and 11QPs^b* both add the line Peace be upon Israel!  This is not found in the Massoretic text or in the Septuagint.

* 11Q means these manuscripts came from the 11^th cave in Qumran; Ps^a means this is from the first Psalms manuscript.