Psalms 134:3

134:1-3 An exhortation to bless the Lord. - We must stir up ourselves to give glory to God, and encourage ourselves to hope for mercy and grace from him. It is an excellent plan to fill up all our spare minutes with pious meditations, and prayers and praises. No time would then be a burden, nor should we murder our hours by trifling conversation and vain amusements, or by carnal indulgences. We need desire no more to make us happy, than to be blessed of the Lord. We ought to beg spiritual blessings, not only for ourselves, but for others; not only, The Lord bless me, but, The Lord bless thee; thus testifying our belief that there is enough for others as well as for us, and showing our good will to others.

The 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? (f) "benedicet tibi", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Psalm 134:3 . The Lord that made heaven and earth — And therefore has all the blessings of both at his disposal, those of the upper and those of the nether springs; bless thee — O priest, who dost engage and encourage us in this blessed work; out of Zion — Where he dwells, and from whence he hears the prayers of his people, and gives them the blessings which they need.

Verse 3. - The Lord that made heaven and earth (comp. Genesis 1:1 ; Psalm 115:15 ; Psalm 121:2 ; Psalm 124:8 ; Psalm 146:6 ). Bless thee out of Zion . God was regarded as dwelling in Zion, and therefore as giving his blessings out of Zion (comp. Psalm 20:2 ; Psalm 53:6 ; Psalm 128:5 ). Psalm 134:3

Thee; either, 1. Thee, whosoever thou art, who dost faithfully perform the duty here commanded. Or, 2. Thee, O king, or priest, who dost engage and encourage us in this blessed work. Out of Zion; where God dwells, and from whence he heareth the prayers of his people, and giveth them the blessings which they desire and need.

3 . The response of the priests, Jehovah bless thee out of Zion, Even the maker of heaven and earth. The first line is taken from the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:24 , with the addition of out of Zion ( Psalm 128:5 ). The singular thee may denote the congregation as a whole or each individual in it. The attribute Maker of heaven and earth implies Jehovah’s power to bless. Cp. Psalm 115:15 , note.

The Lord that made heaven and earth - The 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.

Calling thus up to the Temple-hill, the church receives from above the benedictory counter-greeting: Jahve bless thee out of Zion (as in Psalm 128:5 ), the Creator of heaven and earth (as in Psalm 115:15 ; Psalm 121:2 ; Psalm 124:8 ). From the time of Numbers 6:24 jebaréchja is the ground-form of the priestly benediction. It is addressed to the church as one person, and to each individual in this united, unit-like church.

[Reformed Biblical] elections from other Scriptures. It has been called a mosaic, and compared to a tessellated pavement. At the outset, its first two verses (Psalms 135:1-2) are taken from Psalms 134:1-3; while the latter part of Psalms 135:2 and the commencement of Psalms 135:3 put us in mind of Psalms 116:19; and Psalms 135:4 suggests Deuteronomy 7:6. Does not Psalms 135:5 remind us of Psalms 95:3? As for Psalms 135:7, it is almost identical with Jeremiah 10:13, which may have been taken from it. The passage contained in Psalms 135:13 is to be found in Exodus 3:15, and Psalms 135:14 in Deuteronomy 32:36. The closing verses, Psalms 135:8-12, are in Psalms 136. From Psalms 135:15 to the end the strain is a repetition of Psalms 115:1-18 This process of tracing the expres sions to other sources might be pushed further without straining the quotations; the whole Psalm is a compound of many choice extracts, and yet it has all the continuity and freshness of an original poem. The Holy Spirit occasionally repeats himself; not because he has any lack of thoughts or words, but because it is expedient for us that we hear the same things in the same form. Yet, when our great Teacher uses repetition, it is usually with instructive variations, which deserve our careful attention. DIVISION. The first fourteen verses contain an exhortation to praise Jehovah for his goodn