1 A Song of the Ascents. Remember, Jehovah, for David, all his afflictions.
A Song of the Ascents. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills, Whence doth my help come?
A Song of the Ascents. Unto Jehovah in my distress I have called, And He answereth me.
Remember, O Jehovah, what hath befallen us, Look attentively, and see our reproach.
Remember my affliction and my mourning, Wormwood and gall!
A Song of the Ascents. From depths I have called Thee, Jehovah.
A Song of the Ascents. Often they distressed me from my youth, Pray, let Israel say:
A Song of the Ascents, by Solomon. If Jehovah doth not build the house, In vain have its builders laboured at it, If Jehovah doth not watch a city, In vain hath a watchman waked.
And God remembereth Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle which `are' with him in the ark, and God causeth a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subside,
A Song of the Ascents, by David. Save `for' Jehovah -- who hath been for us, (Pray, let Israel say),
A Song of the Ascents. Unto Thee I have lifted up mine eyes, O dweller in the heavens.
Remember Thy mercies, O Jehovah, And Thy kindnesses, for from the age `are' they. Sins of my youth, and my transgressions, Do not Thou remember. According to Thy kindness be mindful of me, For Thy goodness' sake, O Jehovah.
And it cometh to pass afterwards, that Absalom prepareth for himself a chariot, and horses, and fifty men are running before him; and Absalom hath risen early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate, and it cometh to pass, every man who hath a pleading to come unto the king for judgment, that Absalom calleth unto him, and saith, `Of what city `art' thou?' and he saith, `Of one of the tribes of Israel `is' thy servant.' And Absalom saith unto him, `See, thy matters `are' good and straightforward -- and there is none hearkening to thee from the king.' And Absalom saith, `Who doth make me a judge in the land, that unto me doth come every man who hath a plea and judgment? -- then I have declared him righteous.' And it hath come to pass, in the drawing nearing of any one to bow himself to him, that he hath put forth his hand, and laid hold on him, and given a kiss to him; and Absalom doth according to this thing to all Israel who come in for judgment unto the king, and Absalom stealeth the heart of the men of Israel. And it cometh to pass, at the end of forty years, that Absalom saith unto the king, `Let me go, I pray thee, and I complete my vow, that I vowed to Jehovah in Hebron, for a vow hath thy servant vowed in my dwelling in Geshur, in Aram, saying, If Jehovah doth certainly bring me back to Jerusalem, then I have served Jehovah.' And the king saith to him, `Go in peace;' and he riseth and goeth to Hebron, and Absalom sendeth spies through all the tribes of Israel, saying, `At your hearing the voice of the trumpet, then ye have said, Absalom hath reigned in Hebron.' And with Absalom have gone two hundred men, out of Jerusalem, invited ones, and they are going in their simplicity, and have not known anything; and Absalom sendeth Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counsellor of David, out of his city, out of Gilo, in his sacrificing sacrifices; and the conspiracy is strong, and the people are going and increasing with Absalom. And he who is declaring tidings cometh in unto David, saying, `The heart of the men of Israel hath been after Absalom.' And David saith to all his servants who `are' with him in Jerusalem, `Rise, and we flee, for we have no escape from the face of Absalom; haste to go, lest he hasten, and have overtaken us, and forced on us evil, and smitten the city by the mouth of the sword.' And the servants of the king say unto the king, `According to all that my lord the king chooseth -- lo, thy servants `do'.' And the king goeth out, and all his household at his feet, and the king leaveth ten women -- concubines -- to keep the house. And the king goeth out, and all the people at his feet, and they stand still at the farthest off house. And all his servants are passing on at his side, and all the Cherethite, and all the Pelethite, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came at his feet from Gath, are passing on at the front of the king. And the king saith unto Ittai the Gittite, `Why dost thou go -- thou also -- with us? turn back -- and abide with the king, for thou `art' a stranger, and also an exile thou -- to thy place. Yesterday `is' thy coming in, and to-day I move thee to go with us, and I am going on that which I am going! -- turn back, and take back thy brethren with thee, -- kindness and truth.'
And it cometh to pass, when he finisheth to speak unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan hath been bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loveth him as his own soul. And Saul taketh him on that day, and hath not permitted him to turn back to the house of his father. And Jonathan maketh -- also David -- a covenant, because he loveth him as his own soul, and Jonathan strippeth himself of the upper robe which `is' upon him, and giveth it to David, and his long robe, even unto his sword, and unto his bow, and unto his girdle. And David goeth out whithersoever Saul doth send him; he acted wisely, and Saul setteth him over the men of war, and it is good in the eyes of all the people, and also in the eyes of the servants of Saul. And it cometh to pass, in their coming in, in David's returning from smiting the Philistine, that the women come out from all the cities of Israel to sing -- also the dancers -- to meet Saul the king, with tabrets, with joy, and with three-stringed instruments; and the women answer -- those playing, and say, `Saul hath smitten among his thousands, And David among his myriads.' And it is displeasing to Saul exceedingly, and this thing is evil in his eyes, and he saith, `They have given to David myriads, and to me they have given the thousands, and more to him `is' only the kingdom;' and Saul is eyeing David from that day and thenceforth. And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that the spirit of sadness `from' God prospereth over Saul, and he prophesieth in the midst of the house, and David is playing with his hand, as day by day, and the javelin `is' in the hand of Saul, and Saul casteth the javelin, and saith, `I smite through David, even through the wall;' and David turneth round out of his presence twice. And Saul is afraid of the presence of David, for Jehovah hath been with him, and from Saul He hath turned aside; and Saul turneth him aside from him, and appointeth him to himself head of a thousand, and he goeth out an cometh in, before the people. And David is in all his ways acting wisely, and Jehovah `is' with him, and Saul seeth that he is acting very wisely, and is afraid of him, and all Israel and Judah love David when he is going out and coming in before them. And Saul saith unto David, `Lo, my elder daughter Merab -- her I give to thee for a wife; only, be to me for a son of valour, and fight the battles of Jehovah;' and Saul said, `Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.' And David saith unto Saul, `Who `am' I? and what my life -- the family of my father in Israel -- that I am son-in-law to the king?' And it cometh to pass, at the time of the giving of Merab daughter of Saul to David, that she hath been given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife. And Michal daughter of Saul loveth David, and they declare to Saul, and the thing is right in his eyes, and Saul saith, `I give her to him, and she is to him for a snare, and the hand of the Philistines is on him;' and Saul saith unto David, `By the second -- thou dost become my son-in-law to-day.' And Saul commandeth his servants, `Speak unto David gently, saying, Lo, the king hath delighted in thee, and all his servants have loved thee, and now, be son-in-law to the king.' And the servants of Saul speak in the ears of David these words, and David saith, `Is it a light thing in your eyes to be son-in-law to the king -- and I a poor man, and lightly esteemed?' And the servants of Saul declare to him, saying, `According to these words hath David spoken.' And Saul saith, `Thus do ye say to David, There is no delight to the king in dowry, but in a hundred foreskins of the Philistines -- to be avenged on the enemies of the king;' and Saul thought to cause David to fall by the hand of the Philistines. And his servants declare to David these words, and the thing is right in the eyes of David, to be son-in-law to the king; and the days have not been full, and David riseth and goeth, he and his men, and smiteth among the Philistines two hundred men, and David bringeth in their foreskins, and they set them before the king, to be son-in-law to the king; and Saul giveth to him Michal his daughter for a wife. And Saul seeth and knoweth that Jehovah `is' with David, and Michal daughter of Saul hath loved him, and Saul addeth to be afraid of the presence of David yet; and Saul is an enemy with David all the days. And the princes of the Philistines come out, and it cometh to pass from the time of their coming out, David hath acted more wisely than any of the servants of Saul, and his name is very precious.
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Commentary on Psalms 132 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 132
Ps 132:1-18. The writer, perhaps Solomon (compare Ps 132:8, 9), after relating David's pious zeal for God's service, pleads for the fulfilment of the promise (2Sa 7:16), which, providing for a perpetuation of David's kingdom, involved that of God's right worship and the establishment of the greater and spiritual kingdom of David's greater Son. Of Him and His kingdom both the temple and its worship, and the kings and kingdom of Judah, were types. The congruity of such a topic with the tenor of this series of Psalms is obvious.
1-5. This vow is not elsewhere recorded. It expresses, in strong language, David's intense desire to see the establishment of God's worship as well as of His kingdom.
remember David—literally, "remember for David," that is, all his troubles and anxieties on the matter.
5. habitation—literally, "dwellings," generally used to denote the sanctuary.
6. These may be the "words of David" and his pious friends, who,
at Ephratah—or Beth-lehem (Ge 48:7), where he once lived, may have heard of the ark, which he found for the first time
in the fields of the wood—or, Jair, or Kirjath-jearim ("City of woods") (1Sa 7:1; 2Sa 6:3, 4), whence it was brought to Zion.
7. The purpose of engaging in God's worship is avowed.
8, 9. The solemn entry of the ark, symbolical of God's presence and power, with the attending priests, into the sanctuary, is proclaimed in the words used by Solomon (2Ch 6:41).
10-12. For thy servant David's sake—that is, On account of the promise made to him.
turn … anointed—Repulse not him who, as David's descendant, pleads the promise to perpetuate his royal line. After reciting the promise, substantially from 2Sa 7:12-16 (compare Ac 2:30, &c.), an additional plea,
13. is made on the ground of God's choice of Zion (here used for Jerusalem) as His dwelling, inasmuch as the prosperity of the kingdom was connected with that of the Church (Ps 122:8, 9).
14-18. That choice is expressed in God's words, "I will sit" or "dwell," or sit enthroned. The joy of the people springs from the blessings of His grace, conferred through the medium of the priesthood.
17. make the horn … to bud—enlarge his power.
a lamp—the figure of prosperity (Ps 18:10, 28; 89:17). With the confounding of his enemies is united his prosperity and the unceasing splendor of his crown.