SPURGEO, “Song of Degrees of David. We see no reason for depriving David of the authorship of this sparkling sonnet. He knew by experience the bitterness occasioned by divisions in families, and was well prepared to celebrate in choicest Psalmody the blessing of unity for which he sighed. Among the "songs of degrees", this hymn has certainly attained unto a good degree, and even in common literature it is frequently quoted for its perfume and dew. In this Psalm there is no wry word, all is "sweetness and light",

1. PSALM 133 COMME

2. TARY
Written and edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
The object of this commentary is to bring together the comments of a number of
authors in one place to make the study of this Psalm easier for the Bible student.
Sometimes I do not have the author's name, and if it is known and told to me, I will
give credit where it is due. If there is any author who does not wish his wisdom to be
included in this study, I will remove it when that author expresses his wish to have it
removed. My e-mail is glenn_p86@yahoo.com
I

3. TRODUCTIO

4. 1. SPURGEO

5. , “Song of Degrees of David. We see no reason for depriving David of
the authorship of this sparkling sonnet. He knew by experience the bitterness
occasioned by divisions in families, and was well prepared to celebrate in choicest
Psalmody the blessing of unity for which he sighed. Among the "songs of degrees",
this hymn has certainly attained unto a good degree, and even in common literature
it is frequently quoted for its perfume and dew. In this Psalm there is no wry word,
all is "sweetness and light", -- a notable ascent from Psalm 110 with which the
Pilgrims set out. That is full of war and lamentation, but this sings of peace and
pleasantness. The visitors to Zion were about to return, and this may have been
their hymn of joy because they had seen such union among the tribes who had
gathered at the common altar. The previous Psalm, which sings o f the covenant,
had also reveal ed the centre of Israel's unity in the Lord's anointed and the
promises made to him.

6. o wonder that brethren dwell in unity when God dwells
among them, and finds his rest in them. Our translators have given to this Psalm an
admirable explanatory heading, "The benefit of the communion of saints." These
good men often hit off the meaning of a passage in a few words.”
2. This Psalm is an effusion of holy joy occasioned by the sight of the gathering of
Israel as one great household at the yearly feasts ... There might likewise be an
allusion to the previous jealousies and alienations in the family of Israel, which
seemed to be exchanged for mutual concord and affection, on David's accession to
the, throne of the whole nation. --Joseph Addison Alexander.
1. How good and pleasant it is

7. when brothers live together in unity!
1. We can all say amen to this statement, for we know that our happiness and joy in
life is greatly increased when we are living in unity as a family, and as a church, and
as a community and as a nation. Unity is what gives us peace and comfort, and the
freedom to be ourselves without fear of being attacked or betrayed. We don't have
to all agree on hundreds of personal tastes in food, music, movies, books, sports, and
on an on it could go. Paul even tells us in Rom. 14 that we can disagree on some
spiritual conviction and still live in peace that comes with our unity in Christ. I have
had professors in college and seminary that I had disagreements with, but l love
them as teachers, and I learned a great deal from them. I have had pastors who I
disagree with on theology in a number of areas, but I still love them and appreciate
their ministry. We live in peace and unity, not because we are of one mind on
everything, but because we have a common Lord whom we love and serve, and who
loves us as well. I think different from my wife and my grown children on a number
of things, but we live in unity and love one another. We do not make differences in
convictions in politics or theology to be a dividing influence, for the love we have for
each other far outweighs the areas of life that could cause conflict and loss of unity
and peace. It is indeed pleasant, and all the more because when we develop this
spirit we are living in a way that gives God pleasure as well. Look up all the “One
Another” passages in the

8. ew Testament, and you will see it is our highest and most
precious duty to live in unity with all believers, and with all men to some degree.
1B. Dr. Ronald W. Scates, “Psalm 133 is a psalm of Ascent but it is also a wisdom
psalm and wisdom psalms are those psalms that reveal to us the kind of life or
lifestyle that is pleasing to God. So let's take a look at what Christ wants from us as
we look at Psalm 133.......you see what Christ really wants from you and me, what
He wants for His church is unity.....turn in your Bibles to John, the seventeenth
chapter, and let's take a look at verses 20 through 23. Here is Christ's high priestly
prayer on the night before He was crucified and here listen to him as He pleads and
prays to the father for his church. My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for
those who will believe in me through their message that all of them may be one,
Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the
world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave
me that they may be one as we are one; I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me .”
1C. David Holloway illustrates the power of unity. “Recently there has been a
celebration for the 50th Anniversary of Billy Graham's Harringay Crusade, as it
was then called. This first mission of the American Evangelist in London in 1954
had a profound affect on the religious life of the UK.

9. ow, when Billy Graham (and
his team) and their wives first arrived in the UK, there was a reception organised by
UK evangelical leaders in a London hotel. Things, however, were a bit frosty at the
start. The Americans were a little shocked because sherry was offered on arrival,
when almost to a man and a woman they were tee-total. On the other hand the

10. British were a little shocked at the American women who arrived with lots of
brilliant red-lipstick, looking not unlike a bunch of Dolly Partons. In those days a
number of Christian women were against such make-up. But following Paul's
teaching they realized that these were secondary things. And they worked together
for the mission and thousands were converted to Christ."
2. CLARKE, “, how good and how pleasant - is, according to this scripture, a good
thing and a pleasant; and especially among brethren - members of the same family,
of the same Christian community, and of the same nation. And why not among the
great family of mankind? On the other hand, disunion is bad and hateful. The
former is from heaven; the latter, from hell.”
3. Warren Wiersbe, “This is as true today as when it was written centuries ago. We
would expect brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity. After all, they share the
same nature because they have the same parents. Until they move out, they live at
the same address and eat at the same table.
We also would expect God's people to dwell together in unity--but not uniformity.
My wife and I currently have seven grandchildren. We can tell that they all belong
to the same family, but each is an individual. Similarly, God does not want
uniformity among His children; He wants unity.
The psalmist gives us two descriptions of spiritual unity. "It is like the precious oil
upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on
the edge of his garments" (v. 2). Over his chest, his heart, Aaron wore a breastplate
that had twelve stones--one for each of the tribes of Israel. The oil bathed all of those
stones, and they all became one in that anointing oil. That's a picture of the Holy
Spirit of God, who baptizes us into the Body of Jesus Christ and gives us spiritual
unity. Unity is not something we create; it's something God gives us.”
4. CALVI

11. , “I have no doubt. that David in this Psalm renders thanks to God for
the peace and harmony which had succeeded a long and melancholy state of
confusion and division in the kingdom, and that he would exhort all individually to
study the maintenance of peace. This is the subject enlarged upon, at least so far as
the shortness of the Psalm admits of it. There was ample ground to praise the
goodness of God in the highest terms, for uniting in one a people which had been so
deplorably divided. When he first came to the kingdom the larger part of the nation
considered him in the light of an enemy to the public good, and were alienated from
him. Indeed so mortal was the feud which existed, that nothing else than the
destruction of the party in opposition seemed to hold out the prospect of peace. The
hand of God was wonderfully seen, and most unexpectedly, in the concord which
ensued among them, when these who had been inflamed with the most violent
antipathy cordially coalesced. This6 peculiarity in the circumstances which called
forth the Psalm has been unfortunately by interpreters, who have considered that
David merely passes a general commendation upon brotherly union, without any

12. such particular reference. The exclamation with which the Psalm opens, Behold! is
particularly expressive, not only as setting the state of things visibly before our eyes,
but suggesting a tacit contrast between the delightfulness of peace and those civil
commotions which had well nigh rent the kingdom asunder. He sets forth the
goodness of God in exalted terms, the Jews having by long experience of intestine
feuds, which had gone far to ruin the nation, learned the inestimable value of union.
That this is the sense of the passage appears still further from the particle Mg, gam,
at the end of the verse. It is not to be understood with some, who have mistaken the
sense of the Psalmist, as being a mere copulative, but as adding emphasis to the
context. We, as if he had said, who were naturally brethren, had become so divided,
as to view one another with a more bitter hatred than any foreign foe, but now how
well is it that we should cultivate a spirit of brotherly concord!
There can at the same time be no doubt; that the Holy Ghost is to be viewed as
commending in this passage that mutual harmony which should subsist amongst all
God's children, and exhorting us to make every endeavor to maintain it. So long as
animosities divide us, and heartburnings prevail amongst us, we may be brethren no
doubt still by common relation to God, but cannot be judged one so long as we
present the appearance of a broken and dismembered body. As we are one in God
the Father, and in Christ, the union must be ratified amongst us by reciprocal
harmony, and fraternal love. Should it so happen in the providence of God, that the
Papists should return to that holy concord which they have apostatized from, it
would be in such terms as these that we would be called to render thanksgiving unto
God, and in the meantime we are bound to receive into our brotherly embraces all
such as cheerfully submit themselves to the Lord. We are to set ourselves against
those turbulent spirits which the devil will never fail to raise up in the Church, and
be sedulous to retain intercourse with such as show a docile and tractable
disposition. But we cannot extend this intercourse to those who obstinately persist in
error, since the condition of receiving them as brethren would be our renouncing
him who is Father of all, and from whom all spiritual relationship takes its rise. The
peace which David recommends is such as begins in the true head, and this is quite
enough to refute the unfounded charge of schism and division which has been
brought against us by the Papists, while we have given abundant evidence of our
desire that they would coalesce with us in God's truth, which is the only bond of
holy union.”
4B.
SPURGEO

13. , “Behold. It is a wonder seldom seen, therefore behold it! It may be
seen, for it is the characteristic of real saints, -- therefore fail not to inspect it! It is
well worthy of admiration; pause and gaze upon it! It will charm you into imitation,
therefore note it well! God looks on with approval, therefore consider it with
attention. How good and holy pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

14. o one can tell the exceeding excellence of such a condition; and so the Psalmist uses
the word "how" twice; -- Behold how good! and how pleasant! He does not attempt
to measure either the good or the pleasure, but invites us to behold for ourselves.
The combination of the two adjectives "good" and "pleasant", is more remarkable

15. than the conjunction of two stars of the first magnitude: for a thing to be "good" is
good, but for it also to be pleasant is better. All men love pleasant things, and yet it
frequently happens that the pleasure is evil; but here the condition is as good as it is
pleasant, as pleasant as it is good, for the same "how" is set before each qualifying
word.
For brethren according to the flesh to dwell together is not always wise; for
experience teaches that they are better a little apart, and it is shameful for them to
dwell together in disunion. They had much better part in peace like Abraham and
Lot, than dwell together in envy like Joseph's brothers. When brethren can and do
dwell together in unity, then is their communion worthy to be gazed upon and sung
of in holy Psalmody. Such sights ought often to be seen among those who are near of
kin, for they are brethren, and therefore should be united in heart and aim; they
dwell together, and it is for their mutual comfort that there should be no strife; and
yet how many families are rent by fierce feuds, and exhibit a spectacle which is
neither good nor pleasant!
As to brethren in spirit, they ought to dwell together in church fellowship, and in
that fellowship one essential matter is unity. We can dispense with uniformity if we
possess unity: oneness of life, truth, and way; oneness in Christ Jesus; oneness of
object and spirit -- these we must have, or our assemblies will be synagogues of
contention rather than churches of Christ. The closer the unity the better; for the
more of the good and the pleasant there will be. Since we are imperfect beings,
somewhat of the evil and the unpleasant is sure to intrude; but this will readily be
neutralized and easily ejected by the true love of the saints, if it really exists.
Christian unity is good in itself, good for ourselves, good for the brethren, good for
our converts, good for the outside world; and for certain it is pleasant; for a loving
heart must have pleasure and give pleasure in associating with others of like nature.
A church united for years m earnest service of the Lord is a well of goodness and joy
to all those who dwell round about it.”
5. SCOTT HOEZEE, “Few things move us like unity among people. If a movie or
television show wants to tug at our heartstrings, it could hardly improve on the
tried-and-true method of climaxing the drama by having estranged people come
back together. Do you remember the first Home Alone movie from some years
back? McCauley Culkin played Kevin, the little boy accidentally left home alone
when his family went to Paris for the Christmas holidays.
There was a minor sub-plot in that film involving Kevin's spooky neighbor--a
gruff old man whom the neighborhood children avoided. But then Kevin and
this old man meet up in church during a children's choir rehearsal a few
hours before the Christmas Eve service. The old man's granddaughter was in
the choir but he had to come to the rehearsal to hear her. A falling out with
his son years earlier made him an unwelcome presence at the actual church
service. Innocently Kevin suggests the old man just call his son, but the man
says he's not sure he dares. Of course, the man does call, and so the last scene
of the movie shows Kevin staring out his living room window, witnessing the
old man hugging his son and sweeping his granddaughter up into his arms as

16. they all head toward the man's house for Christmas dinner. It's just a small
little scene in a silly little movie, and every time I see it I start to blubber! I
try to hide it from Rosemary, but she always knows, rolls her eyes, and so
knows again that at bottom, I'm a sap and a sucker for melodrama!
But really, is there anything more beautiful than reunions of family and friends long
separated by a chasm of some kind? I am quite certain that some of you are right
now wishing to get back together with a son or daughter, a grandchild, an erstwhile
best friend. Most of us know people with whom we were once close but now, well,
something went wrong. I'd wager that there are any number of people in this
congregation who pray daily for a reunion with someone, and a few of us worry that
it will never happen before we die. Unity is mighty important to us.”
6. Barnes, “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. The psalm is an illustration, in most
beautiful language, of brotherly love, particularly in regard to its calm, and
gentle, and sweet influence - like the ointment which flowed down from the
head of the anointed priest, or like the gentle dew on Hermon or Zion. It is a
psalm applicable alike to a church; to family; to a gathering of friends.”
7. GILL, “ it is,.... Aben Ezra thinks the word thing should be supplied; the thing is
what follows; for brethren to dwell together in unity: which the Targum interprets
of Zion and Jerusalem, as two brethren; Aben Ezra of the priests; Kimchi of the
King Messiah and the priest; and Jarchi, and Kimchi's father, of the Israelites;
which is best of all, especially of those who are Israelites indeed; for this is not to be
understood of all mankind, who are in some sense brethren, being all of one blood,
and among whom peace is to be cultivated; nor merely of those of the same nation,
under one and the same government, who should endeavor to live peaceably and
quietly; nor of brethren in a strict natural state, who belong to the same family, and
are of the same parents, and should be kindly affectioned one to another; but rather
of such who are so in a spiritual sense, who have God for their fatherly adoption and
regeneration, are related to Christ the firstborn among many brethren, and are
members one of another, in the same church state; all which are a reason why they
should love as brethren, and endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace, Mat_23:8, 1Pe_2:17; and "to dwell together in unity"; even as one man, as if
one soul actuated them all; it is not only to dwell and abide in the house of God,
where they have all a name and a place; but to associate together there, to go up to
the house of God in company, and with delight to join together in acts of religious
worship; to serve the Lord with one consent, with one mind and mouth to glorify
God, and to be of one accord, having the same love; and to do all kind and good

17. offices one to another in the most hearty and cordial manner; serving each other in
love, bearing one another's burdens, sympathizing with each other in all
circumstances, forgiving each other offences committed, praying with one another,
and building up each other in their most holy faith, stirring up one another to love
and to good works: now this is both "good" and "pleasant"; it is good, as being
according to the will of God, the new command of Christ; what evidences the truth
of regeneration, and of being the disciples of Christ; what makes the communion of
saints comfortable and edifying, and without which a profession of religion is good
for nothing: and it is pleasant to God and Christ, to angels and men, to the ministers
of the Gospel, and to all about them and in a connection with them; and it is this
which makes any particular dispensation in time delightful and agreeable; as the
first times of the Gospel, and the latter day glory, the Philadelphian church state,
which has its name from brotherly love; yea, it will be the glory and delight of
heaven.

18. ow this is ushered in with a note of attention and admiration, "behold",
and with a note of exclamation, "how"; the psalmist pointing at some instance or
instances of this kind, which were very amiable, and worthy of imitation; and
suggesting that such a case is rare and wonderful, and inexpressibly good,
profitable, and pleasant. Gussetius (z) renders it, "how good is the sabbatism of
brethren, even gathered together"; for the exercise of religion, prayer, praise, &c.
8. HE

19. RY, “ Here see, I. What it is that is commended - brethren's dwelling together
in unity,not only not quarrelling, and devouring one another, but delighting in each
other with mutual endearments, and promoting each other's welfare with mutual
services. Sometimes it is chosen, as the best expedient for preserving peace, that
brethren should live asunder and at a distance from each other; that indeed may
prevent enmity and strife (Gen_13:9), but the goodness and pleasantness are for
brethren to dwell togetherand so to dwell in unity, to dwell even as one(so some read
it), as having one heart, one soul, one interest. 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.

20. ow
let them live in love.
II. How commendable it is: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is!It is good in
itself, agreeable to the will of God, the conformity of earth to heaven. It is good for
us, for our honour and comfort. It is pleasant and pleasing to God and all good men;
it brings constant delight to those who do thus live in unity. Behold, how good!We
cannot conceive or express the goodness and pleasantness of it. Behold it is a rare
thing, and therefore admirable. Behold and wonder that there should be so much
goodness and pleasantness among men, so much of heaven on this earth! Behold it is
an amiable thing, which will attract our hearts. Behold it is an exemplary thing,
which, where it is, is to be imitated by us with a holy emulation.

21. 9. KEIL has exceedingly long and complicated comments, but I keep them all for
the sake of those who love technicality and detail. Most will want to be content with
the comments of others and move to the next verse. , “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; and, as in
the case of Psa_122:1-9, its counterpart, occasions can be found in the history of
David adapted to the לדוד of the inscription. But the language witnesses against
David; for the construction of שׁ with the participle, as שׁיּרד , qui descendit(cf.
Psa_135:2, שׁעמדים , qui stant), is unknown in the usage of the language prior to the
Exile. Moreover the inscription לדוד is wanting in the lxx Cod. Vat.and the Targum;
and the Psalm may only have been so inscribed because it entirely breathes David's
spirit, and is as though it had sprung out of his love for Jonathan.
With גּם the assertion passes on from the community of nature and sentiment
which the word “brethren” expresses to the outward active manifestation and
realization that correspond to it: good and delightful (Psa_135:3) it is when
brethren united by blood and heart also (corresponding to this their brotherly
nature) dwell together - a blessed joy which Israel has enjoyed during the three
great Feasts, although only for a brief period (vid., Psa_122:1-9). Because the high
priest, in whom the priestly mediatorial office culminates, is the chief personage in
the celebration of the feast, the nature and value of that local reunion is first of all
expressed by a metaphor taken from him. שׁמן הטּוב is the oil for anointing described
in Exo_30:22-33, which consisted of a mixture of oil and aromatic spices strictly
forbidden to be used in common life. The sons of Aaron were only sprinkled with
this anointing oil; but Aaron was expressly anointed with it, inasmuch as Moses
poured it upon his head; hence he is called par excellence“the anointed priest” ( הכּהן
המּשׁיה ), whilst the other priests are only “anointed” ( משׁחים ,

22. um_3:3) in so far as
their garments, like Aaron's, were also sprinkled with the oil (together with the
blood of the ram of consecration), Lev_8:12, Lev_8:30. In the time of the second
Temple, to which the holy oil of anointing was wanting, the installation into the
office of high priest took place by his being invested in the pontifical robes. The
poet, however, when he calls the high priest as such Aaron, has the high-priesthood
in all the fulness of its divine consecration (Lev_21:10) before his eyes. Two drops of
the holy oil of anointing, says a Haggada, remained for ever hanging on the beard of
Aaron like two pearls, as an emblem of atonement and of peace. In the act of the
anointing itself the precious oil freely poured out ran gently down upon his beard,
which in accordance with Lev_21:5was unshortened.
In that part of the Tôra which describes the robe of the high priest, שׁוּלי is its hems,
פּי ראשׁו , or even absolutely פּה , the opening for the head, or the collar, by means of
which the sleeveless garment was put on, and שׂפה the binding, the embroidery, the
border of this collar (vid., Exo_28:32; Exo_39:23; cf. Job_30:18, פּי כתנתּי , the collar
of my shirt). פּי must apparently be understood according to these passages of the
Tôra, as also the appellation מדּות (only here for מדּי ם, מּדּים ), beginning with Lev_6:3,
denotes the whole vestment of the high priest, yet without more exact distinction.

23. But the Targum translates פּי with אמרא (ora= fimbria) - a word which is related to
אמּרא , agnus, like ᾤαto ὄις̈́. This ᾤαis used both of the upper and lower edge of a
garment. Accordingly Appolinaris and the Latin versions understand the ἐπὶ τὴν
ὤανof the lxx of the hem (in oram vestimenti); Theodoret, on the other hand,
understands it to mean the upper edging: ὤαν ἐκάλεσεν ὃ καλοῦμεν περιτραχήλιον,
τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας στόμα ἐνδυμάτων εἴρηκε. So also De Sacy: sur le bord de son
vêtement, c'est-à-dire, sur le haut de ses habits pontificaux.The decision of the
question depends upon the aim of this and the following figure in Psa_133:3. If we
compare the two figures, we find that the point of the comparison is the uniting
power of brotherly feeling, as that which unites in heart and soul those who are
most distant from one another locally, and also brings them together in outward
circumstance. If this is the point of the comparison, then Aaron's beard and the hem
of his garments stand just as diametrically opposed to one another as the dew of
Hermon and the mountains of Zion. פּי is not the collar above, which gives no
advance, much less the antithesis of two extremes, but the hem at the bottom (cf.
שׂפה , Exo_26:4, of the edge of a curtain). It is also clear that שׁיּרד cannot now refer to
the beard of Aaron, either as flowing down over the upper border of his robe, or as
flowing down upon its hem; it must refer to the oil, for peaceable love that brings
the most widely separated together is likened to the oil. This reference is also more
appropriate to the style of the onward movement of the gradual Psalms, and is
confirmed by Psa_133:3, where it refers to the dew, which takes the place of the oil
in the other metaphor. When brethren united in harmonious love also meet together
in one place, as is the case in Israel at the great Feasts, it is as when the holy,
precious chrism, breathing forth the blended odour of many spices, upon the head
of Aaron trickles down upon his beard, and from thence to the extreme end of his
vestment. It becomes thoroughly perceptible, and also outwardly visible, that Israel,
far and near, is pervaded by one spirit and bound together in unity of spirit.
This uniting spirit of brotherly love is now symbolised also by the dew of Hermon,
which descends in drops upon the mountains of Zion. “What we read in the 133rd
Psalm of the dew of Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion,” says Van de
Velde in his Travels(Bd. i. S. 97), “is now become quite clear to me. Here, as I sat at
the foot of Hermon, I understood how the water-drops which rose from its forest-mantled
heights, and out of the highest ravines, which are filled the whole year
round with snow, after the sun's rays have attenuated them and moistened the
atmosphere with them, descend at evening-time as a heavy dew upon the lower
mountains which lie round about as its spurs. One ought to have seen Hermon with
its white-golden crown glistening aloft in the blue sky, in order to be able rightly to
understand the figure.

24. owhere in the whole country is so heavy a dew perceptible
as in the districts near to Hermon.” To this dew the poet likens brotherly love. This
is as the dew of Hermon: of such pristine freshness and thus refreshing, possessing
such pristine power and thus quickening, thus born from above (Psa_110:3), and in
fact like the dew of Hermon which comes down upon the mountains of Zion - a
feature in the picture which is taken from the natural reality; for an abundant dew,
when warm days have preceded, might very well be diverted to Jerusalem by the
operation of the cold current of air sweeping down from the north over Hermon.
We know, indeed, from our own experience how far off a cold air coming from the

25. Alps is perceptible and produces its effects. The figure of the poet is therefore as
true to nature as it is beautiful. When brethren bound together in love also meet
together in one place, and in fact when brethren out of the north unite with
brethren in the south in Jerusalem, the city which is the mother of all, at the great
Feasts, it is as when the dew of Mount Hermon, which is covered with deep, almost
eternal snow,
(

26. ote: A Haraunitish poem in Wetzstein's Lieder-Sammlungenbegins: Arab. -
- 'l-bâriḥat habbat ‛lynâ šarârt mn ‛âliya 'l-ṯlj, “Yesterday there blew across to
me a spark | from the lofty snow-mountain (the Hermon),” on which the
commentator dictated to him the remark, that Arab. šarârt, the glowing spark, is
either the snow-capped summit of the mountain glowing in the morning sun or a
burning cold breath of air, for one says in everyday life Arab. 'l-ṣaqa‛ yaḥriq, the
frost burns [vid. note to Psa_121:6].)
descends upon the bare, unfruitful - and therefore longing for such quickening -
mountains round about Zion. In Jerusalem must love and all that is good meet. For
there ( שׁם as in Psa_132:17) hath Jahve commanded ( צוּה as in Lev_25:21, cf.
Psa_42:9; Psa_68:29) the blessing, i.e., there allotted to the blessing its rendezvous
and its place of issue. את־הבּרכה is appositionally explained by חיּים : life is the
substance and goal of the blessing, the possession of all possessions, the blessing of
all blessings. The closing words עד־העולם (cf. Psa_28:9) belong to צוּה : such is God's
inviolable, ever-enduring order.
10. Behold how good and how pleasant it is, etc. There are three things wherein it is
very pleasant to behold the people of God joining in one.
1. When they join or are one in opinion and judgment, when they all think the
same thing, and are of one mind in the truth.
2. When they join together and are one in affection, when they are all of one
heart, though possibly they are not all of one mind; or, when they meet in
affection, though not in opinion. When David had spoken admiringly of this
goodly sight, he spoke declaratively concerning the goodness of it (Psalms
133:2): "It is like the precious ointment upon the head." 'Tis so, first, for the
sweetness of it; 'tis so, secondly, for the diffusiveness of it (as followeth), "that
ran down even the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts
of his garments."
It is a blessed thing to see them joining together in duty, either as duty is considered
-- First, in doing that which is good; or, when, as the apostle's word is ( 2 Corinthians
6:1), they are, among themselves, "workers together" in any good work: we say (to
fill up the text), "workers together with God." That's a blessed sight indeed, when
we join with God, and God joins with us in his work. It is also a blessed sight when
all the ministers of Jesus Christ, and many as members of Jesus Christ, join in any
good work, in this especially, to beseech all we have to do with "that they receive not
the grace of God in vain." Secondly, in turning from evil, and putting iniquity far
from them; in praying for the pardon of sin, and making their peace with God. 'Tis
a good work to turn away from evil, especially when all who are concerned in it join

27. in it ... As to join in sin, and to be brethren in iniquity, is the worst of unions, indeed,
a combination against God; so to join as brethren in mourning for sin and repenting
of our iniquities is a blessed union, and highly pleasing to God. --Joseph Caryl.
11, How good and how pleasant it is, etc. The terms of this praise and commendation,
or the particulars whereof it consists, is taken from a twofold qualification.
1. Brotherly concord and the improvement of it in all occasional expressions is
a very great good. This is, and will appear to be so in sundry considerations.
As, First, in regard of the Author and owner of it, which is God himself, who lays
special claim hereunto. Therefore in Scripture we find him to be from hence
denominated and entitled. 1 Corinthians 14:33 . "God is not the author of confusion
(or of noisiness), but the author of peace". 2 Corinthians 13:11 . "The God of peace
and love." Peace is called "the peace of God:" Philippians 4:7. And God is called the
"God of peace;" each of which expressions does refer it and reduce it to him, and
does thereby advance it. Look, then, how far forth God himself is said to be good, so
far forth is this dwelling in unity good also, as it is commanded and owned by him,
as it appears thus to be.
Secondly. It is good in the nature of it; it is good, as any grace is good. It is good
morally. Love is a fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22. And so to dwell in love and
unity one with another is a goodness reducible thereunto. It is good spiritually; it is
not only such a good as is taught by moral philosophy, and practised by the students
thereof, but it is taught by the Holy Ghost himself, and is a part of the work of
regeneration and of the new creature in us, especially if we take it in the full latitude
and extent of it, as it becomes us to do.
Thirdly. It is good in the effects and consequences and concomitants of it: it has
much good. It is bonum utile. A great deal of advantage comes by brethren's
dwelling together in unity, especially spiritual advantage, and for the doing and
receiving of good.
1. The second qualification is, the sweetness of it, because it is "pleasant:" it is
not only bonum utile, and bonum honestum, but it is also bonum jucundum;
it has a great deal of pleasure in it. Pleasure is such a kind of goodness,
especially to some kind of persons, as that they care not almost what they do
or part with to obtain it, and all other good besides is nothing to them, if it be
devoid of this. Therefore for the further commendation of this fraternal unity
to us, there is this also to be considered, that it is "pleasant." Thus it is with
respect to all sorts of persons whatsoever, that are made sensible of it.
First. It is pleasant to God, it is such as is very acceptable to him; it is that which he
much delights in, wheresoever he observes it; being himself a God of peace, he does
therefore so much the more delight in peaceable Christians, and such as do relate to
himself. How much do natural parents rejoice in the agreement of their children, to
see them loving and friendly and kind and courteous to one another, oh, it pleases
them and joys them at their very heart! and so it is likewise with God to those who
are truly his.

28. Secondly. This brotherly unity is also pleasant to ourselves, who accordingly shall
have so much the greater pleasure in it and from it.
Thirdly. It is also pleasing to others, indeed to all men else besides, that are
bystanders and spectators of it. "Behold, how pleasant it is", etc. It is pleasant to all
beholders: "He that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and
approved of men", says the apostle: Ro 14:18. --Thomas Horton, --1673.
12. Pleasant. It is a pleasant thing for the saints and people of God to agree together;
for the same word which is used here for "pleasant", is used also in the Hebrew for
a harmony of music, such as when they rise to the highest strains of the viol, when
the strings are all put in order to make up a harmony; so pleasant is it, such
pleasantness is there in the saints' agreement. The same word is used also in the
Hebrew for the pleasantness of a corn field. When a field is clothed with corn,
though it be cut down, yet it is very pleasant, oh, how pleasant is it; and such is the
saints' agreement. The same word in the Psalmist is used also for the sweetness of
honey, and of sweet things in opposition to bitter things. And thus you see the
pleasantness of it, by its being compared to the harmony of music, to the corn field,
to the sweetness of honey, to the precious ointment that ran down Aaron's beard,
and to the dew that fell upon Hermort and the hills of Zion: and all this to discover
the pleasantness, profitableness, and sweetness of the saints' agreement. It is a
pleasant thing to behold the sun, but it is much more pleasant to behold the saints'
agreement and unity among themselves. --William Bridge.
13. Brethren. Abraham made this name, "brethren", a mediator to keep peace
between Lot and him: "Are we not brethren?" saith Abraham. As if he should say,
Shall brethren fall out for trifles, like infidels? This was enough to pacify Lot, for
Abraham to put him in mind that they were brethren; when he heard the name of
brethren, straight his heart yielded, and the strife was ended. So this should be the
lawyer to end quarrels between Christians, to call to mind that they are brethren.
And they which have spent all at law have wished that they had taken this lawyer, to
think, with Lot, whether it were meet for brethren to strive like enemies. --Henry
Smith.
14. Brethren. Some critics observe that the Hebrew word for a brother is of near
brotherhood or alliance with two other words, whereof the first signifies one, and
the other alike or together, to show that "brethren" ought to be as one, and alike, or
together; which latter is by an elegant paranomasia joined with it: "Behold, how
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity", or, as we put it
in the margin, "to dwell even together." So then, the very word whereby "brethren"
are expressed notes that there ought to be a nearness, a similitude, yea, a oneness (if

29. I may so speak) between them in their affections and actions. -- Joseph Caryl.
15. To dwell is a word of residence, and abode, and continuation. There is also
pertaining to the love and concord of brethren a perseverance and persistency in it;
not only to be together, or to come together, or to meet together for some certain
time; but to dwell together in unity, this is which is here so extolled and commended
unto us. It seems to be no such great matter, nor to carry any such great difficulty in
it, for men to command themselves to some expressions of peace and friendship for
some short space of time (though there are many now and then who are hardly able
to do that); but to hold out in it, and to continue so long, this endurance is almost
impossible to them. Yet this is that which is required of them as Christians and as
"brethren" one to another, even to "dwell together in unity;" to follow peace, and
love, and concord, and mutual agreement, not only upon some occasional meetings,
but all along the whole course of their lives, while they converse and live together.
--Thomas Horton.
16. Together in unity. If there be but one God, as God is one, so let them that serve
him be one. This is what Christ prayed so heartily for. "That they may be one:"
John 17:21. Christians should be one,
1. In judgment. The apostle exhorts to be all of one mind. 1 Corinthians 1:10 .
How sad is it to see religion wearing a coat of divers colours; to see
Christians of so many opinions, and going so many different ways I It is
Satan that has sown these tares of division. Matthew 13:39. He first divided
men from God, and then one man from another.
One in affection. They should have one heart. "The multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and of one soul": Acts 4:32. As in music, though there be several
strings of a viol, yet all make one sweet harmony; so, though there are several
Christians, yet there should be one sweet harmony of affection among them. There
is but one God, and they that serve him should be one. There is nothing that would
render the true religion more lovely, or make more proselytes to it, than to see the
professors of it tied together with the heart strings of love. If God be one, let all that
profess him be of one mind, and one heart, and thus fulfil Christ's prayer, "that
they all may be one." --Thomas Watson.
17. HE

30. RY LAW, "Countless blessings gladden and enrich the pilgrims whose feet
happily climb the hill of life. True joy is the companion of a close walk with God.
These pilgrims are dressed in a lovely robe. Their garment is love of the brethren in
the faith. This is the evidence of real union with Christ. This grace was the
admiration of the heathen of old. It was the well-known testimony, See how these
Christians love one another. This precious hymn exhibits this union as good, and
pleasant, and fragrant, and fertilizing. It is good, as it is in accordance with the
character of our Heavenly Father, of whom it is sublimely said, God is love. It is
good, as those who exhibit it show the lineaments and features of the first-born

31. among many brethren. It is pleasant. What can be more charming than to see the
smile of love, to listen to the words of love, and to feel assurance that we are
encircled by those whose hearts are knit with ours! It is fragrant, for it sheds around
the perfume of true happiness. Ointment poured forth cannot refresh the home
more than the constant sweetness of harmonious feeling. It is fertilizing as leading to
the growth of grace, and as uniting hearts in every holy word and work. Thus it is
figured by the holy oil which, poured upon the head of Aaron, ran in fragrant
streams to the lowest portion of the priestly robes. It is fruitful as the dew which
moistened the summits of Hermon and softened the heights of Zion's range. Let us
seek this grace, so blessed in itself, so blessed to all with whom there is communion."
18. Wayne Shih quotes another writer and then gives his conclusion. “Doug Goins
has a message on Psalm 133 titled, “If My Church is a Community, Why Do I Feel
So Isolated?” He gives several reasons for our struggle to maintain unity:
1. “Because as a sinful human being I tend toward isolation by nature. I desperately
want to be part of the community, but I consistently find ways to separate myself.”
2. “Living as a family may be necessary and desirable, but it is enormously difficult.
It is hard to live like brothers and sisters because brothers and sisters fight.”
3. “I ‘spiritualize’ my identity with you. I imagine our oneness in Christ, but only
occasionally rub shoulders with you.”
4. “I feel isolated because I am selective in my relationships. I may choose to identify
with only that part of you all … with which I feel the most comfortable.”
5. “Because I impatiently try to contrive it. I try to create and manage community. I
think, if only I can find the right group to meet my needs. Or I find a group, but
they seem to be sadly lacking in what I define as community, so I think I will help
them with quality control.”
How do we overcome all of this, so that we will live together in unity? Obviously we
need God’s grace. We need the gospel. We can’t do this on our own. Through
Christ, we repent of our self-centeredness; we pay the emotional price of
vulnerability; we rub shoulders with one another; we move out of our comfort-zone
of relationships; and we accept people where they’re at.”
2. It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,

32. running down on Aaron's beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
1. SCOTT HOEZEE, “So what does the psalmist say unity is like? It's like expensive
oil being liberally poured onto a man's head, dribbling down his beard, and soaking
into his collar.

33. ow I don't know about you, but that image doesn't initially do much
for me! At home my most expensive oil is a bottle of white truffle oil: this is a high
quality extra virgin olive oil that has been infused with truffles, the most expensive
mushroom in the world. It is in its own way a precious oil, but I doubt that any of
you would regard it as a precious experience if you came to my house for dinner one
night and I dumped the bottle onto your head!
Psalm 133 has one other image, too, and it is of dew coming off a high
mountain and settling onto Mount Zion where the Temple was
located. Again, this isn't the first image most of us would reach for! If
we see a father and son coming back together after a long period of
alienation, I don't think we tumble to saying, "That reminds me of
how the grass is wet on really misty mornings sometimes."
Oily hair, stained collars, and dewy grass are not images that do much for us. We
obviously need a little cultural translation, and probably some of you already know
what that translation involves. The key is when we find out that the person with oil
running down his head is not just anyone but Aaron, Moses' brother, the high priest
of Israel. So this is the oil of anointing, the sacramental oil applied when setting
someone aside for service to God. There was no higher honor than to be anointed
like that. Since this first image involves a sacred anointing, we can then see that also
the dew coming down from heaven to rest on the Temple is likewise meant to be
understood as a kind of anointing of all the people who come on the Sabbath to
worship God.”
2. “Kimchi, Jarchi, and others, instead of "to the skirts," translate "to the collar of
his garment." This seems to give the true meaning of the original, which implies that
the head and beard of Aaron only were anointed, and that the costly sacerdotal
robes were thus preserved from an unction, which must inevitably have spoiled
them. For an account of this ointment and of its sprinkling on Aaron, and his sons,
see Exodus 30:23-25, 30; Leviticus 8:12. When Aaron was consecrated High Priest
the oil was poured on him, whilst on the other priests it was only sprinkled.”
3. CLARKE, “the precious ointment - composition of this holy anointing oil may be
seen, Exo_30:23; sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia lignea, and olive oil. The
odour of this must have been very agreeable, and serves here as a metaphor to point
out the exquisite excellence of brotherly love.
Ran down upon the beard - The oil was poured upon the head of Aaron so profusely

34. as to run down upon his garments. It is customary in the east to pour out the oil on
the head so profusely as to reach every limb.”
4. BAR

35. ES, “is like the precious ointment upon the head - is, which was poured
upon the head of the high priest, when consecrated to the holy office. The Hebrew is,
“the good ointment.” For a description of the ointment which was used in the
consecration of the high priest, and the holy things of the sanctuary, see Exo_30:22-
30. Compare the notes at Isa_61:3, on the phrase “oil of joy.” Anointing with oil was
common on festivals and joyous occasions (see the notes at Psa_23:5), and hence, it
became an emblem of anything joyous, happy, beautiful; and the idea seemed to be
carried to the highest degree when it was connected with the anointing of a high
priest to the sacred duties of his office. There is no other resemblance between the
idea of anointing with oil and that of harmony among brethren than this which is
derived from the gladness - the joyousness - connected with such an anointing. The
psalmist wished to give the highest idea of the pleasantness of such harmony; and
he, therefore, compared it with that which was most beautiful to a pious mind - the
idea of a solemn consecration to the highest office of religion. The comparison is one
which would not unnaturally occur to a Jew.
That ran down upon the beard - Descending from the head upon the long, flowing
beard. The idea here is that of copiousness, or abundance - as if so much ointment
was poured forth as to descend on the whole person, consecrating the entire man.
Even Aaron’s beard - The word “even” here, introduced by our translators,
weakens the force and beauty of the comparison. The psalmist had the simple image
of Aaron before his mind, without intending to compare him with any other.
That went down to the skirts of his garments - literally, “to the mouth of his
garment.” The idea is that the anointing oil was abundant enough to flow down so
as to fall on his entire robe, diffusing a sweet fragrance all around. It is possible,
though it may seem like a conceit, that the psalmist may have had an idea of unity in
this, as if in the anointing of the high priest the whole man was consecrated, or was
“united” in the consecration. It was not merely the head, but the beard, the raiment,
the entire person, that partook of the fragrance of the anointing oil. Thus love in a
Christian community is so abundant - so overflowing - that it spreads over all the
spiritual body, the church; the same sweet and holy influence, represented by the oil
of anointing, pervades all, and combines all in one.”
5. GILL , “The composition which Moses was ordered to make of the principal
spices, and therefore called precious; and which was poured on the heads of kings
and priests, when they were anointed with it, Exo_30:23;
that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; this was put upon the head of
Aaron when he was anointed, and so on any other high priest, and trickled down to
his beard; see Exo_29:7. The reasons Kimchi and Ben Melech give, why the
anointing of Aaron and other priests is mentioned, and not the anointing of a king,
or of David himself, are, because the anointing of Aaron was first, and also more
public and better known by the people;

36. that went down to the skirts of his garments; or, "the mouth" or "opening of his
garments" (a); not the extremity of them, as our version inclines to; for not so great
a quantity of oil was poured upon him; nor would it have been decent to have his
clothes thus greased from top to bottom: but the upper part of his garment, the top
of the coat, on which the beard lay, as Jarchi; the neck or collar of it, as Kimchi and
Ben Melech; the hole in which the head went through when it was put on, about
which there was a band, that it might not be rent, Exo_28:32; where the Septuagint
use the same word as here. Suidas (b) says, David means the superior aperture of
the garment, that which we call the neck or collar band; and so Theodoret: and the
Arabic version renders it, the "aperture", or opening of it; and hitherto the
ointment came. This was typical of the grace of the Spirit, the unction from the Holy
One; which has been poured on Christ, the head of the church, without measure;
and with which he has been anointed above his fellows; and from him it is
communicated to all his members; to every one of which is given grace, according to
the measure of the gift of Christ; and who from his fulness receive, and grace for
grace: and particularly brotherly love is compared to this ointment; because of the
preciousness of it, which is true of every grace; and because of the extensiveness of
it, reaching to head and members, to Christ and all his saints, the meanest and
lowest of them; and because of its fragrancy and sweet odour to all that are sensible
of it; and because of its delightful, cheering, and refreshing nature; like ointment
and perfume it rejoices the heart; yea, the worst things said, or reproofs given, in
brotherly love, are like oil, pleasant and useful, Pro_27:9; and is as necessary for the
saints, who are all priests unto God, to offer up their spiritual sacrifices;
particularly that of prayer, which should be "without wrath", as well as without
doubting; and to do all other duties of religion, which should spring from charity or
love; as the anointing oil was to Aaron and his sons, in order to their officiating in
the priest's office.
6. SPURGEO

37. , “is like the precious ointment upon the head. In order that we may
the better behold brotherly unity David gives us a resemblance, so that as in a glass
we may perceive its blessedness. It has a sweet perfume about it, comparable to that
precious ointment with which the first High Priest was anointed at his ordination. It
is a holy thing, and so again is like the oil of consecration which was to be used only
in the Lord's service. What a sacred thing must brotherly love be when it can be
likened to an oil which must never be poured on any man but on the Lord's high
priest alone! It is a diffusive thing: being poured on his bead the fragrant oil flowed
down upon Aaron's head, and thence dropped upon his garments till the utmost
hem was anointed therewith; and even so doth brotherly love extend its benign
power and bless all who are beneath its influence. Hearty concord brings a
benediction upon all concerned; its goodness and pleasure are shared in by the
lowliest members of the household; even the servants are the better and the happier
because of the lovely unity among the members of the family. It has a special use
about it; for as by the anointing oil Aaron was set apart for the special service of

38. Jehovah, even so those who dwell in love are the better fitted to glorify God in his
church. The Lord is not likely to use for his glory those who are devoid of love; they
lack the anointing needful to make them priests unto the Lord. That ran down upon
the beard, even Aaron's beard. This is a chief point of comparison, that as the oil did
not remain confined to the place where it first fell, but flowed down the High
Priest's hair and bedewed his beard, even so brotherly love descending from the
head distils and descends, anointing as it runs, and perfuming all it lights upon.
That went down to the skirts of his garments. Once set in motion it would not cease
from flowing. It might seem as if it were better not to smear his garments with oil,
but the sacred unguent could not be restrained, it flowed over his holy robes; even
thus does brotherly love not only flow over the hearts upon which it was first poured
out, and descend to those who are an inferior part of the mystical body of Christ,
but it runs where it is not sought for, asking neither leave nor license to make its
way. Christian affection knows no limits of parish, nation, sect, or age. Is the man a
believer in Christ? Then he is in the one body, and I must yield him an abiding love.
Is he one of the poorest, one of the least spiritual, one of the least lovable? Then he is
as the skirts of the garment, and my heart's love must fall even upon him. Brotherly
love comes from the head, but falls to the feet. Its way is downward. It "ran down",
and it" went down": love for the brethren condescends to men of low estate, it is not
puffed up, but is lowly and meek. This is no small part of its excellence: oil would
not anoint if it did not flow down, neither would brotherly love diffuse its blessing if
it did not descend.
7. Precious ointment upon the head. Though every priest was anointed, yet only the
high priest was anointed on the head, and there is a tradition that this rite was
omitted after the Captivity, so that there is a special stress on the name of Aaron.
--

39. eale and Littledale.
8. The precious ointment... that ran down upon the beard... that went down to the
skirts of his garments. Magnificence, misnamed by churls extravagance and waste,
is the invariable attribute of all true love. David recognized this truth when he
selected the profuse anointing of Aaron with the oil of consecration at his
installation into the office of High Priest as a fit emblem of brotherly love. There
was waste in that anointing, too, as well as in the one which took place at Bethany.
For the oil was not sprinkled on the head of Aaron, though that might have been
sufficient for the purpose of a mere ceremony. The vessel was emptied on the High
Priest's person, so that its contents flowed clown from the head upon the beard, and
even to the skirts of the sacerdotal robes. In that very waste lay the point of the
resemblance for David. It was a feature that was very likely to strike his mind; for
he, too, was a wasteful man in his way. He had loved God in a manner which
exposed him to the charge of extravagance. He had danced before the Lord, for
example, when the ark was brought up from the house of Obededom to Jerusalem,
forgetful of his dignity, exceeding the bounds of decorum, and, as it might seem,
without excuse, as a much less hearty demonstration would have served the purpose
of a religious solemnity. --Alexander Balmain Bruce, in "The Training of the
Twelve", 1877.

40. 9. The precious ointment ... that ran down. Of the Hebrew perfumes an immense
quantity was annually manufactured and consumed, of which we have a very
significant indication in the fact that the holy anointing oil of the tabernacle and
temple was never made in smaller quantities than 750 ounces of solids compounded
with five quarts of oil, and was so profusely employed that when applied to Aaron's
head it flowed down over his beard and breast, to the very skirts of his garments.
--Hugh Macmillan, in "The Ministry of

41. ature", 1871.
10. That ran down ... that went down, etc. Christ's grace is so diffusive of itself, that
it conveys holiness to us, "running down from the head to the skirts", to all his
members. He was not only anointed himself, but he is our anointer. Therefore it is
called "the oil of gladness", because it rejoiceth our hearts, by giving us spiritual
gladness, and peace of conscience. --Thomas Adams.
11. “In this prayer and song of the unity of the church, it is note worthy how,
commencing with the fundamental idea of "brethren", we rise to the realization of
the Elder Brother, who is our common anointed High Priest. It is the bond of his
priesthood which joins us together as brethren. It is the common anointing which
flows down even to the skirts of the garment of our High Priest which marks our
being brethren. Whether we dwell north or south, meeting in Zion, and sharing in
the blessings of that eternal Priesthood of Christ, we form in reality, and before our
Father, but one family -- "the whole family in earth and heaven." Our real bond of
union consists in the "flowing down", the "running down", or "descending" of the
common blessing, which marks the steps in this Psalm of Degrees (Psalms 133:2-3).
And if "the dew of Hermon" has descended upon "the mountains of Zion", long
after the sun has risen shall gladsome fruit appear -- in some twenty, in some thirty,
and in some a hundred fold. --Alfred Edersheim
12. There must have been special reasons why a priestly anointing should be
selected for the comparison, and why that of Aaron, rather than of any other of the
high priests. They are these --
1. The ointment was "holy", prepared in accordance with the Divine
prescription: Exodus 30:23-25. Church union is sacred. It must spring from
the love commanded by God; be based on the principles laid down by God;
and exist for the ends appointed of God.
The anointing was from God through Moses, who acted on behalf of God in the
matter. Church unity is of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 13:13 ), through Jesus as
mediator. Therefore it should be prayed for, and thankfully acknowledged.
2222.... By the anointing, Aaron became consecrated, and officially qualified to act as
priest. By unity the Church, as a whole, lives its life of consecration, and
effectively ministers in the priesthood assigned it.
The oil was diffusive; it rested not on Aaron's head, but flowed down to the skirts of
his garments. Unity will, in time, make its way from a few to the whole, especially
from the leaders in a church to the rest of its members. Hence, it is a personal
matter. Each should realize it, and by love and wise conduct diffuse it. --J. F.

42. 13. HENRY, “How the pleasantness of it is illustrated.
1. It is fragrant as the holy anointing oil, which was strongly perfumed, and
diffused its odours, to the great delight of all the bystanders, when it was poured
upon the head of Aaron, or his successor the high priest, so plentifully that it ran
down the face, even to the collar or binding of the garment, Psa_133:2. (1.) This
ointment was holy. So must our brotherly love be, with a pure heart, devoted to
God. We must love those that are begotten for his sake that begat,1Jo_5:1. (2.) This
ointment was a composition made up by a divine dispensatory; God appointed the
ingredients and the quantities. Thus believers are taught of God to love one
another;it is a grace of his working in us. (3.) It was very precious, and the like to it
was not to be made for any common use. Thus holy love is, in the sight of God, of
great price; and that is precious indeed which is so in God's sight. (4.) It was
grateful both to Aaron himself and to all about him. So is holy love; it is like
ointment and perfume which rejoice the heart.Christ's love to mankind was part of
that oil of gladnesswith which he was anointed above his fellows.(5.) Aaron and his
sons were not admitted to minister unto the Lord till they were anointed with this
ointment, nor are our services acceptable to God without this holy love; if we have it
not we are nothing, 1Co_13:1, 1Co_13:2.
2. It is fructifying. It is profitable as well as pleasing; it is as the dew;it brings
abundance of blessings along with it, as numerous as the drops of dew. It cools the
scorching heat of men's passions, as the evening dews cool the air and refresh the
earth. It contributes very much to our fruitfulness in every thing that is good; it
moistens the heart, and makes it tender and fit to receive the good seed of the word;
as, on the contrary, malice and bitternessunfit us to receive it, 1Pe_2:1. It is as the
dew of Hermon,a common hill (for brotherly love is the beauty and benefit of civil
societies), and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion,a holy hill, for it
contributes greatly to the fruitfulness of sacred societies. Both Hermon and Zion
will wither without this dew. It is said of the dew that it tarrieth not for man, nor
waiteth for the sons of men,Mic_5:7.

43. or should our love to our brethren stay for
theirs to us (that is publican's love), but should go before it - that is divine love.
IV. The proof of the excellency of brotherly love. Loving people are blessed people.
For, 1. They are blessed of God, and therefore blessed indeed: There,where brethren
dwell together in unity, the Lord commands the blessing,a complicated blessing,
including all blessings. It is God's prerogative to command the blessing, man can
but beg a blessing. Blessings according to the promise are commanded blessings, for
he has commanded his covenant for ever.Blessings that take effect are commanded
blessings, for he speaks and it is done.2. They are everlastingly blessed. The blessing
which God commands on those that dwell in love is life for evermore;that is the
blessing of blessings. Those that dwell in love not only dwell in God, but do already
dwell in heaven. As the perfection of love is the blessedness of heaven, so the
sincerity of love is the earnest of that blessedness. Those that live in love and peace
shall have the God of love and peace with them now, and they shall be with him
shortly, with him for ever, in the world of endless love and peace. How good then is
it, and how pleasant!”

44. 3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore.
1. “There is a mountain called Hermon, which is the highest of the ridge of
mountains designated Anti-Lebanon, and which is situated in the northern border
of the country beyond Jordan. This, however, is not the mountain supposed to be
here intended, but another of the same name lying within the land of Canaan on the
west of the river Jordan. It is described by Buckingham as a range of hills running
for several miles east and west, and forming the southern boundary of the plain of
Esdraelon, overlooked in which Mount Tabor is situated. Maundrell, who, in his
journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem had a full view of Tabor and Hermon at about
six or seven hours' distance to the eastward, speaking of the copious dews which fell
in that part of the country, says, "We were sufficiently instructed by experience
what the Psalmist means by the dew of Hermon, our tents being as wet with it as if it
had rained all night." Journey.
1B. Dr. Ronald W. Scates, “David goes on in verse three to say unity is also like
Mountain Dew . The dew of Mount Hermon. Palestine is a very arid area and there
is only an average of about one-hundred to one-hundred-fifty days out of the year
when there is any dew fall at all; but do you know where the highest rate of dew fall
is? On the slopes of Mount Hermon, which is the highest peak in Palestine. Dew is
necessary for life and growth. When plants are in the middle of a growing season
water is so precious that dew is a nightly gift that God bestows upon plants. Here
David is saying that when the tribes of Israel come together, and they are united, it
it is like the dew of Mount Hermon was falling upon Mount Zion. You see Mount
Zion is in Jerusalem and that is where the pilgrims were headed but there wasn't
much dew fall in Jerusalem because it is very dry, but David says when believers are
united when the families of Israel are united it is as if Mount Zion is being drenched
with the dew of Mount Hermon.”
1C. Pastor Gavink, "We begin with Psalm 133, which tells us that it is good when
kindred live together in unity. The psalm uses its own allegory, instead of talking
about music or being in tune, the psalm talks about oil running down the beard. It is
not an allegory that speaks much to us today. But when you look at the last verse in
Psalm 133 you get a piece of what the allegory is all about. In verse three it tells us
that it is when we live in unity, that is where the Lord bestows his blessing, even life
forevermore. Living in unity as Christian brothers and sisters brings blessing from

45. God. This is what the oil being poured on the head was all about. It was a sign that
God was giving his blessing to someone. Kings had oil poured on their heads when
they were chosen by the prophets to be king. It was a way of showing God’s favor.
And here the psalmist is saying that living together in unity, in fellowship, also
shows God’s favor, it also shows God’s blessing. "
2. CLARKE, “the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the
mountains of Zion - was not Mount Zion, ציון tsiyon, in Jerusalem, but , שיאן which
is a part of Hermon, see Deu_4:48: “Mount Sion, which is Hermon.” On this
mountain the dew is very copious. Mr. Maundrell says that “with this dew, even in
dry weather, their tents were as wet as if it had rained the whole night.” This seems
to show the strength of the comparison.
For there - Where this unity is.
The Lord commanded the blessing - That is, an everlasting life. There he pours out
his blessings, and gives a long and happy life.
For other particulars, see the commentators passim, and the following analysis.”
3. GILL was a very high hill beyond Jordan; the Sidonians called it Sirion, and the
Amorites Shenir, Deu_3:8; hence Shenir and Hermon are mentioned together,
Son_4:8; and sometimes Sion or Seon, Deu_4:48; and is the Zion here intended; for
the dew of Hermon could never descend on the mountain of Zion near Jerusalem,
which was a hundred miles distant; besides Zion was but one mountain, these many.
Hermon was remarkable for its dew, which still continues: a traveller (c), one of our
own country, and whose fidelity is to be depended on, lying in tents near this hill one
night, says,
"we were sufficiently instructed by experience what the holy psalmist means by the
dew of Hermon; our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.''
The mountains of Zion were those that were near to Zion, and not the mountain
itself, those that were round about Jerusalem, on which the dew also fell in great
plenty; and to which unity among brethren is here compared, because it comes from
God in heaven, as the dew does. Saints are taught of God to love one another;
contentions and quarrels come from lusts within, but this comes from above, from
the Father of lights; and, because of its gentle nature, this makes men pure, and
peaceable, and gentle, and easy to be entreated; as the dew falls gently in a
temperate and moderate air, not in stormy and blustering weather: and because of
its cooling nature; it allays the heats and animosities in the minds of men; and
because it makes the saints fruitful, and to grow and increase in good works;
for there the Lord commanded the blessing; either in the mountains of Zion; so
Kimchi: and if Mount Zion is meant by it, the church, often signified thereby, is the
dwelling place of the Lord; here he records his name and blesses; here his word is
preached, which is full of blessings; and here ordinances are administered, which
are blessed of God to his people. Theodoret thinks some respect is had to the
pouring down of the Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost: but

46. rather the sense is, where brethren dwell together in unity, there the God of love
and peace is; the Gospel of the grace of God is continued; and the ordinances of it
made beneficial to the souls of men, they meeting together in peace and concord; see
2Co_13:11. God is said to "command the blessing" when he promises it, and makes
it known to his people, or bestows it on them, Psa_105:8;
even life for evermore: the great blessing of all, which includes all others, and in
which they issue, the promise of the covenant, the blessing of the Gospel; which is in
the hands of Christ, and comes through him to all his people; to the peacemakers
particularly, that live in love and peace; these shall live for ever in a happy eternity,
and never die, or be hurt of the second death.
4. BAR

47. ES, ‘the dew of Hermon ... - the situation of Mount Hermon, see the notes
at Psa_89:12. The literal rendering of this passage would be, “Like the dew of
Hermon which descends on the mountains of Zion.” According to our version two
things are referred to: the dew of Hermon, and the dew on the mountains of Zion,
But this is not in the original. There no dew is referred to but that which belongs to
Hermon. It has, of course, been made a question how the dew of Hermon, a remote
mountain, could be said to descend on the mountains of Zion, and our translators
have sought to solve the difficulty by inserting the words “and as the dew.” Some
have supposed that the proper interpretation is to refer the comparison in the
passage to the dew of Hermon, and that all which follows is an application of the
thought: “Like the dew of Hermon is the influence which comes down upon the
mountains of Zion,” etc.
The most probable and plausible interpretation, however, it seems to me, is, that
the mind of the poet was turned to the dew of Hermon - to the gentleness, and the
copiousness, and the vivifying nature of that dew - diffusing beauty and abundance
all around - and that he thought of that dew, or dew like that, as descending on the
mountains of Zion.

48. ot that the dew of Hermon actually descended there; but when
changing the comparison, in illustration of brotherly love, from oil to dew, he most
naturally thought (perhaps from some former observation) of the dew of Hermon,
and immediately thought of Zion as if that dew descended there: that is, love, unity,
and concord there would be as if the dew of Hermon should descend on the barren
hills of Zion or Jerusalem, there diffusing beauty, abundance, fertility. The
comparison of the influence of brotherly love, or unity, with dew is not a forced or
unnatural one. So calm, so gentle, so refreshing on the tender grain, on the young
plants, on the flowers, is dew, that it is a striking image of the influences which
produce brotherly love and harmony.
For there the Lord commanded the blessing - He appointed that as the place of
worship; as the seat of his residence; the source of all holy influences. See
Psa_78:67-69, note; Psa_87:2, note.
Even life for evermore - literally, “Life to eternity.” That is, such influences go from
that place as to lead to eternal life, or as to secure eternal life. It is in Zion, in his
church, that he has made known the way to eternal life, and the means by which it
may be obtained. To the end of the world this beautiful psalm will be sung in the

49. church alike as expressing the charm which there is in unity among brethren and in
the church; and as tending to promote that unity whose beauty it is designed to
commend. Happy will be that day when the church shall be so united that it may be
sung everywhere, as expressing what is, and not merely what should be.
5. SPURGEO

50. , “As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the
mountains of Zion. From the loftier mountains the moisture appears to be wafted to
the lesser hills: the dews of Hermon fall on Zion. The Alpine Lebanon ministers to
the minor elevation of the city of David; and so does brotherly love descend from the
higher to the lower, refreshing and enlivening in its course. Holy concord is as dew,
mysteriously blessed, full of life and growth for all plants of grace. It brings with it
so much benediction that it is as no common dew, but As that of Hermon which is
specially copious, and far reaching. The proper rendering is, "As the dew of
Hermon that descended upon the mountains of Zion", and this tallies with the
figure which has been already used; and sets forth by a second simile the sweet
descending diffusiveness of brotherly unity.
For there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. That is, in
Zion, or better still, in the place where brotherly love abounds. Where love reigns
God reigns. Where love wishes blessing, there God commands the blessing. God has
but to command, and it is done. He is so pleased to see his dear children happy in
one another that he fails not to make them happy in himself. He gives especially his
best blessing of eternal life, for love is life; dwelling together in love we have begun
the enjoyments of eternity, and these shall not be taken from us. Let us love for
evermore, and we shall live for evermore. This makes Christian brotherhood so
good and pleasant; it has Jehovah's blessing resting upon it, and it cannot be
otherwise than sacred like "the precious ointment", and heavenly like "the dew of
Hermon."
O for more of this rare virtue!

51. ot the love which comes and goes, but that which
dwells; not that spirit which separates and secludes, but that which dwells together;
not that mind which is all for debate and difference, but that which dwells together
in unity.

52. ever shall we know the full power of the anointing till we are of one heart
and of one spirit; never will the sacred dew of the Spirit descend in all its fulness till
we are perfectly joined together in the same mind; never will the covenanted and
commanded blessing come forth from the Lord our God till once again we shall
have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Lord, lead us into this most precious
spiritual unity, for thy Son's sake. Amen.”
6. “As the dew of Hermon, etc. What we read in the 133rd Psalm of the dew of
Hermon descending upon the mountains of Zion", says Van de Velde in his
"Travels" (Bd. "is now become quite clear to me. Here as I sat at the foot of
Hermon, I understood how the water drops which rose from its forest mantled
heights, and out of the highest ravines, which are filled the whole year round with

53. snow, after the sun's rays have attenuated them add moistened the atmosphere with
them, descend at evening time as a heavy dew upon the lower mountains which lie
round about as its spurs. One ought to have seen Hermon with its white golden
crown glistening aloft in the blue sky, in order to be able rightly to understand the
figure.

54. owhere in the whole country is so heavy a dew perceptible as in the districts
near to Hermon. To this dew the poet likens brotherly love. This is "as the dew of
Hermon": of such pristine freshness and thus refreshing, possessing such pristine
power and thus quickening, thus born from above (Psalms 110:3), and in fact like
the dew of Hermon which comes down upon the mountains of Zion -- a feature in
the picture which is taken from the natural reality; for an abundant dew, when
warm days have preceded, might very well be diverted to Jerusalem by the
operation of the cold current of air sweeping down from the north over Hermon.
We know, indeed, from our own experience how far off a cold air coming from the
Alps is perceptible, and produces its effects. The figure of the poet is therefore as
true to nature as it is beautiful. When brethren bound together in love also meet
together in one place, and, in fact, when brethren of the north unite with brethren in
the south in Jerusalem, the city which is the mother of all, at the great Feasts, it is as
when the dew of Mount Hermon, which is covered with deep, almost eternal snow,
descends upon the bare, unfruitful -- and therefore longing for such quickening --
mountains round about Zion. In Jerusalem must love and all that is good meet.
--Franz Delitzsch.
7. As the dew of Hermon, etc. As touching this similitude, I think the prophet useth
the common manner of speaking. For whereas the mountains oftentimes seem to
those that behold them afar off, to reach up even unto heaven, the dew which
cometh from heaven seemeth to fall from the high mountains unto the hills which
are under them. Therefore he saith that the dew descendeth from Hermon unto the
mount Sion, because it so seemeth unto those that do behold it afar off. --Martin
Luther.
8. As the dew of Hermon. The dews of the mists that rose from the watery ravines, or
of the clouds that rested on the summit of Hermon, were perpetual witnesses of
freshness and coolness -- the sources, as it seemed, of all the moisture, which was to
the land of Palestine what the fragrant oil was to the garments of the High Priest;
what the influence of brotherly love was to the whole community. --Arthur Penrhyn
Stanley (1815-1881), in "Sinai and Palestine."
9. Dew of Hermon. We had sensible proof at Rasheiya of the copiousness of the "dew
of Hermon", spoken of in Psalms 133:3, where "Zion" is only another name for the
same mountain. Unlike most other mountains which gradually rise from lofty table
lands and often at a distance from the sea, Hermon starts at once to the height of
nearly ten thousand feet, from a platform scarcely above the sea level. This

55. platform, too -- the upper Jordan valley, and marshes of Merom -- is for the most
part an impenetrable swamp of unknown depth, whence the seething vapour, under
the rays of an almost tropical sun, is constantly ascending into the upper
atmosphere during the day. The vapour, coming in contact with the snowy sides of
the mountain, is rapidly congealed, and is precipitated in the evening in the form of
a dew, the most copious we ever experienced. It penetrated everywhere, and
saturated everything. The floor of our tent was soaked, our bed was covered with it,
our guns were dripping, and dewdrops hung about everywhere.

56. o wonder that the
foot of Hermon is clad with orchards and gardens of such marvellous fertility in this
land of droughts. --Henry Baker Tristram, 1867.
10. As the dew of Hermon that descended upon the mountains of Zion. --
So the dews on Hermon's hill
Which the summer clouds distil,
Floating southward in the night,
Pearly gems on Zion light. --William Digby Seymour.
11. “The LORD commanded the blessing. It is an allusion possibly to, great persons,
to a general, or an emperor: "Where the word of a king is, there is power." The
centurion said, "I say to one soldier, Go, and he goeth, to another, Come, and he
cometh; to a third, Do this, and he doth it." So God commandeth one ordinance,
"Go and build up such a saint", and it goeth; he saith to another ordinance, "Come,
and call home such a sinner", and it doth it; God's words and work go together.
Men cannot enable others, or give them power to obey them; they may bid a lame
man walk, or a blind man see; but they cannot enable them to walk or see: God with
his word giveth strength to do the thing commanded; as in the old, so in the new
creation, "He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast:" Psalms
33:9. But there the Lord commands his blessing, "even life for evermore." The
stream of regeneration, or a spiritual life, which shall never cease, but still go
forward and increase, till it swell to, and be swallowed up in the ocean of eternal life,
"even life for evermore." --George Swinnock
12. CALVI

57. , “We have here clear proof that David, as we have just said, holds all
true union among brethren to take its rise from God, and to have this for its
legitimate object, that all may be brought to worship God in purity, and call upon
iris name with one consent. Would the similitude have been borrowed from holy
ointment if it had not been to denote, that religion must always hold the first place?7
Any concord, it is thus insinuated, which may prevail amongst men, is insipid, if not
pervaded by a sweet savor of God's worship. We maintain, therefore, that men are
to be united amongst themselves in mutual affection, with this as the great end., that
they may be placed together under the government of God. If there be any who
disagree with these terms, we would do well rather to oppose them strenuously, than
purchase peace at the expense of God's honor. We must hold, that when mention is
made of the Priest, it is to intimate, that concord takes its rise in the true and pure
worship of God, while by the beard and skirts of the garments, we are led to

58. understand that the peace which springs from Christ as the head, is diffused
through the whole length and breadth of the Church. The other figure, of the dew
distilling upon:mount Zion and Hermon, denotes, that a holy unity has not only a
sweet savor before God, but is productive of good effects, as the dew moistens the
earth and supplies it with sap and freshness. Moses, we know, said of Judea, that it
was not like Egypt fertilized by the overflowings of its river, but such as drank daily
of the rain of heaven. (Deuteronomy 11:11.) David suggests, that the life of man
would be sapless, unprofitable, and wretched, unless sustained by brotherly
harmony. It is evident, that mount Hermon must have been rich and fruitful, being
famed amongst places for pasture. Mountains depend principally for fertility upon
the dews of heaven, and this was shown in the case of mount Zion. David adds in the
close, that God commands his blessing where peace is cultivated; by which is meant,
that he testifies how much tie is pleased with concord amongst men, by showering
down blessings upon them. The same sentiment is expressed by Paul in other words,
(2 Corinthians 13:11; Philippians 4:9,) "Live in peace, and the God of peace shall be
with you." Let us then, as much as lies in us, study to walk in brotherly love, that we
may secure the divine blessing. Let us even stretch out our arms to those who differ
from us, desiring to bid them welcome if they will but return to the unity of the
faith. Do they refuse? Then let them go. We recognize no brotherhood, as I have
said already, except amongst the children of God.sh
13. John York, “This particular Psalm on the wonderful ideal of people living in
harmony with one another, rather than fighting and feuding with one another. Such
unity, the psalmist says, is like the anointing of Aaron the high priest, back in
Israel’s beginnings, when surely the people of Israel celebrated the reality of God’s
presence in such a strong sense that the sight of that oil dripping over his head was a
sign of God’s affection for his people. Unity in the family is like the dew that keeps
the top of Mountain Hermon, the highest point in the land of Palestine, renewed
when the land below is barren. is what you sing about when you have been on
vacation for a few days, and the family is getting a bit tired of each other’s presence!
Think about it! Think about Israel, and the number of times you read about in the
Old Testament where there was such unity exhibited among the people. That’s not
their story most of the time. Yes, there were some times in the where the people
might have lived harmoniously with one another, perhaps in the reign of
David―although it is hard to imagine a time when David’s own family could have
made a trip and sung this song with much enthusiasm. Perhaps people sung this
song when the temple was first completed by Solomon. But the history of Israel is
more often about family feuding and fighting than it is about unity.”