Psalm 132, An Everlasting Dynasty

A song of ascents.

This is the thirteenth of fifteen psalms identified as "songs of ascents." It is likely that these songs were sung as people traveled to Jerusalem and then went up to the second temple.  In this psalm, the people remember the building of the first temple and the commitment it represented.

Psalm 132:1-5, David's desire for a temple

 O LORD, remember David 

and all the hardships he endured.

He swore an oath to the LORD 

and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

 "I will not enter my house or go to my bed--

 I will allow no sleep to my eyes,

 no slumber to my eyelids,

 till I find a place for the LORD, 

a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."

The psalmist recalls David's hope of finding a home for the temple. That story is told in 2 Samuel 6-7.

Psalm 132:6-7, Go to Jaar

 We heard it in Ephrathah, 

we came upon it in the fields of Jaar;

 "Let us go to his dwelling place;

 let us worship at his footstool--

In the ancient times of David, that worship would have been at Baalah = Kiriath Jearim (see 2 Samuel 6:2, 1 Chronicles 13:6) where the ark had rested for twenty years (1 Samuel 7:1-2.) The word Jaar is the singular of Jearim (says Kidner) and so Jaar should be identified with Kiriath Jearim. (Alter agrees.) David's hometown, Bethlehem, was in the region of Ephrathah.

Here the people tell each other to go and worship at the ark.  Similar processional hymns are Psalm 24 and 68.

Psalm 132:8-10, Come to your resting place

 arise, O LORD, and come to your resting place, 

you and the ark of your might.

 May your priests be clothed with righteousness;

 may your saints sing for joy."

 For the sake of David your servant, 

do not reject your anointed one.

Eventually the ark is carried to Jerusalem and Solomon builds a temple for it. This passage repeats Solomon's prayer before the (first) temple, at its dedication. (See 2 Chronicles 6: 41-42.)

Psalm 132:11-12, A future descendant

 The LORD swore an oath to David, 

a sure oath that he will not revoke: 

"One of your own descendants I will place on your throne--

 if your sons keep my covenant 

and the statutes I teach them, 

then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever."

The psalmist's call to YHWH in the first ten verses now turns to YHWH's response and the Messianic promise to David of an eternal kingdom. It is possible that this song is being sung by a future king in Jerusalem, a descendant of David, but it also looks to a future eternal line.

Psalm 132:13-18, Zion forever

 For the LORD has chosen Zion,

 he has desired it for his dwelling:

 "This is my resting place for ever and ever; 

here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it--

 I will bless her with abundant provisions; 

her poor will I satisfy with food.

 I will clothe her priests with salvation,

 and her saints will ever sing for joy.

 "Here I will make a horn grow for David 

and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

 I will clothe his enemies with shame,

 but the crown on his head will be resplendent."

Zion (Jerusalem) is the center of God's dealing with the people of Israel; it is from there that He blesses the nations. The "horn" is a metaphor for strength; God will make David's strength grow and set up a lamp and crown for this king. (In 2 Samuel 21:17, David is called "the lamp of Israel"; the lamp symbolizes a wise guide for the nation.)

Some Hebrew Vocabulary

The Hebrew word qeren, a feminine noun, horn or tusks,

קֶרֶן

 is a metaphor for strength.

First published November 15, 2025; updated November 15, 2025