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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 122

Psalm 122: gladness at going into the house of the Lord in Jerusalem

General context

The speaker says he was glad when they said to him, let us go into the house of the Lord. He speaks to Jerusalem: our feet shall stand within your gates. He describes Jerusalem as a city built compact together, where the tribes, the tribes of the Lord, go up to the testimony of Israel to give thanks to the name of the Lord, and where the thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David, are set. He calls on hearers to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, saying those who love her will prosper. He wishes peace within her walls and prosperity within her palaces. For the sake of his brethren and companions he will say, peace be within you, and because of the house of the Lord our God he will seek her good.

Cited passages: Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:2, Psalms 122:3, Psalms 122:4, Psalms 122:5, Psalms 122:6, Psalms 122:7, Psalms 122:8, Psalms 122:9

Psalms 122 (KJV)

1I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.

2Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.

3Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

4Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.

5For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

7Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.

8For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

9Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The source prints no heading for this psalm; verse 1 begins with "I was glad when they said unto me", so no title, author or occasion is given and none is asserted. The one place named is Jerusalem, described as a city with gates, walls and palaces, and as the place where the tribes go up and where thrones of judgment belonging to the house of David are set. The psalm does not say which king sits on those thrones or whether any does at the time of speaking. The "house of the Lord" is named at the start and the end without description. The "they" who invite the speaker are not identified; the speaker mentions "my brethren and companions" but gives no names. The words "go up" and "the testimony of Israel" are stated without explanation in the text. No Selah occurs.

Cited passages: Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:3, Psalms 122:5, Psalms 122:4, Psalms 122:8, Psalms 122:9

Literary context

The psalm begins with reported speech, an invitation the speaker was glad to hear, and then turns to speak to the city itself, "O Jerusalem". Verses 3-5 describe the city in the third person, and verses 6-9 return to "thee" and "thy". Verses 3-5 describe the city in three features: compactness, the tribes going up to give thanks, and the thrones of judgment. Verses 6-9 are all about peace: the word occurs in the command to pray, in the wish for the walls, and in the speaker's own declaration, "Peace be within thee". Prosperity is paired with peace twice. The phrase "house of the Lord" opens the psalm and closes it, so the whole poem sits between two mentions of the same place. Nouns come in pairs: walls and palaces, brethren and companions, peace and prosperity.

Cited passages: Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:2, Psalms 122:4, Psalms 122:5, Psalms 122:6, Psalms 122:7, Psalms 122:8, Psalms 122:9

Key moments

  1. Glad at the invitation (Psalms 122:1). The speaker is glad when told, let us go into the house of the Lord.
  2. Feet within the gates (Psalms 122:2). The speaker addresses Jerusalem and says our feet shall stand within its gates.
  3. The tribes go up (Psalms 122:4). The tribes of the Lord go up to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
  4. Thrones of the house of David (Psalms 122:5). Thrones of judgment belonging to the house of David are set in the city.
  5. Pray for Jerusalem's peace (Psalms 122:6). Hearers are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
  6. Peace within thee (Psalms 122:8). For brethren and companions the speaker says, peace be within thee.

For reflection

The speaker says he will seek the city's good for the sake of his brethren and companions and because of the house of the Lord. Which of those two reasons carries the psalm's wish for peace, and does the text separate them?

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