Psalm 133 Overview
Dwelling Together
Psalm 133
Welcome to the Overview of Psalm 133
This page will introduce and provide orientation to Psalm 133 as a whole. It includes the following sections:
Introduction to Psalm 133
Author
Book
- Book 5 of the Psalter (Chapters 107-150)
"Dwelling Together" This title is a memorable phrase that helps remember the unique character and content of this psalm.
Purpose The Purpose was the psalmist's probable intent or reason for writing this psalm.
To celebrate dwelling together in Zion as a mark of God's blessings!
Content The Content is a concise summary of the whole psalm's content.
Families dwelling together on Zion is good and right, because there they enjoy the blessing YHWH has sent: life everlasting.
Message The Message is the main idea the psalmist probably wanted the audience to remember upon or after hearing the psalm.
On Zion, God and his people experience the blessing of unity.
Psalm 133 At-a-Glance
These sections divide the content of the psalm into digestible pieces , and are determined based on information from many of our layers, including Semantics, Poetics, and Discourse. The columns, left to right, contain: the verse numbers; the main title of the section; a brief summary of the content of that section (quote marks indicate the text is taken directly from the English text of the psalm (as per our Close-but-Clear translation); and an icon to visually represent and remember the content.
Background Orientation for Psalm 133
Following are the common-ground assumptionsCommon-ground assumptions include information shared by the speaker and hearers. In our analysis, we mainly use this category for Biblical/Ancient Near Eastern background. which are the most helpful for making sense of the psalm.
- The valuable oil (שֶּׁמֶן הַטֹּוב) in Ps 133 is used to denote "the oil for anointing described in Exod 30:22-23, which consisted of a mixture of oil and aromatic spices strictly forbidden to be used in common life."[1] This oil was associated exclusively with priestly service[2]
- Zion, another name for Jerusalem, was where the Temple was located and was considered the meeting place between heaven and earth (cf. Pss 2:6; 78:68-69). It was also where the Israelites made the pilgrimage a few times a year for the holy festivals commanded by YHWH (Lev 23).
- Aaron was the first high priest in Israel, and he serves as a symbol for the office of high priest.[3] "Through the priestly institution the Lord assured his people of forgiveness and blessing (Exod 29:44–46; Lev 9:22–24; Num 6:24–26).”[4]
- When YHWH established his covenant with the people in the wilderness, this covenant involved blessings (≈ life) for covenant faithfulness and curses (≈ death) for covenant unfaithfulness (Deut 28-30).
- Mount Hermon was the highest mountain of the land of Israel, located in the far north, "known for its abundant dew,"[5] and thus an important water source for the arid land. Because Hermon is located hundreds of kilometers north of Jerusalem, the dew of Hermon flowing to the mountains of Zion is a geographical and meteorological impossibility. Rather, the figurative image of dew flowing from the far northern mountain of Hermon all the way to the arid southern mountains of Zion depicts both the volume and extent of God's blessings. His life-giving power, characterized by dew, covers and nourishes the entire land. Additionally, like the dew, brothers will gather in Zion from all over the country to worship God together, an event which is itself a blessing.
Background Situation for Psalm 133
The background situation is the series of events leading up to the time in which the psalm is spoken. These are taken from the story triangle – whatever lies to the left of the star icon.
Participants in Psalm 133
There are 5 participants/characters in Psalm 133:
Profile List
| David |
| YHWH |
| Congregation of Israel |
| "Families" |
| Aaron |
| Oil |
| Dew |
Profile Notes
- Families: The word אַחִים "brothers" are not necessarily biological brothers, but rather a way to denote the extended family/the entire congregation of Israel. In the context of this psalm, these are the pilgrims who have been traveling to Jerusalem for a holy festival.
- Oil and Dew: Though not exactly participants per se, these two liquids play a prominent role in this psalm. They are used for comparison to the pleasantness of the congregation's unity, and they display the heart of the psalm's message.
- Aaron: The first high priest of the people of Israel. Here, he is not an active participant, but rather is used as a symbol for the priesthood.