Psalm 134

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basin for the ritual washing of hands in the old city of Jerusalem, Beit El Yeshiva. In the middle is Psalm 134,2: שאו־ידכם קדש וברכו את־ה “ Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD! "

The short Psalm 134 ( Septuagint and Vulgate count: Psalm 133) is also named after its opening words in medieval Latin tradition: Ecce nunc benedicite Dominum . It marks the end of the pilgrimage break .

content

Bless (ברך) as a motto

For the understanding of the Psalm it is fundamental that “blessing” (ברך) in Hebrew is a reciprocal event: God blesses people - people bless God. (The latter is usually given in the translations as "praise, prizes".)

Verses 1 and 2: Call to the servants of YHWH to bless YHWH at night in the temple. You should do this with your hands raised.

Verse 3: An individual is given the blessing of YHWH, the Creator, from Zion, presumably through a priest .

The servants of YHWH (עבדי יהוה)

Some exegetes believe that these servants refer to the Israelites as a whole. Others see the priests and Levites specially charged with the worship being addressed here. Erich Zenger paints the conclusion of a Jerusalem pilgrimage festival very vividly as a possible seat in life:

“Before the pilgrims go out into the nocturnal rest in order to start their return journey early in the morning (cf. Dtn 16,7) to their villages and towns, they call on the priests on duty to continue to praise YHWH ... in the temple. And vice versa, verse 3 is a »farewell« for the pilgrims with a »pilgrim blessing « that ... takes up elements of the Aaronic blessing .

reception

Settings

Liturgy of the Hours

Its location in the nocturnal Jerusalem temple as well as its brevity have secured Psalm 134 a place in night prayer. Already in the Rule of Benedict (chap. 18, 19) it says: “ At Compline the same psalms are repeated daily, namely Psalm 4, Psalm 90 (= 91) and Psalm 133 (= 134). “This corresponds to the urban Roman custom and the master's rule . In today's Benedictine Antiphonals, the three psalms mentioned are assigned to Compline on Sunday.

In orthodox monasteries, Psalm 133 (= 134) closes the midnight prayer (Μεσονυκτικόν).

literature

  • Erich Zenger: Stuttgarter Psalter, Stuttgart 2005

Web links

Commons : Psalm 134  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Erich Zenger: Stuttgart Psalter . S. 363 .
  2. ↑ Georg Holzherr (transl.): The Rule of Benedict. A Guide to Christian Living; the full text of the rule Latin-German 4th edition. Zurich 1993, p. 158 .
  3. ↑ Georg Holzherr: The Rule of Benedict . S. 160, 370 .
  4. ↑ Münsterschwarzach Abbey (ed.): Benedictine Antiphonale . 2nd Edition. tape 3 . Münsterschwarzach 2003, p. 269-271 .