Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 132:6
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
6. The abruptness of the transition is at first sight perplexing; but instead of giving a prosaic account of the transportation of the Ark to Zion, the Psalmist introduces the people of David’s time as speakers, proclaiming the eagerness and joy with which they welcomed David’s proposal, and their resolve to worship Jehovah in His new sanctuary. The removal of the Ark was a national movement. See 2Sa 6:2; 2Sa 6:15 ; 1Ch 13:1 ff; 1Ch 15:28.
It may best be explained to mean the Ark, as the great object which the poet has in mind, though it is not actually mentioned till Psa 132:8. It might mean the tidings or the plan, but this sense does not suit the verb found, nor is it easy to connect it with the designations of place.
But what is meant by we heard of it in Ephrathah, we found it in the fields of the forest? (1) Elsewhere Ephrathah is a name for Bethlehem (Gen 35:16; Gen 35:19; Gen 48:7; Rth 4:11: cp. Mic 5:2; 1Sa 17:12). But the Ark never had any connexion with Bethlehem. To refer we to David, and to explain, ‘I heard of it while I was still in my home in Bethlehem,’ is forced, and leaves the transition from the sing. in Psa 132:3-5 to the plural unexplained. (2) It has been thought that Ephrathah may mean Ephraim, as Ephrathite means Ephraimite (1Sa 1:1), and that the reference is to the sojourn of the Ark at Shiloh. ‘We heard that the Ark was in Shiloh in the days of old, but when we sought it, it was no longer there, but in an obscure refuge in the fields of the forest.’ (3) Delitzsch ingeniously argues that Ephrathah was a name for the district in which Kiriath-jearim was situated. The firstborn son of Caleb’s wife Ephrath was Hur (1Ch 2:19), who is called ‘the father’ of Bethlehem (1Ch 4:4). Hur’s son Shobal was ‘the father’ of Kiriath-jearim, and his son Salma the ‘father’ of Bethlehem (1Ch 2:50-51). May not the district of Kiriath-jearim have been called Ephrathah, as well as that of Bethlehem? This is perhaps the best explanation; for there can be little doubt that the fields of the forest ( jaar) mean the neighbourhood of Kiriath-jearim, ‘the city of forests,’ where the Ark had rested for many years in the house of Abinadab (1Sa 7:1-2), and still was, when David resolved to remove it to Zion (1Ch 13:5-6). It should be noticed that the narrative in 1Sa 7:1 ff. implies that the Ark was not actually in the town, but in its neighbourhood.
The suggestion that Ephrathah means the fertile plains, and the fields of the forest the uncultivated jungle, and that the meaning is, ‘the news of David’s plan spread through field and forest,’ i.e. all over the country, is far-fetched and improbable.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
6 10. The enthusiasm of Israel at the establishment of the sanctuary in Jerusalem (6, 7); their prayer that Jehovah will deign to occupy it, and will bless priests, people, and king (8 10).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah – Most probably this is the language of the contemporaries of David; or this is what they might be supposed to say; or this is what tradition reports that they did say. Davids purpose, as referred to in the previous verses, is not recorded in the history, and the memory of the whole transaction may have been handed down by tradition. Or, this may be merely poetic language, expressing the feelings of those who, when sent out by David, or accompanying him, found the ark. Much difficulty has been felt in regard to this verse. There is no mention in the history of the fact that the ark was heard of at Ephrata, or that it was ever there. The name Ephrata – ‘ephrathah – is applied
(1) to a region of country to which was subsequently given the name Bethlehem, Gen 35:16-19; Rth 4:11.
(2) Properly to Bethlehem, a city of Judah, the full name of which was Bethlehem-Ephratah, Gen 48:7; Mic 5:2.
(3) It is a proper name, 1Ch 2:19, 1Ch 2:50; 1Ch 4:4.
(4) It may perhaps be the same as Ephraim.
Compare Jdg 12:5; 1Sa 1:1; 1Ki 11:26. Some have supposed the meaning to be, that they found it within the limits of the tribe of Ephraim, and that the word Ephratah is used here with reference to that; but this is a forced construction. It may have been indeed true that the ark was found within the limits of that tribe, but the word Ephratah would not naturally denote this; and, besides, the tribe of Ephraim was so large, and covered such an extent of territory, that this would convey no distinct information; and it cannot be supposed that the writer meant to say merely that they found it within the limits of a tribe. Nor can it mean that they actually found the ark at Ephrata, or Bethlehem, for this would not be true. A simple and natural interpretation of the passage has been suggested, which seems to make it plain: that, in their search for the ark, it was at Ephratah or Bethlehem that they first heard of it, but that they actually found it in the fields of the wood. It may seem strange that there should have been so much uncertainty about the ark as is here implied; that David did not know where it was; and that none of the priests knew. But, while it must be admitted that it seems to be strange, and that the fact is not of easy explanation, it is to he remembered that the ark was at one time in the possession of the Philistines; that when it was retaken it seems to have had no very permanent resting place; that it may have been removed from one spot to another as circumstances required; that it may have been committed now to one, and now to another, for safe keeping; and thus it might have occurred, in the unsettled and agitated state of affairs, that its exact situation might be unknown, and that a somewhat diligent search was necessary in order to find it We know too little of the times to enable us to pronounce upon the subject with much confidence.
We found it in the fields of the wood – Continuing our search, we found it there. Perhaps Kirjath-jearim, 1Sa 7:1; 1Ch 13:5. It was to Kirjath-jearim that the ark was carried after it had been taken by the Philistines 1Sa 6:21. The literal meaning of the passage here is, The fields of the wood – or of Jear, where the word in Hebrew is the same as in Kirjath-jearim. The name Kirjath-jearim means Forest Town, or, city of the woods; and the allusion here is the same as in 1Sa 7:1. The interpretation, then, seems to be that they heard of the ark, or learned where it was, when they were at Ephrata or Bethlehem; but that they actually found it in the vicinity of Kirjath-jearim. The ignorance in the case may have been merely in regard to the exact place or house where it was at that time kept. Bethlehem was the home or city of David, and the idea is, that, when there, and when it was contemplated to remove the ark to Mount Zion, information or intelligence was brought there of its exact locality, and they went forth to bring it to its new abode or its permanent resting place.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 132:6-7
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
Hearing, seeking, finding
Long before Davids time, the ark of the Lord had been almost forgotten by the children of Israel. The first thing, therefore, for David to do was to find the ark; for it was a central portion of the Divinely-ordained ceremonial. But I am not going to talk so much about David finding the ark as to think of some who are in the condition in which I once was, when I desired to find God. I longed to meet with Him in the person of Christ, in His own appointed way, but I could not find Christ. My heart was dark, my eyes were holden, and I looked everywhere but in the right place.
I. My first remark will be that, like David, we wish to find the ark, that ark being Christ.
1. Now, concerning that ark, the first point to be noted is that it was covered with a golden mercy-seat, which was the place of forgiveness when it was sprinkled with the sacrificial blood. Those who came to it, through the high priest, knew that God had accepted them, and forgiven their sin. You and I know that we can never meet with God except at the mercy-seat, which is Christ Jesus the Lord. Christ made an atonement, a propitiation, for our sin; He offered Himself without spot to God. By the way of His pierced body, that rent veil, is the only means of access for a sinner to a holy God.
2. The ark was a throne of grace. God sat there, as it were, upon a throne of mercy; and to us, to-day, the Lord Jesus Christ is the throne of grace. God in Christ Jesus is our reigning God, stretching out the silver sceptre of His mercy, and accepting all who come unto Him.
3. The ark was the place of Gods manifestation. As much as could be seen of Gods glory was seen between the cherubim; and if thou wouldst see the glory of God, thou must look into the face of Jesus Christ.
4. There were within the ark three notable things,–first, the tables of stone, which God had ordered to be placed there for preservation; there was, next, the golden pot with manna, and then there was also Aarons rod that budded. Now, if you come to Christ, you will find in Him all that these things represented, and all that you want.
(1) There is preserved the complete, vindicated, and honoured law.
(2) Spiritual food.
(3) The rod of Christ to rule us.
II. Knowing what we do about Christ the ark, we desire to find Him.
1. David thirsted to find this ark immediately, and so much in earnest was he that he said, Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, etc. Oh, when it comes to this pass,–that you must have Christ, then you shall have Christ!
2. Next, David sought the ark most reverently, for he recognized it as being a token of the presence of the mighty God of Jacob; and you and I must seek Christ reverently.
3. But while David thus sought very reverently, yet observe that it was with intense desire that he might receive this ark when once he found it. And, oh! if you want to find Christ, let it be with this desire, Oh, that He may come and live in my soul, and be my own personal Christ! I do not want merely to hear about Him, to be taught about Him; I want to have Him, and, if He is to be had, I will have Him. If there is grace beneath the sky for a poor sinner, then I, the chief of sinners, will not rest until I find rest in Him.
III. Knowing what this ark is, and then desiring to find it, we have heard where it is: Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah. We heard of it. And is it not a blessed thing that we have heard about where Christ is? Some here present have long heard of Christ, and you are always hearing about Him; is it not time that you should get further than merely knowing and hearing, and should intensely seek until you find him?
IV. The next words are, we found it. You remember the learned Grecian who, when he had made a discovery while in the bath, leaped out of it, and ran down the streets crying, Eureka! Eureka! I have found it! I have found it! Oh, those are the best words in my text, We found it.
1. David said that he found it in the fields of the wood; that is, where he did not expect to find it. Have not many of us found Christ where we never thought we should find Him?
2. In the case of David finding the ark, it was not only where he could not have expected it, but it was in a place that was despised,–a rustic place,–in the fields of the wood. Perhaps the Lord may lead you to some very plain minister, without any polish, or talent, or ability. I knew one who found the Saviour down a saw-pit, and another who found Him in a hay-loft.
3. We found it in the fields of the wood may perhaps mean that you will find Christ where you lose yourselves.
V. we will go: We will go into His tabernacles.
1. Now that we have found where Christ is, and we can go to Him, we will have Him. We will go to God in Christ: we will go into His tabernacles. It is a blessed thing to see a soul on the go towards God when Christ becomes the Way.
2. We will go into His tabernacles, and we will dwell there. We will dwell with God; we will get back to the Fathers house where there is bread enough and to spare, and there will we stop. We will go to learn of God, we will be the disciples of Christ. We will go, and we will go at once.
VI. And then the last word is, we will worship: We will worship at His footstool.
1. In lowly reverence, we will bow ourselves down in the very dust, for we are but dust and ashes even when we are saved.
2. We will worship at His footstool; that is, with deepest solemnity, for even His ark, His temple, is but the footstool of the great King.
3. But let us worship there with great joy. His saints shall shout aloud for joy; and, as they bow at his footstool, it shall not be as slaves, but as His chosen and accepted ones.
4. Let us also bow there very gratefully, blessing God that He has brought us to His feet. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. Lo, we have heard of it at Ephratah] This may be considered as a continuation of David’s vow, as if he had said: As I had determined to build a temple for the ark, and heard that it was at Ephratah, I went and found it in the fields of Jaar, ; – not the wood, but Kirjath Jaar or Jearim, where the ark was then lodged;-and having found it, he entered the tabernacle, Ps 132:7; and then, adoring that God whose presence was in it, he invited him to arise and come to the place which he had prepared for him.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
We heard of it; of the place or habitation for the Lord last mentioned.
At Ephratah; either,
1. In Bethlehem, which is called Ephratah, Gen 35:19; 48:7; Mic 5:2. So the sense is either this, We heard a rumour at Bethlehem among Davids relations, that the ark should be removed to a new place, and that David had pitched upon it; or this, We heard that Bethlehem would be the place for it, because it was the city of David. Or rather,
2. In the tribe of Ephraim, which was called also Ephratah or Ephrathah, as is manifest, because the men of Ephraim were called Ephrathites, as Jdg 12:5, in the Hebrew text, though in the English it be Ephraimite. So Jeroboam is called an Ephrathite, 1Ki 11:26. So the sense is, We heard it from our fathers, that the ancient place of it was Shiloh, which was in the land of Ephraim; whereby he covertly intimates that God rejected and forsook that place, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim, as it is said, Psa 78:67, that so he might make way for Zion, which was the place chosen by God for it, as it follows here, Psa 132:13.
We found it; afterwards we found it elsewhere.
In the fields of the wood, i.e. in a field, or in one of the fields of the wood; for that little spot of ground in which the tabernacle or temple was built was not likely to be in several fields. Thus Jephthah was buried in the cities of Gilead, Jdg 12:7, i.e. in one of them. This is meant either,
1. Of the Mount Moriah, which might possibly be called the field of the wood, as being anciently a place full of wood, Gen 22:13, or of the threshing-floor of Araunah, of which see 2Sa 24:18, which before the building of the temple is said to have been a woody place. Or rather,
2. Of Kirjath-jearim, which signifies a city of woods, in the field or territory whereof the ark was seated for twenty years, as we read, 1Sa 7:1,2. And from this place it was removed to Zion, 2Sa 6:1, &c.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. These may be the “wordsof David” and his pious friends, who,
at EphratahorBeth-lehem (Ge 48:7), where heonce lived, may have heard of the ark, which he found for the firsttime
in the fields of the woodor,Jair, or Kirjath-jearim (“City of woods”)(1Sa 7:1; 2Sa 6:3;2Sa 6:4), whence it was broughtto Zion.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah,…. Either of the ark which David and others had heard of, that it formerly was at Shiloh,
Jos 18:1; here called Ephratah, as some think; so the Ephraimites are called Ephrathites, Jud 12:5; and Elkanah of Ramathaimzophim, of Mount Ephraim, is said to be an Ephrathite, 1Sa 1:1; but this tribe the Lord chose not, but the tribe of Judah, for his habitation; and rejected the tabernacle of Shiloh, and removed it from thence,
Ps 78:60;
we found it in the fields of the wood; at Kirjathjearim, which signifies the city of woods; being built among woods, and surrounded with them: here the ark was twenty years, and here David found it; and from hence he brought it to the house of Obededom, and from thence to Zion, 1Sa 7:1. Or else the place where the temple was to be built; which was not known till the times of David, who was of Ephratah or Bethlehem: here he was born and brought up; and here he was, as Arama supposes, when it was revealed to him where the temple should be built. According to R. Moses, the sense is, We have heard of it by the hand of David, who was of Ephratah: but Aben Ezra thinks the meaning is, that in former times men used to say, We have heard from the mouths of the prophets that the chosen place was near to Bethlehem Ephratah; only the precise place was not known, whether to the east or west, or north or south, of Bethlehem. Some think that not any particular city is intended, but a country, even all the neighbourhood of Bethlehem Ephratah; and took in Jerusalem, where the temple was built, it being but a few miles from the place; so Adrichomius u says, the country round about Ephratah had its name from thence; see 1Ki 11:26. Now the place found for the building of the temple was “the fields of the wood”, or the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite, and was on Mount Moriah; David found by the order he had to build an altar here, and by the acceptance of his sacrifices, that this was the place for the house of God, 1Ch 22:1; and here Solomon built the temple, 2Ch 3:1; and which was formerly a woody place, as mountains generally are; and this seems to have been when Abraham offered his son on it, who then spied a ram caught in the thickets, Ge 22:2. The Targum is,
“we found it in the field of the forest of Lebanon, the place where the ancient fathers prayed;”
the temple being built of the wood of Lebanon. But all this is to be understood of the Lord, the mighty God of Jacob, who was heard of at Ephratah; the Shechinah, of divine Majesty; so Kimchi, Arama, and Ben Melech. And indeed the Messiah is meant, the antitype of the ark and temple; of whom the saints or believers in him, a chorus of which is here introduced, had heard that he should be born at Ephratah, which is Bethlehem; see Ge 35:19. And if this psalm was written by the captives in Babylon, they might have heard of this from the prophecy of Micah, Ps 5:2; the shepherds heard from the mouths of the angels that Christ was born there; and we Christians have heard the same, and know and believe it, Lu 2:4. And he has been “found in the fields of the wood”; in a low, mean, abject state, as this phrase signifies; Eze 16:5. The shepherds found him rejected from being in the inn, there being no room for him, and lying in a manger, Lu 2:7; the angels found him in the wilderness, among the wild beasts of the field, Mr 1:13; nor had he the convenience even of foxes, and birds of the air; had no habitation or place where to lay his head, Mt 8:20; And he is to be found in the field of the Scriptures, where this rich treasure and pearl of great price lies hid, Mt 13:44; and being preached among the Gentiles, after his incarnation, sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension, who are compared to wildernesses, and desert places, was found by many of them, Isa 35:1; and which serves to set off with a foil his glory; being like the apple tree among the trees of the wood, So 2:3.
u Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 41.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In Psa 132:6 begins the language of the church, which in this Psalm reminds Jahve of His promises and comforts itself with them. Olshausen regards this Psa 132:6 as altogether inexplicable. The interpretation nevertheless has some safe starting-points. (1) Since the subject spoken of is the founding of a fixed sanctuary, and one worthy of Jahve, the suffix of (with Chateph as in Hos 8:2, Ew. 60, a) and refers to the Ark of the covenant, which is fem. also in other instances ( 1Sa 4:17; 2Ch 8:11). (2) The Ark of the covenant, fetched up out of Shiloh by the Israelites to the battle at Ebenezer, fell into the hands of the victors, and remained, having been again given up by them, for twenty years in Kirjath-Jearim (1Sa 7:1.), until David removed it out of this Judaean district to Zion (2Sa 6:2-4; cf. 2Ch 1:4). What is then more natural than that is a poetical appellation of Kirjath-Jearim (cf. “the field of Zoan” in Psa 78:12)? Kirjath-Jearim has, as a general thing, very varying names. It is also called Kirjath-ha-jearim in Jer 26:20 ( Kirjath-‘arim in Ezr 2:25, cf. Jos 18:28), Kirjath-ba’al in Jos 16:1-10:50, Ba’alah in Jos 15:9; 1Ch 13:6 (cf. Har-ha-ba’alah, Jos 15:11, with Har-Jearim in Jos 15:10), and, as it seems, even Ba’al Jehudah in 2Sa 6:2. Why should it not also have been called Ja’ar side by side with Kirjath-Jearim, and more especially if the mountainous district, to which the mention of a hill and mountain of Jearim points, was, as the name “city of the wood” implies, at the same time a wooded district? We therefore fall in with Khnl’s (1799) rendering: we found it in the meadows of Jaar, and with his remark: “Jaar is a shortened name of the city of Kirjath-Jearim.”
The question now further arises as to what Ephrathah is intended to mean. This is an ancient name of Bethlehem; but the Ark of the covenant never was in Bethlehem. Accordingly Hengstenberg interprets, “We knew of it in Bethlehem (where David had spent his youth) only by hearsay, no one had seen it; we found it in Kirjath-Jearim, yonder in the wooded environs of the city, where it was as it were buried in darkness and solitude.” So even Anton Hulsius (1650): Ipse David loquitur, qui dicit illam ipsam arcam, de qua quum adhuc Bethlehemi versaretur inaudivisset, postea a se ( vel majroibus suis ipso adhuc minorenni ) inventam fuisse in campis Jaar . But (1) the supposition that David’s words are continued here does not harmonize with the way in which they are introduced in Psa 132:2, according to which they cannot possibly extend beyond the vow that follows. (2) If the church is speaking, one does not see why Bethlehem is mentioned in particular as the place of the hearsay. (3) We heard it in Ephrathah cannot well mean anything else than, per antiptosin (as in Gen 1:4, but without ), we heard that it was in Ephrathah. But the Ark was before Kirjath-Jearim in Shiloh. The former lay in the tribe of Judah close to the western borders of Benjamin, the latter in the midst of the tribe of Ephraim. Now since quite as often means an Ephraimite as it does a Bethlehemite, it may be asked whether Ephrathah is not intended of the Ephraimitish territory (Khnl, Gesenius, Maurer, Tholuck, and others). The meaning would then be: we had heard that the sacred Ark was in Shiloh, but we found it not there, but in Kirjath-Jearim. And we can easily understand why the poet has mentioned the two places just in this way. Ephrath , according to its etymon, is fruitful fields, with which are contrasted the fields of the wood – the sacred Ark had fallen from its original, more worthy abode, as it were, into the wilderness. But is it probable, more especially in view of Mic 5:1, that in a connection in which the memory of David is the ruling idea, Ephrathah signifies the land of Ephraim? No, Ephrathah is the name of the district in which Kirjath-Jearim lay. Caleb had, for instance, by Ephrath, his third wife, a son named Hr (Chr), 1Ch 2:19, This Hr, the first-born of Ephrathah, is the father of the population of Bethlehem (1Ch 4:4), and Shobal, a son of this Hr, is father of the population of Kirjath-Jearim (1Ch 2:50). Kirjath-Jearim is therefore, so to speak, the daughter of Bethlehem. This was called Ephrathah in ancient times, and this name of Bethlehem became the name of its district (Mic 5:1). Kirjath-Jearim belonged to Caleb-Ephrathah (1Ch 2:24), as the northern part of this district seems to have been called in distinction from Negeb-Caleb (1Sa 30:14).
But in Psa 132:7 is now neither a designation of the house of Abinadab in Kirjath-Jearim, for the expression would be too grand, and in relation to Psa 132:5 even confusing, nor a designation of the Salomonic Temple-building, for the expression standing thus by itself is not enough alone to designate it. What is meant will therefore be the tent-temple erected by David for the Ark when removed to Zion (2Sa 7:2, ). The church arouses itself to enter this, and to prostrate itself in adoration towards (vid., Psa 99:5) the footstool of Jahve, i.e., the Ark; and to what purpose? The ark of the covenant is now to have a place more worthy of it; the , i.e., the , 1Ch 28:2, in which David’s endeavours have through Solomon reached their goal, is erected: let Jahve and the Ark of His sovereign power, that may not be touched (see the examples of its inviolable character in 1Sa 5:1-12, 1 Sam 6, 2Sa 6:6.), now enter this fixed abode! Let His priests who are to serve Him there clothe themselves in “righteousness,” i.e., in conduct that is according to His will and pleasure; let His saints, who shall there seek and find mercy, shout for joy! More especially, however, let Jahve for David’s sake, His servant, to whose restless longing this place of rest owes its origin, not turn back the face of His anointed one, i.e., not reject his face which there turns towards Him in the attitude of prayer (cf. Psa 84:10). The chronicler has understood Psa 132:10 as an intercession on behalf of Solomon, and the situation into which we are introduced by Psa 132:6-8 seems to require this. It is, however, possible that a more recent poet here, in Psa 132:7-8, reproduces words taken from the heart of the church in Solomon’s time, and blends petitions of the church of the present with them. The subject all through is the church, which is ever identical although changing in the persons of its members. The Israel that brought the sacred Ark out of Kirjath-Jearim to Zion and accompanied it thence to the Temple-hill, and now worships in the sanctuary raised by David’s zeal for the glory of Jahve, is one and the same. The prayer for the priests, for all the saints, and more especially for the reigning king, that then resounded at the dedication of the Temple, is continued so long as the history of Israel lasts, even in a time when Israel has no king, but has all the stronger longing for the fulfilment of the Messianic promise.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6. Lo! we heard of it at Ephratha. This verse is obscure, and we need not wonder at the difficulty which interpreters have felt in ascertaining its meaning. First, the relative pronoun (131) being of the feminine gender has no antecedent, and we are forced to suppose that it must refer to the word habitation in the foregoing sentence, although there it reads habitations, in the plural number. But the principal difficulty lies in the word Ephratha, because the Ark of the Covenant was never placed there. If the reference be to past time, Shiloh should have been the place mentioned; but as it is plain the Psalmist speaks of its new residence, the question returns, why Ephratha and not Zion is specified? Some would get rid of the difficulty by resorting to a frivolous conceit, That the place had two names, and that the plat of ground which was shown to David (2Sa 24:18; 1Ch 21:18) was called Ephratha, because it was fertile, on which account Jerome styles it καρποφοριαν , and yet is not very consistent with himself, for in another place, when he gets into his allegories, he most absurdly interprets it to mean frenzy. I have no doubt whatever that the word comes from פרה parah, which means to bear fruit; just as Bethlehem, which is situated in the same quarter, was called for its fruitfulness “the house of bread.” But any conjecture founded upon the mere name of the place is necessarily unsatisfactory, and we must seek some more probable explanation. I might begin by mentioning one which is not without force. A rumor had spread that the Ark of the Covenant was to be deposited in Ephratha, which was the place of David’s nativity (132), and we may suppose at least that his native soil would seem to many the most appropriate locality for the Ark and Sanctuary. We can easily understand how such an opinion should get abroad. In that case the hearing referred to by the Psalmist alludes to the report which had been circulated. Should this be taken as the meaning, the verb would be in the pluperfect tense, we HAD heard that it was in Ephratha, but we found it in the woods, that is, in a place by no means so attractive or well cultivated. Jerusalem might be said to be woody, because we know that it was surrounded by mountains, and that it was by no means in a part of the country which was noted for fruitfulness. There is another meaning which I would submit to the judgment of the reader. Let us suppose that the faithful here say that they had heard of its being in Ephratha, because God had spoken still greater things of Ephratha than of Zion. It is true that the memorable prediction (Mic 5:2) had not yet been given, yet it may have been that God had already issued some very great and signal prophecy regarding Bethlehem. We have heard, as if they had said, of Bethlehem, but it is only as yet a dim expectation which we have in reference to that place, and in the meantime we must worship God in this place of the woods, looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise regarding Ephratha. This interpretation, however, is far fetched, nor would I venture to adopt it, or at least recommend it to others as the right one. The simpler way seems to be to understand the word Ephratha as applying to David personally, and not so much to the place of that name, the declaration of the Psalmist being to this effect that now when God had chosen a king from Ephratha, the place would necessarily at the same time be marked out for the Ark of the Covenant. It is said, have heard, for the fixing of the place of the Sanctuary depended upon the will of God; nor until this was declared could men determine it according to their own fancy. The fact that now upon David’s mounting the throne this illustrious oracle concerning the permanent settlement of the Temple was to take effect, afforded good ground of thanksgiving. We have proof here that the people of God did not deposit the Ark at random in any place, but had express directions from God himself as to the place where he would be worshipped all proper worship proceeding from faith, while faith cometh by hearing. (Rom 10:17.) Mount Zion had no peculiar excellencies almost to recommend it; but having once heard that it was the object of God’s choice, they show that they consider it wrong to call the matter in question.
(131) That is, the objective affix ה, which appears at each of the verbs in this verse, and which is translated it. By some it is thought that the antecedent is ארון, aron, ark, which, although it is generally masculine, is yet sometimes feminine, as in 1Sa 4:17; 2Ch 8:11. Such is the opinion of Dr. Lightfoot, who explains the verse thus: “We heard of it (the ark) in Ephratah, (that is, Shiloh,) a city of Ephraim; we found it in the fields of the wood, that is in Kirjath-jearim. 1Sa 7:1 , ” etc. (Lightfoot’s Chorogr. Cent., c. 45.) Others consider the ה to refer to habitations, in the preceding verse; and though that noun is in the plural, it is, as noticed in a preceding note, put by enallage for the singular. Rosenmuller thinks this opinion which is the one adopted by Calvin the more probable and no doubt at first sight the most obvious meaning is, that the pronoun it refers to the spot which David had discovered as a suitable place on which to erect the house of God. Walford, indeed, objects that “this cannot be intended, because the site of the Temple was neither at Ephratah, nor in the fields of the wood, or of Jaar;” and he gives at some length an ingenious explanation of this difficult passage, extracted chiefly from the German writer Tilingius. This objection, it will be perceived, is removed by one of the expositions suggested by Calvin, which supposes that the allusion is first to a report of Ephratha being the place where the Temple was to be built; and next to the certain information which the people of Israel afterwards obtained that Jerusalem was the spot which God himself had selected. Whether this however is the correct explanation of the verse, it is not so easy to determine.
(132) Bethlehem, the place of David’s nativity, is called Ephratha in Gen 35:19.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Lo, we heard.This verse has been pronounced inexplicable, and yet the general intention is clear. The vow in which David declared his purpose has just been quoted, and that which is now said to have been heard and found can hardly be anything else than this purpose. In fact, the feminine suffix to the verbs points directly back to the word rendered afflictions in Psa. 132:1, which is really a feminine form. This being settled, we need not go from the plain direction of such places as Gen. 35:19; Gen. 48:7; Rth. 4:11; Mic. 5:2, which pronounce the identity of Ephratah with Bethlehem, to seek any other locality which might possibly be so called. Davids purpose would naturally be connectedespecially after a long lapse of timewith the birthplace of his family. But though taking this poetical licence, the psalm keeps sufficiently close to history as to recognise in the discovery of the Ark at Kirjath-jearim an important, nay, a decisive step in the project of building the Temple. Though his purpose may not have been even dimly defined to David when he moved the Ark, history justly sees in that momentous change the initial step in the grander undertaking. That the fields of the wood (Heb., sedey-yar) is one designation of Kirjath-jearim (city of Yaarim, which went by so many names: Jer. 26:20; Ezr. 2:25; Jos. 15:10-11) there can be little doubt. We must not, of course, think here of Davids contemporaries, but of those of the psalmist, who poetically are represented as taking important part in the early plans for building the Templejust as we might say, speaking of our old cathedrals, we built fine churches in those days. The poet makes them say, identifying themselves with the people of those distant times, while naturally the historical correctness suffers, We heard his project at Bethlehem; we found out its meaning (saw it take shape) at Kirjath-jearim. For mts, in the sense of finding out the meaning or discerning, see Jdg. 14:12, of a riddle. This sentence reminds one of a riddle by its form.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah Although “of” is not in the original, yet the sense requires it, as in the similar form in Jer 46:12, “The nations have heard thy shame,” they have heard “of” thy shame. That Ephratah is Bethlehem is certain from Mic 5:2; Gen 48:7; Rth 4:11. Some suppose it to be the same as “Caleb Ephratah,” a place in the tribe of Ephraim, so called after Caleb and Ephrath his wife. 1Ch 2:19-24. Gesenius thinks it the same as Ephraim. But either view is too improbable to be entertained. Hengstenberg has given the only intelligible explanation to this obscure clause. The suffix pronoun “we” must be understood of David and the people when the former was yet a youth. The feminine suffix, rendered “it,” which is the object of the verbs heard and found, has “ark” for its original, not mentioned till Psa 132:8, but here poetically anticipated, and all along implied as the theme of the psalm, especially in Psa 132:5, in the phrases “place for the Lord,” “tabernacles for the mighty God of Jacob.” It must be considered that the ark was at Kirjath-jearim about eighty years, (eighty-two, according to Dr. Hale,) from the judicature of Eli (l Samuel Psa 7:1) to the eleventh year of David’s reign. During all the reign of Saul (who was remiss as to this matter) no access was had to it. 1Ch 13:3. The people knew of it only by report. See notes on Psa 88:9-10; Psa 88:16-18. The clause should read, “We, in Ephratah, heard of it” [the ark.] The form is analogous to Mat 2:2, “We have seen his star in the East,” that is, “We in the East have seen,” etc.
We found it in the fields of the wood Jaar, here rendered “wood,” is to be taken as a proper name, same as the plural Jearim, a poetical abbreviation of Kirjath-jearim, the forest city, or city of groves, where David found the ark. 1Ch 13:5-6
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 132:6. We found, &c. We find it in the territory, or fields of Fear.Ver. 7. Let us came into his abodes, let us prostrate ourselves at his footstool. These, and the following verses, represent in so many different scenes the Psalmist and his company set out in quest of the ark; first hearing news of it at Ephratah, i.e. Bethlehem; then finding it at Kirjath-jearim; then exhorting the people to pay their adoration to Jehovah; then using the common form of addressing the ark when it was moved, as it was now going to its rest upon mount Sion, Psa 132:8. See 1Ch 13:6. Mudge.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 132:6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
Ver. 6. Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah ] At Bethlehem Ephratah, David’s birth place, there we heard of it long since by our progenitors. “Of it,” that is, of the ark, saith Chrysostom; of God’s resting place, saith Austin; of the place where Christ should be born, saith Jerome; where the temple should be set, saith Aben Ezra; where the Shechinah, or Divine presence should reside, say other Rabbis, Dicit eam in foemin, i.e. diviuam praesentiam (R. Arama).
We found it in the fields of the wood
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 132:6-9
6Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah,
We found it in the field of Jaar.
7Let us go into His dwelling place;
Let us worship at His footstool.
8Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your strength.
9Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,
And let Your godly ones sing for joy.
Psa 132:6 Ephrathah is an area in Judah which came to refer to the extended family of David (cf. Rth 4:11). However, Bethlehem was not the location of the ark. They just heard about the King’s oath (cf. Psa 132:2) to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
Jaar This is a reference to Kiriath-Jearim (cf. 1Sa 7:1; 1Ch 13:1-8), where the ark was housed in a private home for twenty years before David brought it to Jerusalem. Jaar is the singular form of Jearim.
it This is a feminine suffix, while the ark is masculine, so it may refer to David’s oath (NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 736; AB, p. 244) mentioned in Psa 132:2.
The NEB (p. 1000) mentions the fact that on at least two occasions ark is feminine (i.e., 1Sa 4:17; 2Ch 8:11). Since this Psalm has several archaic words and forms this may answer the gender problem.
Psa 132:7 Both verbs are cohortative plural and refer to a pilgrimage to YHWH’s temple.
footstool Both David (cf. 1Ch 28:2) and Solomon (1Ki 8:27) recognized that the temple was not the true dwelling place of the God of creation. David began to call the place between the wings of the Cherubim above the mercy seat (lid of the ark) the place where heaven and earth, the invisible and visible, the eternal and temporal, met (cf. Exo 25:22)! He called it YHWH’s footstool (cf. Isa 66:1; see Special Topic: The Ark of the Covenant ); also note Psa 99:5.
The imagery of Deity as having feet is part of the limits of human vocabulary. See SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (ANTHROPOMORPHISM) (anthropomorphism).
Psa 132:8 Arise This verb (BDB 877, KB 1086, Qal imperative) is used in Num 10:35 and 2Ch 6:41 to denote YHWH rising from His throne to go before His people to fight on their behalf (cf. Psa 3:7; Psa 7:6; Psa 9:19; Psa 10:12; Psa 44:26; Psa 74:22; Psa 82:8).
This verse and Psa 132:9 seem to be an allusion to Solomon’s dedication of the new temple in 2Ch 6:41.
Your resting place YHWH is described in human terms because there is no other vocabulary available to Bible authors (see SPECIAL TOPIC: GOD DESCRIBED AS HUMAN (ANTHROPOMORPHISM) . The ark of the covenant and, thereby YHWH Himself, needed/wanted a physical location for it/Him to reside/rest (cf. 1Ch 6:31; 1Ch 28:2; 2Ch 6:41; Psa 132:8; Psa 132:14; Isa 11:10; Isa 66:1). Remember, anthropomorphic imagery does not ascribe a limit on God but on human ability to comprehend the God of time and space (i.e., physical creation).
A new book by John Walton, The Lost World of Genesis One, uses the cosmologies of the ANE to show that Genesis 1 is the account of YHWH building a cosmic temple (i.e., the earth) as a place to rest (cf. Gen 2:1-3).
Heb 3:7 through Heb. 4:13 (cf. Psa 95:7-11) contains a play on the word rest referring to three different things.
1. seventh day of creation from Gen 2:2 in Heb 4:3-4; Heb 4:10
2. the promised land from Numbers 13-14 in Heb 3:11; Heb 3:18; Heb 4:8
3. eschatological heaven
Rest is both a sense of peace and a desired location of fellowship (cf. Psa 62:1; Isa 63:14; Jer 31:2).
Psa 132:9 This verse has two imperfects used as jussives.
1. be clothed – BDB 527, KB 519, Qal
2. sing for joy – BDB 943, KB 1247, Piel
It is uncertain if there are two groups mentioned (i.e., priests and worshipers) or a literary parallel.
In Job 20:14 Job describes himself as clothed in righteousness. It is uncertain exactly what it means in connection with these priests. Possibly that they reflect YHWH’s character and revelations in their leadership, lives, tasks, and duties.
This verse may reflect the festive and fearful march of the ark carried by specially dressed priests and singing Levites.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
heard: i.e. while he was at Ephratah. David”s father was an Ephrathite (of Bethlehem-Ephratah. Compare Gen 35:19. David had “heard” of it as being in Shiloh.
it: i.e. the Ark. in the fields of the wood = at Jaar’s fields: i.e. Kirjath-jearim (1Ch 13:5.)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
at Ephratah: Rth 1:2, 1Sa 17:12, Mic 5:2
we found: 1Sa 7:1, 1Ch 13:5, 1Ch 13:6
Reciprocal: Gen 35:16 – Ephrath Rth 4:11 – Ephratah 2Sa 6:12 – So David 1Ch 13:3 – the ark 2Ch 1:4 – for he had pitched
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE SACRED ARK
Lo, we heard of it at Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
Psa 132:6
In the days to which the Psalmists words refer the Ark provided satisfaction for certain instincts of the human soul which any powerful and lasting religion must satisfy in some way or other.
I. It was remarkable, first of all, on account of its contents.These were in the early days of Israel threefold. First there were the Tables of the Law, written by the finger of God. Next, as we are told in the Epistle to the Hebrews, there was Aarons rod that budded, and the pot of manna. It would seem that in Solomons day these latter had disappeared, as we are expressly told there was then nothing in the Ark but the Tables of the Law. Each of these relics reminded Israel of a serious truth. Aarons rod was a symbol of Israels communion with God through the Priesthood and by sacrifices; the pot of manna was the symbol of Israels dependence on God for material and spiritual blessings. But the most important, as well as the most permanent, of the contents of the Ark were the Tables of the Law.
II. Secondly, the Ark was remarkable for the Presence which rested on it.The Ark was the support of the Mercy Seat; certainly, it enclosed the Letter of the Covenant, on the observance of which the Divine mercy rested; but this symbolical meaning of the Ark was emphasised by an appearance above it manifesting as much of the beauty and glory of God as it was possible for His creatures to witness in this mortal state. On particular occasions there appeared a light of extraordinary brightness, but for the most part this light was shrouded in a cloud which alone was visible.
Now, had the Ark with its sacred contents, and the Shechinah resting on it, continued to be a leading feature of the interior furniture of the Holy Place in the Temple until our Lords time, there might have been in pious minds, trained in the religion of Israel, a rivalry between the Presence in the Ark and the higher Presence of Jesus of Nazaretha rivalry such as existed between the still continuing Jewish sacrifices and the great Sacrifice of Calvary, with its continuous commemoration in the Church of God; but in point of fact the distinctive glories of the Ark vanished with the destruction of Solomons Temple. In the Temple which was built after the exile there was no Ark, no Shechinah. And thus we see how, first of all, the gift of the sacred Ark and its accompanying prerogatives, and next its withdrawal for some six hundred years from the midst of Israel, might lead devout minds to our Saviour. The Ark sanctified and trained a religious desire for some intimate manifestation of the Presence of God, and then the withdrawal of the Ark left Israel with this desire keener than ever, and yet unsatisfied. Certainly every precious thing in ancient Israel ultimately led to Christ.
Still more, the Presence which rested on the Ark between the cherubim suggests that higher, uncreated Nature which from the first moment of our Lords earthly life was joined indissolubly to His manhood.
III. The history of the Ark and that particular chapter of it to which our text refers, suggests one more point for consideration.It was natural that the Israelites should be deeply impressed with the mysterious power attaching to the Ark of the Covenant. From this it was but a step to ask the question, Can we not make use of it for other purposes than that for which it was originally given? Can we not make it an engine of war, so that the enemies of Israel shall quail before a might which is more than human? It was an evil hour when, after their defeat by the Philistines, the leaders of the Israelites bethought themselves of this expedient: Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hands of our enemies. And we Christians are guilty of the same fault when we attempt to use our Creed for purposes of worldly advantage, and imagine that its public profession will screen us if we engage in doubtful courses of conduct. The sacred Ark will never be made to fight the worlds battles, though in the moment of disaster God knows how to defend His own honour.
Canon Liddon.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Psa 132:6. Lo, we have heard of it The ark, or of the place or habitation for the Lord last mentioned; at Ephratah That is, at Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim, there they were told it had been, but it was gone; they found it at last in the fields of the wood That is, in Kirjath-jearim, which signifies, the city of woods. Thence all Israel fetched it, with great solemnity, in the beginning of Davids reign, 1Ch 13:6; so that, in preparing this place for the ark, he gratified all Israel, they needed not to go about to seek it any more: they now knew where to find it. Some learned men, however, being of opinion that Jerusalem, which was at no great distance from Bethlehem, was within the district called Ephratah, give a different interpretation of this verse, and consider the psalmist as speaking of having found the place on which the temple was to be fixed. Thus Bishop Patrick: And now, behold the Lord himself, to our great joy, hath told us the very place where he will fix his habitation, in the territory of Bethlehem, Ephratah: (Gen 35:16; Gen 35:19,) in the fields of that forest where the angel stood and directed David to build an altar unto the Lord, 1Ch 21:18; 1Ch 22:1.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
132:6 Lo, we heard of it at {d} Ephratah: we found it in the fields of the wood.
(d) The common instinct was that the ark should remain in Ephratah, that is, in Bethlehem a plentiful place: but later we perceived that you would place it in Jerusalem, which was barren as a forest and compassed about only with hills.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
2. The prayer to bless David’s descendants 132:6-10
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The antecedent of "it" (Psa 132:6) is the ark (Psa 132:8). Ephrathah (Ephratah) is an old name for the area around Bethlehem (Gen 35:16; Gen 35:19; Gen 48:7). Jaar evidently refers to Kiriath-jearim, "Jearim" being the plural of "Jaar," the town where the ark rested for 20 years after the Philistines returned it (1Sa 7:1-2). Evidently some Israelites in Bethlehem heard that the ark was in Kiriath-jearim and went there to retrieve it. From there, David then brought the ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6). [Note: For a proposal concerning the relationship of Psalms 132 to 1 Samuel 4-6 and 2 Samuel 6, see Aage Bentzen, "The Cultic Use of the Story of the Ark in Samuel," Journal of Biblical Literature 67 (1948):37-53.]
The Israelite pilgrims who sang this psalm resolved to go to worship God on Mt. Zion, to the place in Jerusalem where the ark rested (Psa 132:7), referred to here as God’s "footstool." That was where God dwelt in a localized way among His people. It was His earthly throne. They called on God to meet with them there. They spoke of "the ark of God’s strength" because it represented God’s strength in Israel’s previous battles.