Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 132:7
We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
7. Let us go into his dwelling place,
Let us worship at the footstool of his feet.
This is the mutual exhortation of the Israelites to come and worship in the ‘dwelling place’ ( Psa 132:5) which David had resolved to prepare, before the Ark. Jehovah’s footstool may mean His sanctuary, as in Psa 99:5; but here more probably, as in 1Ch 28:2, the Ark is meant. As He is enthroned upon the Cherubim, the Ark beneath them is His footstool. This verse anticipates, for the next verse implies that the translation of the Ark has not yet been effected.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
We will go into his tabernacles – His tents, or the fixed resting place prepared for the ark. This is evidently language supposed to have been used on bringing up the ark into its place in Jerusalem: language such as they may be supposed to have sung or recited on that occasion.
We will worship at his footstool – See the notes at Psa 99:5. The meaning is, the footstool of God: let us bow humbly at his feet. The language denotes profound adoration. It expresses the feelings of those who bare the ark to its assigned place.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 132:7-9
We will go into His tabernacles.
The devout worshippers resolution and ardent prayer
I. His resolution.
1. Attendance at the house of God. Not merely as a duty, but as a delight.
2. Devotion in the house of God. To worship in spirit and in truth; to meet with God in His holy temple.
II. His prayer.
1. For the manifested presence of the Saviour.
2. For the sanctification of Gods ministering servants.
3. For the abundant joy of Gods faithful people. (J. G. Breay, B. A.)
Public worship
I. Its reasonableness. It is true that God is a spirit, and they that worship Him should worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is true that private worship should be regularly observed; and it is true that, without the homage of the heart, no external ceremony can be of any avail. But still it is surely reasonable that our feelings should be expressed in words, and that these words should not be uttered in secret alone. Has God gifted us with the power of speech, and should not this faculty be employed in the worship of the Giver? Has He blessed us with social capacities, and should we not return His kindness by meeting in these capacities, for the purpose of promoting His glory? Is it not regarded as greater honour to even an earthly benefactor, and a stronger proof of our attachment to Him, to speak of His praise to others, than simply to confine this feeling to our own bosoms? In like manner do we testify our love and gratitude to God by public expressions of worship to Him, while we incur blame by neglecting the opportunities that offer for this purpose. Besides, there are certain blessings we receive of a public nature, and which, therefore, ought to receive a public confession. There are certain wants which we need supplied, of a public description, and the supply of which ought, therefore, to be petitioned for, in our public capacity.
II. Its advantages.
1. God regards with delight His humble worshippers.
2. This duty is full of the most rational delight to the soul of man. Worship is the noblest exercise under heaven.
3. Worship has a tendency to excite us to the more faithful discharge of duty in general, to improve the various graces of the Christian life.
4. How well calculated, too, is the house of God for begetting in the bosoms of men proper sentiments with regard to themselves! It humbles the pride of the great; it fills with contentment the poor. It levels for a time the difference which the distinction of ranks makes in society.
5. It is a means of our preparation for heaven. (R. Macnair.)
Gods house and worshippers
I. Men should approach Gods house in a holy frame of mind. They should put off the garments spotted by the flesh, and put on the clean linen of the saints; they should wash their hands in innocency, and their consciences in the blood of the Lamb before they enter this habitation of God, and draw near to His holy place.
II. Men should offer within it holy worship; and this worship should consist of an unblemished sacrifice and a pure oblation.
III. Men should carry away with them the spirit of their worship, in order to influence their lives. True religion, says an old and quaint divine, is no way a gargleism, only to wash the tongue and mouth to speak good words; it must root in the heart, and then fructify in the life, else it will not cleanse the whole man. (G. F. Fessey, M. A.)
On the sanctuary
If, with half the interest which their temporal concerns excite, men would reflect upon the nature of public worship, its reasonableness and advantages, they would, with one mind, perceive it to be a duty which they cannot excusably nor safely neglect.
I. Consider yourselves in your social capacity. Free men from the restraints of religion, and leave them to the passions of nature, and the world will soon be converted into a scene of wickedness, debasement, and misery. But how is a general sentiment of religion to be preserved? Doubtless, one of the best means is the consecration of a part of our time to the holy purpose of recognizing the sovereignty of the Deity, and learning His will. Besides, it is the natural tendency of this duty be civilize the manners and the affections. Ideas of subordination are cherished, when all feel that they are accountable to a superior power. Mutual regard and fidelity are promoted when all assemble together as brethren, before one common Parent, with sentiments of humility and hope.
II. Consider yourselves in your relation to God. It results from our moral capacity that the glory of this Being, who hath given us existence, and so highly endowed and exalted us, should be the supreme object of our live. Now, He is glorified by our virtuous demeanour in His world, and by our private bosom acknowledgments of Him as our Lord and benefactor; but He is more especially and suitably glorified by us when we unite together to offer Him, in the presence of each other and the universe, the devout homage of our hearts and lips. This is the greatest tribute we can bring Him; a tribute which nature dictates and reason recommends.
III. Consider the demands of the religion you profess. What was the conduct of our blessed Lord with respect to public worship? For our example, His custom was to go into the synagogue every Sabbath day. What was the practice of the primitive Church; the happy few who had been often with Him, and knew His will? (Act 2:42). What are the express or implied precepts of the Gospel upon this subject? (Heb 10:25). Why, indeed, did our Lord ordain holy mysteries, which are social in their nature, very forms of public worship? Why did He appoint a ministry in His Church, and promise to be with this ministry, even unto the end of the world? Are not these expressions of His will that His disciples should assemble together, to preach, and hear His Word, and to worship the Father in spirit and in truth? (Bishop Dehon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
We will go; seeing the ark is now fixed in a certain place, we will go to it more generally and constantly than formerly we did.
Into his tabernacles; into his tabernacle or temple, the plural number put for the singular, as Psa 43:3; 46:4, &c.
At his footstool; either the temple; or rather the ark, so called 1Ch 28:2; Lam 2:1, because God is oft said to sit between the cherubims, which were above the ark.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. The purpose of engaging inGod’s worship is avowed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
We will go into his tabernacles,…. The tabernacles of him that was heard of at Ephratah; born in Bethlehem, and found in the ministry of the word among the Gentiles: enter into his churches, raised and formed there, which are the tabernacles or dwelling places of Christ; where he has his residence, takes his walks, and dwells; and which are very lovely, amiable, and pleasant, and so desirable by believers to go into; because of the presence of God in them, the provisions there made for them, the company there enjoyed; the work there done, prayer, praise, preaching, and hearing the word, and administration of all ordinances. Some render it as a mutual exhortation, “let us go into his tabernacles” w; see Isa 2:2;
we will worship at his footstool; any place of worship on earth may be called the footstool of God, with respect to heaven his throne,
Isa 66:1; particularly the ark is so called, 1Ch 28:2; in which the law was; over which was the mercy seat, and over that the cherubim of glory, and between them the Majesty of God dwelt; so that the ark was properly his footstool: and all this being typical of Christ may direct us to observe, that all religious, spiritual, and evangelic worship, is to be performed in his name, and in the faith of him, and by the assistance of his grace and Spirit; see Ps 99:5.
w So Tigurine version, Vatablus, Musculus, Gejerus, Cocceius, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7. We will go into his habitations. Here he dictates to all the Lord’s people a common form of mutual exhortation to the duty of going up to the place which had been pointed out by the Angel. The clearer the intimation God may have given of his will, the more alacrity should we show in obeying it. Accordingly, the Psalmist intimates that now when the people had ascertained beyond all doubt the place of God’s choice, they should admit of no procrastination, and show all the more alacrity as God was calling them more closely, and with a more privileged familiarity, to himself, now that he had selected a certain place of rest amongst them. He thus passes a virtual condemnation upon the lukewarmness of those whose zeal does not increase in proportion to the measure of revelation which they enjoy. Habitations are spoken of in the plural number, and this it may be (though we may doubt whether the Psalmist had such minute distinctions in his eye) because there was in the temple an inner sanctuary, a middle apartment, and then the court. It is of more importance to attend to the epithet which follows, where the Psalmist calls the Ark of the Covenant God’s footstool, to intimate that the sanctuary could never contain the immensity of God’s essence, as men were apt absurdly to imagine. The mere outward temple with all its majesty being no more than his footstool, his people were called upon to look upwards to the heavens and fix their contemplations with due reverence upon God himself. We know that they were prohibited from forming any low and carnal view of him. Elsewhere, it is true, we find it called “God’s face,” (Psa 28:8,) to confirm the faith of the people in looking to this divine symbol which was set before them. Both ideas are brought out very distinctly in the passage before us, that, on the one hand, it is mere superstition to suppose God confined to the temple, and that, on the other hand, the external symbols are not without their use in the Church that, in short, we should improve these as helps to our faith, but not rest in them. While God dwells in heaven, and is above all heavens, we must avail ourselves of helps in rising to the knowledge of him; and in giving us symbols of his presence, he sets, as it were, his feet upon the earth, and suffers us to touch them. It is thus that the Holy Spirit condescends for our profit, and in accommodation to our infirmity, raising our thoughts to heavenly and divine things by these worldly elements. In reference to this passage, we are called to notice the amazing ignorance of the Second Council of Nice, in which these worthy weak Fathers (133) of ours wrested it into a proof of idolatry, as if David or Solomon commanded the people to erect statues to God and worship them. Now, that the Mosiac ceremonies are abolished we worship at the footstool of God, when we yield a reverential submission to his word, and rise from the sacraments to a true spiritual service of him. Knowing that God has not descended from heaven directly or in his absolute character, but that his feet, are withdrawn from us, being placed on a footstool, we should be careful to rise to him by the intermediate steps. Christ is he not only on whom the feet of God rest, but in whom the whole fullness of God’s essence and glory resides, and in him, therefore, we should seek the Father. With this view he descended, that we might rise heavenward.
(133) “ Boni paterculi.” — Lat.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) We will.Let us go, &c
Tabernacles.Better, habitation, as in Psa. 132:5, where the same word is used. The plural occurs also in Psa. 84:1. These words do not, as the last verse, recall an incident of the past, but express the determination of the present. The result of Davids project is that the present generation have a place of worship. It does not detract from this explanation to refer the psalm to post-exile times, and to the second Temple, since the fact of the existence of a temple at any time could be poetically ascribed to David.
His footstool.See on Psa. 99:5.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Tabernacles Apartments and courts of the tent pitched on Zion for the public convocation of the people, (see on Psa 84:1,) or else, by ensilage, the plural is put for the singular.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 132:7 We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool.
Ver. 7. We will go into his tabernacles ] We will cheerfully and unanimously frequent his public worship, in the place he hath pitched upon (called his gates, and his courts, Psa 100:4 ), saying as Psa 132:8-10 : , follow God, was the rule among the very heathens.
We will worship at his footstool
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
tabernacles = the plural of Majesty. His great habitation. Hebrew. Mishkan. App-40.
footstool. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
will go: Psa 5:7, Psa 66:13, Psa 66:14, Psa 118:19, Psa 122:1, Isa 2:3
worship: Psa 95:6, Psa 99:5, Psa 99:9, Lam 2:1
Reciprocal: 1Ch 28:2 – the footstool Isa 60:13 – the place Isa 66:1 – The heaven
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 132:7. We will go into his tabernacles Seeing the ark is now fixed in a certain place, we will go to it more generally and constantly than formerly we did. We will worship at his footstool As subjects and supplicants, prostrating ourselves, with humble reverence, before the Divine Majesty, which we too much neglected to do for want of such a place of solemn, public worship, in the days of Saul.