29041908 psalm-134-commentary

PSALM 134 COMME
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
TRODUCTIO

1. Spurgeon gives us his picture of what he thinks is going on in the setting of this
final Song of Degrees. He wrote, “We have now reached the last of the Gradual
Psalms. The Pilgrims are going home, and are singing the last song in their Psalter.
They leave early in the morning, before the day has fully commenced, for the
journey is long for many of them. While yet the night lingers they are on the move.
As soon as they are outside the gates they see the guards upon the temple wall, and
the lamps shining from the windows of the chambers, which surround the
sanctuary; therefore, moved by the sight, they chant a farewell to the perpetual
attendants upon the holy shrine. Their parting exhortation arouses the priests to
pronounce upon them a blessing out of the holy place: this benediction is contained
in the third verse. The priests as good as say, "You have desired us to bless the
Lord, and now we pray the Lord to bless you." The Psalm teaches us to pray for
those who are continually ministering before the Lord, and it invites all ministers to
pronounce benedictions upon their loving and prayerful people.”
2. Spurgeon quotes another author who gives us more of this same picture: “The
last cloud of smoke from the evening sacrifice has mixed with the blue sky, the last
note of the evening hymn has died away on the ear. The watch is being set for the
night. The twenty-four Levites, the three priests, and the captain of the guard,
whose duty it was to keep ward from sunset to sunrise over the hallowed precincts,
are already at their several posts, and the multitude are retiring through the gates,
which will soon be shut, to many of them to open no more. But they cannot depart
without one last expression of the piety that fills their hearts; and turning to the
watchers on tower and battlement, they address them in holy song, in what was at
once a brotherly admonition and a touching prayer: Behold, bless ye LORD, all ye
servants of the LORD, which by night stand in the house of the LORD. Lift up your

hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. The pious guard are not unprepared
for the appeal, and from their lofty heights, in words that float over the peopled city
and down into the quiet valley of the Kidron, like the melody of angels, they respond
to each worshipper who thus addressed them with a benedictory farewell: The
LORD bless thee out of Zion, even he who made heaven and earth. --Robert
isbet.
3. This is the final stage in the journey to Jerusalem, and into the house of the Lord
to praise Him. It is the last song in the 15 song series from Psalm 120 to this one.
Wayne Shih give us a breakdown of the trip along the way as he writes, “In working
our way through the songs of ascents, we have seen that our Godward journey of
long obedience also involves assurance – “I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does
my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”
(Psalm 121:1-2).
It involves worship and prayer – “I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in
heaven … our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy” (Psalm
123:1-2).
It involves security, perseverance, rejoicing – “The Lord had done great things for
us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3).
It involves dependence – “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in
vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain”
(Psalm 127:1).
It involves reverence – “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways”
(Psalm 128:1).
It involves courage, confession, humility – “My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes
are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful
for me” (Psalm 131:1).
It involves submission and community – “How good and pleasant it is when
brothers live together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).
This psalm that ends the series is about blessing. Blessing is a reminder that our journey
is God-centered, not man-centered. Blessing is a reminder that discipleship is about
God’s grace, not man's performance.
In this message, we’re going to look at three dimensions of blessing. Rolf Garborg in
his book, The Family Blessing, actually identifies four categories of blessings in the
Bible: 1. A blessing spoken by God to people - God blesses us.2. A blessing spoken
by people to God - We bless God.3. A blessing spoken by one person to another - We

bless each other.4. A blessing by God or people over things - Blessing land,
provision, gatherings, etc.”
1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD
who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
1. This is next to the shortest of Psalms, for 117 is the shortest. It begins with a call
for the servants to praise the Lord, and it ends with the Lord praising his servants.
Blessing is a two way street, and God delights in both receiving and giving praise, or
blessing. It is a universal expectation that all believers will be people who praise the
Lord. If someone never praises his Lord, that person has no Lord, but is his or her
own lord, for one has to be totally self centered never to praise their creator and
redeemer. There is a fuse burned out somewhere in their brain if they never praise
God. The priests and the Levites were especially expected to praise God, for they
served in his temple, and the ones addressed here worked the night shift, and they of
all people would have the time and opportunity to praise the Lord. John in his
vision of heaven saw in Rev. 7:15 that the servants, or the redeemed, "are before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple" Praise is appropriate any
time, and will be so for all eternity.
1B. CALVI
, “We have conclusive proof in my opinion from this verse that the
Psalm is to be considered as referring to the priests and Levites only, for to them it
properly belonged under the law to bless the people. (
umbers 6:23.) The Psalmist
had first told them to bless God; now he tells them to bless the people in his name.

ot that God meant by any such injunction that the people might themselves
indulge in a life of carnal security an opinion prevalent among the Papists, who
think that if the monks chant in the temples, this is all the worship necessary on the
part of the whole body of the people. What God intended was, that the priests
should lead the way in divine service, and the people take example by what was
done in the temple, and practice it individually in their private houses. The duty of
blessing the people was enjoined upon the priests, as representing Christ's person.
Express mention is intentionally made of two things, which are in themselves
distinct, when the God who blessed them out of Zion is said to be also the Creator of
heaven and earth. Mention is made of his title as Creator to set forth his power, and
convince believers there is nothing that may not be hoped from God. For what is the
world but a mirror in which we see his boundless power? And those must be
senseless persons indeed, that are not satisfied with the favor of Him who is
recognized by them as having all dominion and all riches in his hand. Since many,
however, are apt, when they hear God spoken of as Creator, to conceive of him as
standing at a distance from them, and doubt their access to him, the Psalmist makes
mention also of that which was a symbol of God's nearness to his people and this
that they might be encouraged to approach him with the freedom and unrestrained

confidence of persons who are invited to come to the bosom of a Father. By looking
to the heavens, then, they were to discover the power of God by looking to Zion, his
dwellingplace, they were to recognize his fatherly love.”
2. Keil gives us a lot of detail about these servants who worked the night shift in the
Temple. He wrote, “Even the Targum refers Psa_134:1 to the Temple-watch. In the
second Temple the matter was arranged thus. After midnight the chief over the
gate-keepers took the keys of the inner Temple and went with some of the priests
through the little wicket of the Fire Gate. In the inner court this patrol divided into
two companies, each with a burning torch; one company turned west, the other east,
and so they compassed the court to see whether everything was in readiness for the
service of the dawning day. At the bakers' chamber, in which the Mincha of the high
priest was baked, they met with the cry: All is well. In the meanwhile the rest of the
priests also arose, bathed, and put on their garments. Then they went into the stone
chamber (one half of which was the place of session of the Sanhedrim), where,
under the superintendence of the chief over the drawing of the lots and of a judge,
around whom stood all the priests in their robes of office, the functions of the priests
in the service of the coming day were assigned to them by lot (Luk_1:9).
Accordingly Tholuck, with Köster, regards Psa_134:1. and Psa_134:3 as the
antiphon of the Temple-watch going off duty and those coming on. It might also be
the call and counter-call with which the watchmen greeted one another when they
met. But according to the general keeping of the Psalm, Psa_134:1. have rather to be
regarded as a call to devotion and intercession, which the congregation addresses to
the priests and Levites entrusted with the night-service in the Temple. It is an error
to suppose that “in the nights” can be equivalent to “early and late.” If the Psalter
contains Morning Psalms (Psa_3:1-8, Psa_63:1-11) and Evening Psalms (Psa_4:1-8,
Psa_141:1-10), why should it then not contain a vigil Psalm.”
3. Henry wrote, “Some of them did by night stand in the house of the Lord, to guard
the holy things of the temple, that they might not be profaned, and the rich things of
the temple, that they might not be plundered. While the ark was in curtains there
was the more need of guards upon it. They attended likewise to see that neither the
fire on the altar nor the lamps in the candlestick went out. Probably it was usual for
some devout and pious Israelites to sit up with them; we read of one that departed
not from the temple night or day, Luk_2:37.
ow these are here called upon to blesss
the Lord. Thus they must keep themselves awake by keeping themselves employed.
Thus they must redeem time for holy exercises; and how can we spend our time
better than in praising God? It would be an excellent piece of husbandry to fill up
the vacancies of time with pious meditations and ejaculations; and surely it is a very
modest and reasonable to converse with God when we have nothing else to do.
Those who stood in the house of the Lord must remember where they were, and that
holiness and holy work became that house. Let them therefore bless the Lord; let
them all do it in concert, or each by himself; let them lift up their hands in the doing
of it, in token of the lifting up of their hearts. Let them lift up their hands in holiness
(so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in sanctification, as it is fit when they lift them up in
the sanctuary; and let them remember that when they were appointed to wash

before they went in to minister they were thereby taught to lift up holy hands in
prayer and praise. 2. It is a call to us to do it, who, as Christians, are made priests to
our God, and Levites, Isa_66:21. We are the servants of the Lord; we have a place
and a name in his house, in his sanctuary; we stand before him to minister to him.
Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let us therefore bless
the Lord, and again bless him; think and speak of his glory and goodness. Let us lift
up our hands in prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with diligence and
cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This exhortation is ushered in with Behold!
a note commanding attention. Look about you, Sirs, when you are in God's
presence, and conduct yourselves accordingly.”
4. Barnes wrote, “Which by night stand in the house of the Lord - There was a class
of singers in the temple who devoted the night, or a part of the night, to praise; and
it is possible that this service may have been, as it was subsequently in some of the
monasteries, continued by succeeding choirs, during the entire night. Thus in
1Ch_9:33, it is said, “And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites,
who remaining in the chambers were free, for they were employed in that work day
and night.” This class is particularly addressed in this psalm, as if they were
especially favored, or as if they especially possessed the ear of God in the silence of
the night, and when the world slumbered around them. There is something
favorable to devotion in the silence of the night; when the world sleeps; when we are
alone with God; when it seems as if God would more particularly attend to our cry
since the rest of the world is still, and does not (as it were) need his care. All this
may be fancy; but the effect may be to make the mind more solemn, and better
suited for devotion.”
5. Dr. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “God never slumbers or sleeps. Therefore, we can
serve and praise Him any time of day. The psalmist says there were priests who
prayed and praised God in His temple at night. There was a constant repetition of
praise and prayer from the temple. We can bless the Lord in the night seasons. It's
not easy when we are going through the nighttime experiences of life to lift our
hands and bless the Lord. But He does give us songs in the night. Paul and Silas
were able to lift their hearts in praise to God while in the Philippian jail (Acts 16).
They were on the night shift. They knew that God was awake, so they blessed Him,
and He sent deliverance. We can get some strange blessings in the night seasons, for
God speaks to us in different ways. Others may not see your praise at night, but
God sees and hears.”
6. Spurgeon again wrote, “Bless ye the LORD. Think well of Jehovah, and speak
well of him. Adore him with reverence, draw near to him with love, delight in him
with exultation. Be not content with praise, such as all his works render to him; but,
as his saints, see that ye "bless" him. He blesses you; therefore, be zealous to bless
him. The word "bless" is the characteristic word of the Psalm. The first two verses
stir us up to bless Jehovah, and in the last verse Jehovah's blessing is invoked upon
the people. Oh to abound in blessing! May blessed and blessing be the two words
which describe our lives. Let others flatter their fellows, or bless their stars, or

praise themselves; as for us, we will bless Jehovah, from whom all blessings flow.
All ye servants of the LORD. It is your office to bless him; take care that you lead
the way therein. Servants should speak well of their masters.
ot one of you should
serve him as of compulsion, but all should bless him while you serve him; yea, bless
him for permitting you to serve him, fitting you to serve him, and accepting your
service. To be a servant of Jehovah is an incalculable honor, a blessing beyond all
estimate. To be a servant in his temple, a domestic in his house, is even more a
delight and a glory: if those Who are ever with the Lord, and dwell in his own
temple, do not bless the Lord, who will?”
7. “This Psalm consists of a greeting, Psalms 109:1-2, and the reply thereto. The
greeting is addressed to those priests and Levites who have the night watch in the
Temple; and this antiphon is purposely placed at the end of the collection of Songs
of Degrees in order to take the place of a final "beracha" (Blessing). In this sense
Luther styles the Psalm epiphonema superiorum. ("I take this Psalm to be a
conclusion of those things which were spoken of before." -- Luther). It is also in
other respects an appropriate finale.᪽--Franz Delitzsch.
8. The point is, these servants were to be watchers who made sure all were protected
that belonged to God, but they were not just watchers, for they were to also be
worshipers. In the midst of all that reminded them of God in that temple setting,
they were to be mindful of all the things for which they had to be thankful, and to
give God praise for his goodness and mercy. The song goes , “whistle while you
work,” but this song is saying “worship while you work.” Work and worship can go
together just like service and song can be united. The fact is, there is no setting
where praise to God is out of place. It may not be appropriate to praise out loud, but
in your heart and mind you can praise God everywhere and at any time. If we can
pray without ceasing, we can also praise without ceasing.
9. Calvin’s comments agree with my comments above, for he saw the danger of these
night servants just becoming watchers without being worshipers. He wrote, “The
Psalmist would show that merely to keep nightly watch over the Temple, kindle the
lamps, and superintend the sacrifices, was of no importance, unless they served God
spiritually, and referred all outward ceremonies to that which must be considered
the main sacrifice, -- the celebration of God's praises. You may think it a very
laborious service, as if he had said, to stand at watch in the Temple, while others
sleep in their own houses; but the worship which God requires is something more
excellent than this, and demands of you to sing his praises before all the people.”
9B. Calvin goes on. “Some interpreters think, that others besides the Levites are
here intended, and it must be granted, at least, that some of the more zealous of the
people remained over night in the Temple, as we read (Luke 2:37) of Anna, a
widow, "who served God constantly with prayers night and day."2 But it is evident,
from the close of the Psalm, that the inspired penman addresses priests only, since
he prescribes the form of benediction which they were to offer up for the people,
and this was a duty belonging exclusively to the Priests. It would appear then, that
the Levites are here called servants of God, from the functions they discharged,

being specially appointed, and that by turns, to watch by night in the Temple, as we
read in the inspired history.3 (Leviticus 8:35.) The Psalm begins with the
demonstrative adverb Behold! setting the matter of their duty before their eyes, for
they were to be stimulated to devotion by looking constantly to the Temple. We are
to notice the Psalmist's design in urging the duty of praise so earnestly upon them.
Many of the Levites, through the tendency which there is in all men to abuse
ceremonies, considered that nothing more was necessary than standing idly in the
Temple, and thus overlooked the principal part of their duty. The Psalmist would
show that merely to keep nightly watch over the Temple, kindle the lamps, and
superintend the sacrifices, was of no importance, unless they served God spiritually,
and referred all outward ceremonies to that which must be considered the main
sacrifice the celebration of God's praises. You may think it a very laborious service,
as if he had said, to stand at watch in the Temple, while others sleep in their own
houses; but the worship which God requires is something more excellent than this,
and demands of you to sing his praises before all the people. In the second verse he
reminds them in addition, of the form observed in calling upon the name of the
Lord. For why do men lift their hands when they pray? Is it not that their hearts
may be raised at the same time to God?4 It is thus that the Psalmist takes occasion
to reprehend their carelessness in either standing idle in the Temple, or trifling and
indulging in vain conversation, and thus failing to worship God in a proper
manner.”
10. Gill, “ All men are of right the servants of God being his creatures; and are
under obligation, through his providential goodness, to bless and praise him; though
they are not all in fact so: but all good men are, being made so by the power of
divine grace; which frees them from the servitude of sin, Satan, and the world, and
makes them willing to serve the Lord; as they do in righteousness and holiness, with
reverence and godly fear, heartily and willingly, and with great pleasure; and yet
have no dependence on any service they perform: and as these are under the highest
obligations to bless the Lord;, to ascribe greatness to him, to give him the glory of
his works, and thanks for his mercies, temporal and spiritual; so they do in this way,
and for those things, bless and praise him, to which they are here excited;
which by night stand in the house of the Lord: according to Kimchi, these were the
wise and holy men, that rose from their beds in the night, and went to pray in the
temple, and to praise the Lord; and such a holy person was Anna, Luk_2:37;
according to R. Obadiah and Arama, they were such who continued in the
chambers of the temple in the night season to study in the law and in the expositions
of it: but it is generally interpreted of the priests and Levites, who watched in the
temple by night, that it might not be profaned nor plundered; and they were obliged
to stand, for none might sit in the temple but a king of the house of David (d). The
priests watched in three places, and the Levites in twenty one, according to the
Jewish Misnah (e). The Targum is, "who stand in the watch house of the sanctuary
of the Lord, and praise in the nights;'' which was one part of their service,
1Ch_9:33. Under the Gospel dispensation all the saints are priests, and they have a
place in the house of the Lord; where they wait upon him in his ordinances, and

serve him, and which they do continually. Some understand, by "nights", times of
affliction, darkness, and desertion.”
11. "We know generally," says Fry, "that there was a nightly service in the Temple,
(2 Chronicles 21:) and Kimchi, a Jewish writer, represents those who by night stand
in the house of the Lord, as holy men who rose from their beds in the night and went
to pray in the Temple." After referring to the case of "Anna, a Prophetess," he
adds, "And St. Paul, before Agrippa, speaking ' of the hope of the promise made
unto the fathers,' gives us this remarkable description: 'unto which our' twelve
tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. There was public service
in the Temple at Jerusalem not only by day but by night; which latter service many
of the Jews, for whose special use this and the next Psalm seem to have been
composed, were in the habit of attending." Cresswell.
12. Ye servants off the Lord, etc., i.e., ye Levites, whose duty it was, according to the
Talmudists, to keep watch by night, standing in the Temple: the High Priest was the
only one who sat in the Temple. Compare Leviticus 8:35; 1 Chronicles 9:33 Psalm
92:2; Psalm 119:147; Luke 2:37." Cresswell.
13. Rich Cathers, “British preacher Charles Spurgeon once vacationed at an
isolated spot in England because he had been told that many nightingales lived
there. To his great disappointment, however, it started to rain just as he arrived at
the hotel. The weather turned unseasonably cold and Spurgeon feared that the
primary purpose of his trip had been spoiled. But as he sat by his open window, he
suddenly heard a delightful melody -- a nightingale perched on a branch outside.
The only light was a dim lamp burning at the entrance to the hotel. The nightingale,
oblivious to the rain and cold, was exulting in that tiny bit of light. Spurgeon wrote
of his experience, "I do not expect to listen to anything so sweet and thrilling again
until I hear the angels sing in glory. The God of that nightingale is the same loving
Savior I serve. In spite of darkness, storm, or thorns, He always provides some ray
of light and gives a song in the night."
14. Maclaren, “Who are the persons addressed in the first portion? The answer
stands plain in the psalm itself. They are, ‘All ye servants of the Lord, which by
night stand in the House of the Lord.’ That is to say, the priests or Levites whose
charge it was to patrol the Temple through the hours of night and darkness, to see
that all was safe and right there, and to do such other priestly and ministerial work
as was needful; they are called upon to ‘lift up their hands in’—or rather towards
—‘the Sanctuary, and to bless the Lord.’ The charge to the watchers. We do not
know what the office of these watchers was, but in the second Temple, to the period
of which this psalm may possibly belong, their duties were carefully defined, and
Rabbinical literature has preserved a minute account of the work of the nightly
patrol.

According to the authorities, two hundred and forty priests and Levites were the
nightly guard, distributed over twenty-one stations. The captain of the guard visited
these stations throughout the night with flaming torches before him, and saluted
each with ‘Peace be unto thee.’ If he found the sentinel asleep he beat him with his
staff, and had authority to burn his cloak (which the drowsy guard had rolled up for
a pillow). We all remember who warned His disciples to watch, lest coming suddenly
He should find them asleep. We may remember, too, the blessing pronounced in the
Apocalypse on ‘Him who watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked.’
Shortly before daybreak the captain of the guard came, as the Talmud says: ‘All
times were not equal. Sometimes he came at cockcrow, or near it, before or after it.
He went to one of the posts where the priests were stationed, and opened a wicket
which led into the court. Here the priests, who marched behind him torch in hand,
divided into two companies which went one to the east, and one to the west,
carefully ascertaining that all was well. When they met each company reported “It
is peace.” Then the duties of the watch were ended, and the priests who were to
prepare for the daily sacrifice entered on their tasks.’
Our psalm may be the chant and answering chant with which the nightly charge
was given over to the watchers, or it may be, as some commentators suppose, ‘the
call and counter-call with which the watchers greeted each other when they met.’
Figure then, to yourselves, the band of white-robed priests gathered in the court of
the Temple, their flashing torches touching pillar and angle with strange light, the
city sunk in silence and sleep, and ere they part to their posts the chant rung in their
ears:—‘Bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord which by night stand in the
House of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the Sanctuary, and bless the Lord!’
otice,
then, that the priests’ duty is to praise. It is because they are the servants of the
Lord that, therefore, it is their business to bless the Lord. It is because they stand in
the House of the Lord that it is theirs to bless the Lord. They who are gathered into
His House, they who hold communion with Him, they who can feel that the gate of
the Father’s dwelling, like the gate of the Father’s heart, is always open to them,
they who have been called in from their wanderings in a homeless wilderness, and
given a place and a name in His House better than of sons and daughters, have been
so blessed in order that, filled with thanksgiving for such an entrance into God’s
dwelling and of such an adoption into His family, their silent lips may be filled with
thanksgiving and their redeemed hands be uplifted in praise.
So for us Christians. We are servants of the Lord—His priests. That we ‘stand in
the House of the Lord’ expresses not only the fact of our great privilege of confiding
approach to Him and communion with Him, whereby we may ever abide in the very
Holy of Holies and be in the secret place of the Most High, even while we are busy in
the world, but it also points to our duty of ministering; for the word ‘stand’ is
employed to designate the attendance of the priests in their office, and is almost
equivalent to ‘serve.’ ‘To bless the Lord,’ then, is the work to which we are
especially called. If we are made a ‘royal priesthood,’ it is that we ‘should show
forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous
light.’ The purpose of that full horn of plenty, charged with blessings which God has
emptied upon our heads, is that our dumb lips may be touched into thankfulness,

because our selfish hearts have been wooed and charmed into love and life.”
2. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary
and praise the LORD.
1. Gill, “up your hands inthe sanctuary,.... Which Aben Ezra interprets of the
priests lifting up their hands to bless the people; but Kimchi, better, of lifting up of
the hands to God in prayer; see Psa_141:2; which should be done "with holiness",
as the Targum renders it, in a holy manner; and is the same with lifting up holy
hands, 1Ti_2:8; or towards the holy place; the oracle in the holy of holies, and the
ark of the covenant, typical of Christ; see 1Ki_8:29, Psa_28:2; so Kimchi; or rather,
according to Arama, unto the holy name of God, to whom prayer is to be directed;
and bless the Lord; which is repeated, to show the importance of the work, that it
might not be forgotten and neglected; this being a principal part of spiritual service,
and greatly acceptable to God.”
2. Barnes, “up your hands in the sanctuary - , In holiness. The Hebrew word
properly means holiness, but it may be applied to a holy place. See Psa_20:2. The
lifting up of the hands is properly expressive of prayer, but the phrase may be used
to denote praise or worship in general.
And bless the Lord - In the night-watches - while all around is still, - let there be one
place where the voice of praise shall ascend on high.”
3. SPURGEO
, “up your hands in the sanctuary. In the holy place they must be
busy, full of strength, wide awake, energetic, and moved with holy ardour. Hands,
heart, and every other part of their manhood must be upraised, elevated, and
consecrated to the adoring service of the Lord. As the angels praise God day without
night, so must the angels of the churches be instant in season and out of season.
And bless the LORD. This is their main business. They are to bless men by their
teaching, but they must yet more bless Jehovah with their worship. Too often men
look at public worship only from the side of its usefulness to the people; but the
other matter is of even higher importance: we must see to it that the Lord God is
adored, extolled, and had in reverence. For a second time the word "bless" is used,
and applied to Jehovah. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let every other soul bless
him. There will be no drowsiness about even midnight devotion if the heart is set
upon blessing God in Christ Jesus, which is the gospel translation of God in the
sanctuary.

4. “Lift up your hands, etc. The lifting up of the hands was a gesture in prayer, it was
an intimation of their expectation of receiving blessings from the Lord, and it was
also an acknowledgment of their having received the same. --Samuel Eyles Pierce.
5. “In the sanctuary. The Hebrew work signifying holiness as well as the holy place
may here be taken in the former sense, the latter having been sufficiently expressed
(Psalms 134:1) by "the house of the Lord" ... The priests (which are here spoken to)
before their officiating, which is here expressed by lifting up their hands, were
obliged to wash their hands. --Henry Hammond.
6. HE
RY, “Those who stood in the house of the Lordmust remember where they
were, and that holiness and holy work became that house. Let them therefore bless
the Lord;let them all do it in concert, or each by himself; let them lift uptheir
handsin the doing of it, in token of the lifting up of their hearts. Let them lift up their
hands in holiness(so Dr. Hammond reads it) or in sanctification, as it is fit when they
lift them up in the sanctuary;and let them remember that when they were appointed
to wash before they went in to minister they were thereby taught to lift up holy
handsin prayer and praise. 2. It is a call to us to do it, who, as Christians, are made
priests to our God, and Levites, Isa_66:21. We are the servants of the Lord;we have a
place and a name in his house, in his sanctuary; we stand before him to minister to
him. Even by night we are under his eye and have access to him. Let us therefore
bless the Lord,and again bless him; think and speak of his glory and goodness. Let us
lift upour handsin prayer, in praise, in vows; let us do our work with diligence and
cheerfulness, and an elevation of mind. This exhortation is ushered in with Behold!a
note commanding attention. Look about you, Sirs, when you are in God's presence,
and conduct yourselves accordingly.”
7. David Holloway, “There are a number of words associated with the "praise" of
God in the Bible - for example "worship", "glorify", "adore", "magnify" and "give
thanks". All have different nuances. But fundamentally they all stand in the Bible
for the natural human response of a person when they understand who God is and
what he has done - his person and his work. I saw the Italian get the gold medal in
the cycling road race in the Athens' Olympics yesterday. Instinctively the Italians all
praised him for his achievement. You see, praise completes your enjoyment. When
Johnny Wilkinson dropped that goal in the rugby World Cup (that England won)
last Autumn, people in this country erupted with praise. Praise is natural, when
there is the right stimulus. And the right stimulus for the praise of God is not a
feeling but a right understanding. It is understanding his greatness and goodness.
That is why Bible reading and Bible teaching are so important for praise. The Bible
is where you now learn about the true God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So the
sermon - this sermon - doesn't come "after" the praise or worship, which you
express by words or by psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (to use Paul's categories).

o! It is all part of the praise and worship, or at least it is essential to praise and
worship. Jesus says that God's " ... worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth"
(John 4.24). So you then ask, "how do you truly understand God's greatness?" The
Psalms encourage you to see God's greatness in his creation and sovereignty over
nature.”

8. Maclaren, “There is another application of the Temple symbol in the
ew
Testament—a derivative and secondary one—to the Church, that is, to the
aggregate of believers. In it God dwells through Christ. Receiving His Spirit, instinct
with His life, it is His Body, and as in His earthly life ‘He spake of the Temple of His
“literal” body,’ so now that Church becomes the Temple of God, being builded
through the ages. In that Zion all God’s best blessings are possessed and stored, that
the Church may, by faithful service, impart them to the world. Whosoever desires to
possess these blessings must enter thither—not by any ceremonial act, or outward
profession, but by becoming one of those who put their whole heart’s confidence in
Jesus Christ. Within that sacred enclosure we receive whatever divine love and
power can give. If we are knit to Christ by our faith, we share in proportion to our
faith in all the wealth of blessing with which God has blessed Him. We possess
Christ and in Him all. The ancient benediction, which came from the lips of the
priestly watchers, and rang through the empty corridors of the darkened Temple,
asked for much: ‘The Lord who made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.’ But
the Apostolic assurance sounds a yet deeper and more wonderful note of confidence
when it proclaims that already, however to ourselves we may seem sad and needy,
and however little we may have counted our treasures or made them our own, ‘God
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.’”
3. The LORD that made heaven and earth bless
thee out of Zion.
1.Barnes, “Lord that made heaven and earth - great Creator of all things. This is
probably the language of those who were thus employed in the service of the Lord at
night; their response to the address in the first two verses.
Bless thee out of Zion - That is, bless those who thus approached the sanctuary, and
called on those within to praise the Lord. This is the answer. Let the blessing of God
rest on you. It is language showing that they appreciated the kind and encouraging
salutation, and that they reciprocated the feelings and the good wishes of those who
came to worship. In the name of the Lord whom they served, therefore, and
appealing to him, they pronounced a blessing on those who thus approached the
sanctuary. People do not come near the house of God - the place of public worship -
with kind and sympathizing feelings without a blessing from the sanctuary, without
a response that welcomes them, and that meets all their aspirations. There is always
in Zion - in the church - a voice, by day and night, which pronounces a blessing on
those who wish it well, who seek its good, and who desire to partake of the favor of
God. Out of Zion - That is, may God speak to you out of Zion; may he confer on you
such blessings as properly go out of Zion; or such as Zion (or his church) can
furnish. Go not away unblessed; go not without a token of divine favor - for God

will bless you.”
2. Gill, “134:3- Lord, that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of Zion.These are
not the words of the priests blessing the people in this form, as some; but rather, as
others, the wish of the servants of the Lord, that he would bless him that exhorted
them to this service; whether one of the priests, or the captain of the temple, or the
psalmist: though, according to Kimchi, and which seems agreeable, they are the
words of the psalmist, promising a blessing from the Lord to those that blessed him;
as an encouragement to them, to everyone of them, to be constant and diligent in
this service. For so it may be rendered, "the Lord shall bless thee" (f); all blessings
come from the Lord, whether spiritual or temporal; and are to be asked of him, and
expected from him: and the blessings here promised or asked for are blessings out of
Zion, the church, where God blesses his people with his word and ordinances, with
his presence, and with communion with himself. Wherefore it is good to be there
waiting on him and worshipping him, praying to him and praising of him; and he
that made heaven and earth is able to bless both with heavenly and earthly things:
and this description of the Lord is no doubt given to encourage faith in him; for,
what is it he cannot do?
3. HE
RY, “'s blessing us, and that is doing well for us, which we are here taught to
desire, Psa_134:3. Whether it is the watchmen's blessing their captain, or the
Levites' blessing the high priest, or whoever was their chief (as many take it,
because it is in the singular number, The Lord bless thee), or whether the blessing is
pronounced by one upon many (“The Lord bless thee,each of you in particular, thee
and thee; you that are blessing God, the Lord bless you”), is not material. We may
learn, 1. That we need desire no more to make us happy than to be blessed of the
Lord, for those whom he blesses are blessed indeed. 2. That blessings out of Zion,
spiritual blessings, the blessings of the covenant, and of communion with God, are
the best blessings, which we should be most earnest for. 3. It is a great
encouragement to us, when we come to God for a blessing, that it is he who made
heaven and earth,and therefore has all the blessings of both at his disposal, the
upper and nether springs. 4. We ought to beg these blessings, not only for ourselves,
but for others also; not only, The Lord bless me,but, The Lord bless thee,thus
testifying our belief of the fulness of divine blessings, that there is enough for others
as well as for us, and our good-will also to others. We must pray for those that
exhort us. Though the less is blessed of the greater(Heb_7:7), yet the greater must be
prayed for by the less.”
4. SPURGEO
, “last verse is the answer from the temple to the pilgrims preparing
to depart as the day breaks. It is the ancient blessing of the high priest condensed,
and poured forth upon each individual pilgrim.
The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. Ye are scattering and
going to your homes one by one; may the benediction come upon you one by one.
You have been up to Jehovah's city and temple at his bidding; return each one with
such a benediction as only he can give -- divine, infinite, effectual, eternal. You are

not going away from Jehovah's works or glories, for he made the heaven above you
and the earth on which you dwell. He is your Creator, and he can bless you with
untold mercies; he can create joy and peace in your hearts, and make for you a new
heaven and a new earth. May the Maker of all things make you to abound in
blessings.
The benediction comes from the City of the Great King, from his appointed
ministers, by virtue of his covenant, and so it is said to be "out of Zion." To this day
the Lord blesses each one of his people through his church, his gospel, and the
ordinances of his house. It is in communion with the saints that we receive untold
benisons. May each one of us obtain yet more of the blessing which cometh from the
Lord alone. Zion cannot bless us; the holiest ministers can only wish us a blessing;
but Jehovah can and will bless each one of his waiting people. So may it be at this
good hour. Do we desire it? Let us then bless the Lord ourselves. Let us do it a
second time. Then we may confidently hope that the third time we think of blessing
we shall find ourselves conscious receivers of it from the Ever blessed One. Amen.
5. The LORD that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion. He doth not say, the
Lord that made the earth bless thee out of heaven; nor, the Lord that made heaven
bless thee out of heaven; but "bless thee out of Zion." As if he would teach us that
all blessings come as immediately and primarily from heaven, so mediately and
secondarily from Zion, where the Temple stood. If ever, therefore, we would have
blessings outward, inward, private, public, secular, spiritual; if ever we would have
blessing in our estate, blessing in our land, blessing in our souls, we must pray for it,
and pray for it here, in Zion, in God's house: for from the piety there exercised all
blessings flow, as from a fountain that can never be drawn dry. -- Abraham Wright.
6. The LORD that made heaven and earth, etc. The priestly benediction brings God
before us in a twofold character. He is described first as the Creator of the universe.
He is described, in the second place, as dwelling "in Zion." In the first aspect, he is
represented as the God of nature; in the second, as the God of grace. When I
contemplate him as the Creator of the universe, there is abundant proof that he can
bless me. When I contemplate him as dwelling in the Church, there is abundant
proof that he will bless me. Both of these elements are essential to our faith. --
.
M`Michael.
7. The LORD that made heaven and earth, etc. As the priests were called upon to
bless God in behalf of the people, so here they bless the people in behalf of God.
Between the verses we may suppose the previous request to be complied with. The
priests, having blessed God, turn and bless the people. The obvious allusion to the
sacerdotal blessing (
umbers 6:23-27), favours the optative construction of this
verse, which really includes a prediction -- the Lord will bless thee. --Joseph
Addison Alexander.
8. The LORD bless thee out of Zion. The Church is the conservator of Divine
revelation; the Church is the offerer on earth of true worship; it consists of a
company of priests, a royal priesthood, part of whose mission is "to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." The Church is the heritor of

the covenants. God's covenants are made with his Church, and his promises are
addressed chiefly to his Church. The Church is the scene of special Divine
ministrations, God shows himself to his Church as he does not to that which is called
the world. It is also the scene of special heavenly influences: and in a sense next to
that in which God is said to reside in heaven, the Church is the dwellingplace of the
Most High.
ow, what is it to be blessed out of Zion? It is surely to be blessed with
Zion's blessings, and to have Zion's endowments and gifts rendered sources of
advantage and profit to us. -- Samuel Martin.
9. Clarke, “Lord that made heaven and earth - governs and possesses all things;
and who can give you every spiritual and earthly blessing.
Bless thee out of Zion - As if they had said, “We will attend to your orders; go in
peace, and may God shower down his blessings upon you!” The blessing
pronounced by the priests was the following: “The Lord bless thee and keep thee!
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and he gracious unto thee! The Lord lift up
his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace!”
um_6:24-26.”
10. J. G. Bellett, “This is a joyful end of their way across the desert. And, further, it
is happy to observe that these two Psalms, 133, 134, give us two aspects of the house
of God which the returned captives, as we have seen, have now reached ― that is,
the unity of the people of God, and the praise of the God of the people ― the joy of
the family, and the glory of their head; for the house of God ever in principle
provides for and exhibits these things. It is the dwelling of love, and the court of
praise.
And let me add this ― that divine joy in the Lord has wondrous moral power. As

ehemiah, in the day of revival, the day of the new moon, or of the feast of
trumpets, the first day of the seventh month, said to the congregation of Israel,
"This day is holy unto the Lord, neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your
strength." (
ehemiah 8: 10)
We have an instance of this in 1 Chr. 12: 30-40. It was a bright and animated
moment. David was to be made king, and, as we read, "there was joy in Israel."
Judah could not then have provoked Ephraim, nor could Ephraim then have envied
Judah. The common joy had linked all hearts, and borne them away and made them
its own creatures. One tribe was therefore the ready servant of the joy of another.

o private feelings could be indulged, nor separate interests consulted. It was one of
the days of heaven upon earth (Deut. 11: 21); the congregation of Israel, felt the
power of it, as Peter did of the Holy Mount. For how willing was he then, because of
the gladness of his heart to be the servant of others. "Master, it is good for us to be
here; and let us make three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one
for Elias."
11. Maclaren, “But observe, further, the two kinds of blessing which answer to one
another—God’s blessing of man, and man’s blessing of God. The one is

communicative, the other receptive and responsive. The one is the great stream
which pours itself over the precipice; the other is the basin into which it falls and
the showers of spray which rise from its surface, rainbowed in the sunshine, as the
cataract of divine mercies comes down upon it. God blesses us when He gives. We
bless God when we thankfully take, and praise the Giver. God’s blessing then, must
ever come first. ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’ Ours is but the echo of
His, but the acknowledgment of the divine act, which must precede our recognition
of it as the dawn must come in order that the birds may wake to sing.
12. The final word of the Songs of Degrees is a word of blessing. Wayne Shih points
out that several of the
ew Testament books also end with a blessing. He wrote,
“Here are a few examples:
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of
the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).•
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your
whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-
24).•
“May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought
back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you
with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to
him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for every and ever. Amen” (Hebrews
13:20-21).

29041908 psalm-134-commentary

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29041908 psalm-134-commentary