Psalm 133

Reformers' window in Ravensburg city church Ps.133.1

The short Psalm 133 ( Septuagint - and Vulgate count: Psalm 132) from the group of pilgrimage psalms is named in Jewish tradition after its initial words: הנה מה־טוב Hinne mah tov . It is also known by the Latin initial words: Ecce quam bonum .

content

In verse 1, the psalm celebrates the fraternal atmosphere experienced by the pilgrims on the occasion of the Jerusalem pilgrimage festivals. In it he shows a special proximity to the concept of festive joy in the book Deuteronomy .

Verse 2 compares this atmosphere with the common custom in the ancient Orient of putting perfume oils on the hair or headgear on special occasions, which gradually trickled down and gave off a pleasant scent. This vivid comparison is surpassed by the new idea that the high priest (here Aaron is title, not name) was also installed in his office by anointing with oil .

Verse 3 brings the prominent Mount Hermon in relation to the theologically excellent, but not particularly high, Mount Zion : Hermon donate dew to Zion; May Zion give blessings to the whole world.

music

• Johann Andreas Cramer : You, disciples of Jesus, should never forget that (EG 221, verse 2).
• Psalm 133 or Hinne mah tov is a Sabbath song and dance. There are different melodies and choreographies for this text.
• Ecce quam bonum is a 19th century student song .

Web links

Commons : Psalm 133  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Psalm 133 in the standard translation , the Luther Bible and other translations from bibleserver.com
• Psalm 133 in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) on bibelwissenschaft.de
• Sheet music in the public domain for settings of Psalm 133 in the Choral Public Domain Library - ChoralWiki (English)

literature

• Erich Zenger: Stuttgarter Psalter , Stuttgart 2005.