Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 133:3
As the dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life forevermore.
3. Like dew of Hermon, which descendeth upon the mountains of Zion ] There is no justification for inserting the words and as the dew, as in A.V. “The dews of Syrian nights are excessive; on many mornings it looks as if there had been heavy rain” (G. A. Smith, Hist. Geogr. p. 65); and the dew that falls on the slopes of the snow-clad Hermon is particularly copious. Dew is a symbol for what is refreshing, quickening, invigorating; and the Psalmist compares the influence of brotherly unity upon the nation to the effect of the dew upon vegetation. From such dwelling together individuals draw fresh energy; the life of the community, social and religious, is revived and quickened. It need not be supposed that the poet imagined that the dew which fell upon the mountains of Zion was in any way physically due to the influence of Mount Hermon (though it is possible that it was popularly supposed that there was some connexion); all he means is that the life-giving effect of harmonious unity upon the nation is as though the most abundant dews fell upon the dry mountain of Zion.
for there &c.] In Jerusalem. Cp. Psa 132:17. Jehovah has connected he blessing of a vigorous national life with the religious centre of His choice.
life for evermore ] Cp. Sir 37:25 , “The days of Israel are innumerable.” But perhaps for evermore should be connected with commanded. For life cp. Psa 36:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
As the dew of Hermon … – On the situation of Mount Hermon, see the notes at Psa 89:12. The literal rendering of this passage would be, Like the dew of Hermon which descends on the mountains of Zion. According to our version two things are referred to: the dew of Hermon, and the dew on the mountains of Zion, But this is not in the original. There no dew is referred to but that which belongs to Hermon. It has, of course, been made a question how the dew of Hermon, a remote mountain, could be said to descend on the mountains of Zion, and our translators have sought to solve the difficulty by inserting the words and as the dew. Some have supposed that the proper interpretation is to refer the comparison in the passage to the dew of Hermon, and that all which follows is an application of the thought: Like the dew of Hermon is the influence which comes down upon the mountains of Zion, etc.
The most probable and plausible interpretation, however, it seems to me, is, that the mind of the poet was turned to the dew of Hermon – to the gentleness, and the copiousness, and the vivifying nature of that dew – diffusing beauty and abundance all around – and that he thought of that dew, or dew like that, as descending on the mountains of Zion. Not that the dew of Hermon actually descended there; but when changing the comparison, in illustration of brotherly love, from oil to dew, he most naturally thought (perhaps from some former observation) of the dew of Hermon, and immediately thought of Zion as if that dew descended there: that is, love, unity, and concord there would be as if the dew of Hermon should descend on the barren hills of Zion or Jerusalem, there diffusing beauty, abundance, fertility. The comparison of the influence of brotherly love, or unity, with dew is not a forced or unnatural one. So calm, so gentle, so refreshing on the tender grain, on the young plants, on the flowers, is dew, that it is a striking image of the influences which produce brotherly love and harmony.
For there the Lord commanded the blessing – He appointed that as the place of worship; as the seat of his residence; the source of all holy influences. See Psa 78:67-69, note; Psa 87:2, note.
Even life for evermore – literally, Life to eternity. That is, such influences go from that place as to lead to eternal life, or as to secure eternal life. It is in Zion, in his church, that he has made known the way to eternal life, and the means by which it may be obtained. To the end of the world this beautiful psalm will be sung in the church alike as expressing the charm which there is in unity among brethren and in the church; and as tending to promote that unity whose beauty it is designed to commend. Happy will be that day when the church shall be so united that it may be sung everywhere, as expressing what is, and not merely what should be.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 133:3
As the dew of Hermon.
The spirit of brotherhood like dew
I. Brotherly love is silent, not demonstrative. Nothing in nature is more silent than the dew. The rain rattles, the wind howls, and the ocean booms, but the dew descends serenely and unheard. Genuine love is never noisy. The deepest emotions are always the most silent; the shallowest the most tumultuous.
II. Brotherly love is vital, not mechanical How refreshing is the dew! It gives new life and verdure to all it touches. Brotherly love is independent of organizations, it is independent of all social mechanisms.
III. Brotherly love is Divine rather than human. Whence comes the dewy It descends from above. All true love comes from God, as all light from the sun. (David Thomas, D. D.)
Brotherly love
I. It is a sure bond of union. Hermon is in the north and Zion is in the south: morning by morning the sun, Natures great distiller, extracted moisture from the snow-peaked Harmon, and the clouds wafted southward shed their treasure on the hill of Zion. Thus the various parts of the land served one another in Gods natural order. So brotherly love with its mutual service binds the home, the city, the land. No system of unity can be otherwise founded if it is to be secure. Force directed by selfishness can never make a true bond.
II. It is Gods method of benediction. For there the Lord commanded the blessing. The psalmist recognizes in the periodical worship of Zion an occasion of this brotherly love, and speaks therefore of the love as Gods blessing vouchsafed there. And all such love has its source in God. Apart from Him we should not know its delights. It is the way He promotes our happiness by filling us with a desire to help one another. We are severally channels of Gods help.
III. It is heaven; begun. Even life for evermore. What can this phrase mean but that true love is immortal. Has not St. John taught us that to truly and purely love is to share the life of God? In so far as we love, then, we already have imparted to our life an undying element–we participate to that extent in the pleasures that are for evermore. (W. Hawkins.)
As the dew
1. As the dew comes down from the heaven above upon the earth beneath, so is brotherly unity, in its production and increase, the gift of the Divine spirit of love, the fountain of blessing to the whole Church.
2. As the dew descends silently and imperceptibly, till if covers the whole face of the ground, so is the affection of Christian brethren diffused amongst themselves by a quiet and gentle progress, till the plentiful appearance, and happy effects of it, are manifest to the world.
3. As the dew, consisting of many millions of drops, refreshes the fruits of the earth by their joint influence, so is the Church edified by the love of many; its prosperity and fertility depend upon the united love of all its members. (W. Jones, M. A.)
The dew of Hermon
The dew of Hermon and the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, to which the psalmist referred–differs entirely from the ordinary dew of our country–and is a phenomenon peculiar to Palestine and the East. It is a soft mist that comes from the Mediterranean during the summer, when the heat is greatest, and the country is burnt up with the terrible sunshine. It is attracted by the inland heights, and condensed in copious moisture upon their sides, and creeps down upon the plains, reviving and refreshing every green thing. It comes first of all to Mount Hermon, and helps to keep up its unchanging robe of snow, and to fill its springs, and feed its cedars, and then it flows down and makes the corn to grow green in the valleys, and the vines to swell out their purple grapes in the vineyards, and the lilies to unfold their crimson radiance in the fields. And it is to this wonderful phenomenon that the psalmist compares the unify and harmony of those who dwell together as brethren. It is a most beautiful and expressive image. For just as Mount Hermon that is high above the plains and valleys of Palestine, benefits them by its clouds and rains and streams, imparts to them the blessings it receives from heaven, and thus becomes essential to their life and well-being; so these plains and valleys in turn have helped to elevate and maintain Hermon on his throne, and send up to it their evaporations and radiations to become the sources of its spotless snows, its billowy clouds, and its sparkling streams and cooling winds. They help it as much as if helps them. They are mutually dependent upon each other. The lowly plain does not envy the lofty mountain; nor does the lofty mountain look down in contempt upon the lowly plain. They are associated together in physical harmony. They are there in the close relation to each other appointed by Him who weighs the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance; and they could have no other position or shape or function. The one could not do or even be without the other. So would the psalmist have the inhabitants of the Holy Land to live. Let the religion of Ephraim be like the all-pervading fragrance of the holy oil of the temple in Judah; and let the religion of Judah be like the moisture that is borne from the snowcapped Hermon in Ephraim, and falls in refreshing drops upon the dry southern hills of Judah. The covenant people had lost the blessing through their division; they were weakened, and, in consequence, were carried away captive, and their land was made desolate. But now, if they become reunited and continue, in mutual harmony and brotherly kindness, to help and encourage each other ha She good work for which God had prepared and called them; if they observe together the same ordinances of religion, and preserve together the purity of their national faith, then God would remove the threat, and command upon them the blessing, even life for evermore. Their land would become once more a land flowing with milk and honey; and they themselves would be once more a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people zealous of good works. And so would it be with every family and Church and nation still that dwelt together in the unity and harmony of love. God would command there the blessing, even continuous and prosperous life. Especially in the Church would this goodness and pleasantness of brethren dwelling together in unity be felt. When will Churches recognize the fact that they are meant to provoke one another not to envy and jealousy but unto all good works? When will their members learn the great truth that God bestows the blessings of salvation upon individuals, not that these blessings may be confined to them, but that they may be diffused by them? But the earthly Hermon is only the type of the heavenly–the shadow of something grander and more enduring. There are everlasting hills to which we are to lift up our eyes, rocks higher than any in this world. From them come to us the dew of grace, and the river that flows from the throne of God and the Lamb; and God there indeed commands the blessing, even life for evermore. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)
For there the Lord commanded the blessing.—
Commanded blessing
It is an allusion, possibly, to great persons, to a general, or an emperor: Where the word of a king is, there is power. The centurion said, I say to one soldier, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh; to a third, Do this, and he doeth it. So God commandeth one ordinance, Go and build up such a saint, and it goeth; He saith to another ordinance, Come, and call home such a sinner, and it doth it; Gods words and work go together. Men cannot enable others, or give them power to obey them; they may bid a lame man walk, or a blind man see; but they cannot enable them to walk or see: God with His Word giveth strength to do the thing commanded; as in the old, so in the new creation, He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast (Psa 33:9). But there the Lord commands His blessing, even life for evermore. The stream of regeneration, or a spiritual life, which shall never cease, but still go forward and increase, till it swell to, and be swallowed up in the ocean of eternal life, even life for evermore. (G. Swinnock.)
Even life for evermore.—
Eternity
The thought of eternity is in us all–a presentiment and a consciousness; and that universal presentiment itself goes far to establish the reality of the unseen order of things to which it is directed. The great planet that moves on the outmost circle of our system was discovered because that next it wavered in its course in a fashion which was inexplicable, unless some unknown mass was attracting it from across millions of miles of darkling space. And there are perturbations in our spirits which cannot be understood, unless from them we may divine that far-off and unseen world, that has power from afar to sway in their orbits the little lives of mortal men. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Unending life
We, of this century, often smile over the foolish alchemists of long ago, forgetting that such is mans love of existence that in all ages he has eagerly sought some true elixir of life. And whether that supposed but ever elusive boon be pure gold, as with the early alchemists, or extract of mutton, as Professor Kedzie calls the elixir of Dr. Brown-Sequard, the motive of search is the same. So, though great the hope and slow to die, no ancient nor modern alchemy can prolong existence, which hath for each of us been set beyond the point Divinely determined. How strange is it, then, that men are so slow to seek that One who is our life for evermore, who by His loving grace offereth life and immortality to all! (G. V. Reichel.)
.
Psa 134:1-3
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion] This was not Mount Zion, tsiyon, in Jerusalem, but Sion, which is a part of Hermon, see De 4:48: “Mount Sion, which is Hermon.” On this mountain the dew is very copious. Mr. Maundrell says that “with this dew, even in dry weather, their tents were as wet as if it had rained the whole night.” This seems to show the strength of the comparison.
For there] Where this unity is.
The Lord commanded the blessing] That is, an everlasting life. There he pours out his blessings, and gives a long and happy life.
For other particulars, see the commentators passim, and the following analysis.
ANALYSIS OF THE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-THIRD PSALM
In this Psalm the blessings of peace and unity are recommended and described, whether in the Church, family, or kingdom.
I. It is, says the prophet, a good and pleasant thing, c., Ps 133:1.
II. He declares both by similitudes.
1. The pleasantness, by the ointment with which the high priest was anointed.
2. The goodness, by the dew which fell upon the mountains.
3. But in plainer terms, by the blessing of God upon the head of the peaceful.
1. The prophet begins with an encomium of peace, unity, and concord.
1. “Behold.” Take notice of it in its effects.
2. “How good and pleasant,” c. He admires, but cannot express it.
3. The encomium itself is expressed by two epithets: 1. It is good, and brings much profit. 2. It is pleasant, and brings much content with it.
4. The concord itself is thus expressed: Brethren, either in a Church, family, or kingdom, should be of one soul, and intent on the common good.
II. The pleasantness is compared to “the precious ointment upon the head.”
1. All benefit from this concord princes, nobles, and people. The head, beard, and skirts.
2. It sends forth a sweet and reviving savour.
3. It is as balsam poured into wounds.
The profit he compares to the dews: “As the dew of Hermon,” c., gently descending, and fructifying and enriching the ground.
And this he sets down without any metaphor: “For there the Lord commanded the blessing,” &c. which approbation he manifests by the abundance he pours where concord and unity are found.
1. He commands his blessing. Makes all creatures useful to them.
2. His blessing is prosperity, good success. To bless is to benefit.
3. This he calls life for with troubles, griefs, &c., a man’s life is no life. A quiet life those shall have who live in peace, without dissensions respecting religion or in matters connected with the state.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
It is no less grateful than the dew is which falls upon that great and goodly hill of
Hermon, whereby it is both refreshed and made fruitful. And as the dew which falleth
upon the mountains of Zion, i.e. either upon the several parts and ridges or tops of that mountain, whereof one was peculiarly called
Zion, and another
Moriah; or upon the mountains which are round about Jerusalem, Psa 125:2, which is oft called Zion, as Psa 132:13. And these may be opposed to Hermon, which was remote and beyond Jordan. But peradventure (which yet I propose with all submission) this dew is not to be taken literally, for the falling of the dew availed very little to the refreshment or improvement of the hills of Zion and Moriah, especially as now they were filled with buildings; but allegorically, for the favour or blessing of God, which is frequently called and compared to the dew, as Pro 19:12; Isa 18:4; Hos 14:5; Mic 5:7. And thus it may seem to be explained in the following clause; and so the sense of the place is this, It is as desirable as the natural dew which falls upon Mount Hermon, nay, which is more, as that blessed and heavenly dew of Gods ordinances and graces which he hath commanded to fall upon the mountains of Zion; i.e. either upon Mount Zion; the plural number being put for the singular, as it is Psa 132:7, and oft elsewhere, as I have observed in several places; or upon the mountains of Zion and Moriah, and others which are round about Jerusalem, as was now said. And if it seem strange that the dew should be taken literally in the first clause, and mystically in the next, we have a like instance Mat 8:22, Let the dead (spiritually) bury the dead (naturally). For: he now gives the reason either why this unity is so good a thing; or why the dew descending upon Zion, to which that is compared, is so desirable. And so upon this occasion he slides into the commendation of Zions felicity, as the sacred writers frequently do upon other like occasions. There; either,
1. Where brethren live in peace and unity; or rather,
2. In Zion last mentioned. Commandeth the blessing; ordained, promised, conferred, and established his blessing, to wit, all manner of blessedness for his people that sincerely worship him in that place. Life, to wit, a happy and pleasant life; for to live in misery is accounted and oft called death, both in Scripture and in other authors.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. therethat is, in Zion, theChurch; the material Zion, blessed with enriching dews, suggests thisallusion the source of the influence enjoyed by the spiritual Zion.
commanded theblessing(Compare Ps 68:28).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion,…. Hermon was a very high hill beyond Jordan; the Sidonians called it Sirion, and the Amorites Shenir, De 3:8; hence Shenir and Hermon are mentioned together, So 4:8; and sometimes Sion or Seon, De 4:48; and is the Zion here intended; for the dew of Hermon could never descend on the mountain of Zion near Jerusalem, which was a hundred miles distant; besides Zion was but one mountain, these many. Hermon was remarkable for its dew, which still continues: a traveller c, one of our own country, and whose fidelity is to be depended on, lying in tents near this hill one night, says,
“we were sufficiently instructed by experience what the holy psalmist means by the dew of Hermon; our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.”
The mountains of Zion were those that were near to Zion, and not the mountain itself, those that were round about Jerusalem, on which the dew also fell in great plenty; and to which unity among brethren is here compared, because it comes from God in heaven, as the dew does. Saints are taught of God to love one another; contentions and quarrels come from lusts within, but this comes from above, from the Father of lights; and, because of its gentle nature, this makes men pure, and peaceable, and gentle, and easy to be entreated; as the dew falls gently in a temperate and moderate air, not in stormy and blustering weather: and because of its cooling nature; it allays the heats and animosities in the minds of men; and because it makes the saints fruitful, and to grow and increase in good works;
for there the Lord commanded the blessing; either in the mountains of Zion; so Kimchi: and if Mount Zion is meant by it, the church, often signified thereby, is the dwelling place of the Lord; here he records his name and blesses; here his word is preached, which is full of blessings; and here ordinances are administered, which are blessed of God to his people. Theodoret thinks some respect is had to the pouring down of the Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost: but rather the sense is, where brethren dwell together in unity, there the God of love and peace is; the Gospel of the grace of God is continued; and the ordinances of it made beneficial to the souls of men, they meeting together in peace and concord; see 2Co 13:11. God is said to “command the blessing” when he promises it, and makes it known to his people, or bestows it on them, Ps 105:8;
[even] life for evermore: the great blessing of all, which includes all others, and in which they issue, the promise of the covenant, the blessing of the Gospel; which is in the hands of Christ, and comes through him to all his people; to the peacemakers particularly, that live in love and peace; these shall live for ever in a happy eternity, and never die, or be hurt of the second death.
c Maundrell’s Travels, p. 57. Ed. 7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Like the precious ointment upon the head. We have here clear proof that David, as we have just said, holds all true union among brethren to take its rise from God, and to have this for its legitimate object, that all may be brought to worship God in purity, and call upon iris name with one consent. Would the similitude have been borrowed from holy ointment if it had not been to denote, that religion must always hold the first place? (148) Any concord, it is thus insinuated, which may prevail amongst men, is insipid, if not pervaded by a sweet savor of God’s worship. We maintain, therefore, that men are to be united amongst themselves in mutual affection, with this as the great end., that they may be placed together under the government of God. If there be any who disagree with these terms, we would do well rather to oppose them strenuously, than purchase peace at the expense of God’s honor. We must hold, that when mention is made of the Priest, it is to intimate, that concord takes its rise in the true and pure worship of God, while by the beard and skirts of the garments, we are led to understand that the peace which springs from Christ as the head, is diffused through the whole length and breadth of the Church. The other figure, of the dew distilling upon Mount Zion and Hermon, denotes, that a holy unity has not only a sweet savor before God, but is productive of good effects, as the dew moistens the earth and supplies it with sap and freshness. Moses, we know, said of Judea, that it was not like Egypt fertilized by the overflowings of its river, but such as drank daily of the rain of heaven. (Deu 11:11.) David suggests, that the life of man would be sapless, unprofitable, and wretched, unless sustained by brotherly harmony. It is evident, that mount Hermon must have been rich and fruitful, being famed amongst places for pasture. Mountains depend principally for fertility upon the dews of heaven, and this was shown in the case of mount Zion. David adds in the close, that God commands his blessing where peace is cultivated; by which is meant, that he testifies how much tie is pleased with concord amongst men, by showering down blessings upon them. The same sentiment is expressed by Paul in other words, (2Co 13:11; Phi 4:9,) “Live in peace, and the God of peace shall be with you.” Let us then, as much as lies in us, study to walk in brotherly love, that we may secure the divine blessing. Let us even stretch out our arms to those who differ from us, desiring to bid them welcome if they will but return to the unity of the faith. Do they refuse? Then let them go. We recognize no brotherhood, as I have said already, except amongst the children of God.
(148) “ Car a quel propos tireroit il ceste similitude de l’huile sacree, sinon a ceste fin clue la vraye religion tiene tousjours le premier lieu ?” Ft.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) As the dew . . .Better, keeping the same word as in Psa. 133:2. like the dew of Hermon, which descended on the Mount Zion. This statement of the dew of a mountain in the north descending on a mountain in the south, appears so strange and impossible that our version inserted the words, and as the dew. But the sentence is constructed in exactly the same form as Psa. 133:2, and the dew on Mount Zion must be as clearly the same dew as that on Mount Hermon, as the oil running down to the beard was the same as that poured on the head. Nor may we take the mountains of Zion in a general way for the mountains of the country lying round Hermon like spurs, as Van de Velde does in the passage from his Travels, quoted by Delitzsch. Mount Zion itself is intended (comp. Psa. 121:1; Psa. 125:2, for this plural) as the last clause, there Jehovah commanded the blessing, clearly shows. Delitzsch says on the passage, This feature of the picture is taken from the natural reality, for an abundant dew, when warm days have preceded, might very well be diverted to Jerusalem by the operation of the cold current of air, sweeping down from the north over Hermon. We know, indeed, of our own experience how far a cold air coming from the Alps is perceptible and produces its effects. But setting aside the amount of scientific observation required for such a perception of fact, would any one speak of the dew of Mont Blanc descending on the Jura?
We must evidently take the dew of Hermon as a poetical synonym for choice dew. No doubt the height of Hermon, and the fact of its being so conspicuous, determined the expression. This choice dew, from its freshness, abundance, and its connection with life and growth, is a symbol, as the sacred oil also is, of the covenant blessing in its nature. The descent of the moisture offered itself, as the flowing down of the oil did, as an emblem of the operation of the blessing. But the conclusion of the simile is only implied. No doubt the poet intended to write, As the oil poured on Aarons head flowed down to his beard, and as the dew of Hermon flowed down on Mount Zion, so the covenant blessing descended on Jehovahs people; but at the mention of Mount Zion he breaks off the simile, to make the statement, for there Jehovah, &c. Hebrew poetry did not greatly favour the simile, and often confuses it with metaphor. (See Notes, Psa. 58:9; Son. 8:12.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. As the dew of Hermon There can be no doubt that the copiousness and the refreshing effect of oriental dews are here referred to, but why Hermon and Zion are specially mentioned is not so clear. The Hebrew simply reads: “As the dew of Hermon which descends (literally, is descending) upon the mountains of Zion.” This indicates some meteorological effect of the dews or vapours of Hermon upon the moisture and climate of the southern country. Thus Van de Velde, quoted by Moll: “Sitting here at the foot of Hermon, I was able to understand how the particles of water which ascend from its wood-crowned peaks and its gorges filled with perpetual snow, after they have been rarefied by the beams of the sun. and the atmosphere has been moistened by them, fall in the evening in the form of a heavy dew upon the lower mountains which lie around it as its projecting ridges. In no part of the whole country is such a heavy dew observed as that which falls in the districts near Hermon.” Thus Stanley: “If Zion be here Jerusalem, the sense must be that the beneficial effect of the cool vapours of the lofty Hermon were felt even to the dry and distant mountains of Judea.” That Zion here is the Zion of Jerusalem, is confirmed by the next clause, “for there [at Zion] the Lord commanded the blessing,” etc. The common English version adds, after “Hermon,” the words “and as the dew,” as if two independent descents of dew were intended. But this is against the grammatical construction, and against the metaphor. It was “the dew of Hermon” which “descended upon Zion,” and the oil upon the head of Aaron which descended upon his beard and garments, which constituted the basis of the figure. Thus, when the oil of grace and love should be poured upon the northern tribes, especially Ephraim, (with whom the chief causes of alienation existed,) it would descend upon and refresh Zion and the southern tribes, and thus give national and spiritual unity. So, also, when the representative heads of the Church, especially the sons of Aaron, shall be endued with the baptismal anointing, it shall descend in its gracious effects upon the lesser orders and members.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 133:3. Upon the mountains of Zion Bishop Hare supposes this to be Sirion, which was a part of Anti-Libanus, and near to mount Hermon: but it is plain from Deu 4:48 that Hermon was also called Zion; Hermon being the general name of a chain of mountains, or rather of one large mountain, with several lesser ones belonging to it. The hills of Zion here mentioned, were probably situated on the lower parts of Hermon; from whence the dew flowed down upon them. The verb and preposition which are used for the dew’s flowing down from Hermon upon the hills of Zion, are the same with those which are used for the oil’s flowing down upon Aaron’s vestments, which shews the descent to be from a higher place to a lower. The want of rain in this country, which very rarely falls but at certain seasons, is supplied by very large dews: these are absolutely necessary for the cultivation of the country, especially the hilly and mountainous parts of it, the soil of which is very dry and hot. This gives light to the Psalmist’s expression, who intimates that unity and concord are to the full as necessary to the well-being of any regular state, as the dew is necessary to the nourishment of the corn upon the mountains of Asia. Mr. Maundrell says, when he lodged in this country, he was sufficiently instructed by experience what the holy Psalmist means by the dew of Hermon; their tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.
For there the Lord commanded, &c. That is, “For in that place, in that holy mountain, God had promised to bless all his devout worshippers, who shall unanimously resort thither from all parts of the land with an affluence of all good things (See Psa 13:6.); and not only with an abundance of all temporal good things, but especially with long life, as an earnest of endless felicity: life for evermore.” Mr. Green is of opinion, that there should be a full stop after Zion, and that there refers to the dwelling of those who live together in unity: “There, upon the happy dwelling of those,” &c. This is the principal subject of the psalm. Bishop Lowth is of opinion, that there must necessarily be referred to Zion, and that there is nothing else to which it can possibly be referred: but this learned writer did not observe that Zion is only mentioned incidentally; and that it could not mean Zion in Jerusalem, because that is always called the hill of Zion; not the hills of Zion, in the plural. See his 25th Prelection, at the end. We cannot refuse our readers the following short and agreeable comment upon this psalm by Dr. Delaney: which, says he, contains an exhortation to unity, beginning in the prince, and diffused through the people, illustrated by two images, the most apt and beautiful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are considered as bodies politic, of which the king is the head, and the people, in their several ranks and orders, the parts and members. A spirit of union beginning upon the prince, whose person is sacred, is like oil poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends and spreads itself over all the parts of the body, and diffuses beauty and fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the skirts of the garment. Oil is without question the finest emblem of union that ever was conceived. It is a substance consisting of very small parts, which yet by their mutual adhesion constitute one uniform, well-united, and useful body. The sacred oil carries the idea and the advantage of union still farther; which, being extracted from various spices, yet made up one well-cohering and more valuable compound. The next image carries the exhortation to union, and the advantages of it, yet higher. Hermon was the general name of one mountain, comprehending many lesser and lower hills, under the surround of a greater. Union, in any nation, is the gift of God; and therefore unity among brethren beginning from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which, falling first upon the higher summit of Hermon, refreshing and enriching wherever it falls, naturally descends to Zion a lower, and thence even to the humble vallies. Zion was the centre of union to all the tribes; there God himself had promised his people rest and peace from their enemies; which however were of little value without union and harmony among themselves. Life of David, book 4: chap. 14.
REFLECTIONS.Among the deadliest evils that have befallen the church of God, we may justly reckon the divisions, disputes, and animosities, which have from time to time so grievously rent it, disfigured its beauty, and destroyed its peace. O that we had passed at last the waters of strife, and begun to taste the blessedness of loving one another out of a pure heart fervently. We have first,
1. The practice recommended, as brethren to dwell together in unity; for all God’s children have one father, one inheritance, one interest, one pursuit, one home, and therefore should have one heart and one mind, united in the same worship, affectionate in their regards, bearing and forbearing, forgiving and forgetting, and only jealous who shall shew the most abundant meekness, charity, and kindness to each other.
2. The blessedness of this conduct. Behold how good, God approves and delights in it: and how pleasant, it is its own reward. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, which was composed of the sweetest spices, diffused the most grateful fragrance, and caused the countenance to shine in beauty. Such an unction from the Holy One have they received who have this brotherly love shed abroad in their hearts; in the eyes of God and men they shine; this sweet favour of Christ in them is most pleasing, and without it all our doings in God’s sight are nothing worth. 1Co 13:1-2. It is as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, that allays the heat of the scorching sun, and fertilizes the soil; thus doth charity seek to cool the heat of bigotry and angry dispute, diffuseth its gentle influences, and sweetly insinuates into the minds of the exasperated, producing the happy fruits of peace and union; and wherever this temper perseveringly dwells, there God’s blessing abides, for there the Lord commanded the blessing; every blessing the soul can need, and which at his command instantly descends, even life for evermore, with God and in God; that life of love begun on earth, the earnest and the foretaste of eternal blessedness. Lord, shed abroad this love in our hearts!
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
THINK, my soul, how little of this fellowship and communion is found in the present day, in the languishing state of our Churches! Behold the cause! If there be no constant receivings from Christ, how shall there be communications among the brethren? If the intercourse with the great Head be remitted, what, shall the members have to impart! Oh! for grace to be looking unto Jesus, the life-giving Head of his Church! Oh! Lord Jesus, that thou wouldest visit thy people, thy ministers, thy churches! Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest thy flock at noon! See, Lord! how thy people languish. Give us, Lord, a little reviving in our bondage; come among us with thy great power; stir us up to take hold of thy strength: so shall we have grace flourishing in our own hearts, and communications will go forth among the brethren; so shall we be prepared for the everlasting enjoyment of Jesus and his Church by grace here, for glory hereafter.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 133:3 As the dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life for evermore.
Ver. 3. As the dew of Hermon ] Moisteneth and maketh fertile the country of Bashan. Hermon is a very high hill ever covered with snow; whence ariseth a perpetual vapour, the original and fountain of dew, to all Jewry.
And as the dew that descended
For there the Lord commanded the blessing
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
As = [It is] like, as in Psa 133:2.
And as the dew. Omit these italics.
descended. Compare Psa 133:2.
Zion. The dew (or copious summer night mist) was one. The same dew descended on Zion in the south as on Hermon in the north. Zion’s dew represents the tribe of Judah. Hermon’s dew represents Asher, Ephraim, Manasseh, Zebulon, Issachar (2Ch 30:11, 2Ch 30:18, 2Ch 30:25, 2Ch 30:26). The idea is not in the motion of this dew, from Hermon to Zion, but in its uniting both in its copious descent.
there. Compare Deu 12:5, Deu 12:11, Deu 12:14, Deu 12:18, Deu 12:21. Psa 128:5; Psa 134:3; Psalm 133 is blessing in Zion; Psalm 132 is blessing for Zion ; Psalm 134 is blessing from Zion.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
As the dew of Hermon: Mr. Maundrell says, “We were sufficiently instructed by experience what the holy Psalmist means by the dew of Hermon,’ our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.” Some suppose that Zion here means a part of Mount Hermon – Deu 4:48, but it is not written Sion here, but Zion, which is at Jerusalem. Deu 3:8, Deu 3:9, Deu 4:48, Jos 13:11
for there the Lord: Psa 42:8, Lev 25:21, Deu 28:8
even life: Psa 16:11, Psa 21:4, Joh 4:14, Joh 5:24, Joh 5:29, Joh 6:50, Joh 6:51, Joh 6:68, Joh 11:25, Joh 11:26, Rom 5:21, Rom 6:23, 1Jo 2:25, 1Jo 5:11, Rev 1:18
Reciprocal: Gen 27:28 – of the dew Jos 11:3 – Hermon Jos 12:1 – from the 1Ch 5:23 – Hermon Psa 42:6 – the hill Mizar Psa 89:12 – Hermon Eze 34:26 – my hill Hag 2:19 – from Joh 5:39 – ye think
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 133:3. As the dew of Hermon It is no less grateful than the dew is which falls upon that great and goodly hill of Hermon, thereby both refreshing and rendering it fruitful. Thus, as by the former similitude he illustrated the pleasantness, he here points out the profitableness of unity, the blessed fruit which it produces. And as the dew that descended upon Zion Upon the several parts and ridges of that mountain, or upon the mountains which are round about Jerusalem, which is often called Zion. As if he had said, The dew of heaven is not more necessary, nor more useful to the parched mountains which, though never so distant one from another, (as far as from Hermon to Zion,) are refreshed with it, than unity is for men of all ranks and conditions, who everywhere perceive the comfortable fruits of it. But, probably, the dew descending on Zion, in this latter clause, is to be taken allegorically for the favour or blessing of God, which is frequently called and compared to the dew, in the Scriptures; and, thus understood, the sense of the place will be this: It is as desirable as the dew which falls upon mount Hermon, nay, as desirable as that heavenly dew of Gods ordinances and graces, which he hath commanded to fall upon the mountains of Zion and Moriah, and others which are round about Jerusalem. For there, &c. Where brethren live in peace and unity; or, in Zion, last mentioned, that is, in Gods church, or among his people; the Lord hath commanded That is, ordained, promised, conferred, and established; the blessing Namely, all manner of blessedness, for his people that sincerely worship him; even life for evermore Which is the blessing of blessings. How good then is it, and how pleasant, to dwell in unity! The reader will observe, that the unity, so beautifully delineated and so forcibly recommended in this pleasing little Psalm, may either be considered as civil or as religious unity. It is viewed in the former light by Dr. Delaney, whose observations on it are so just and elegant, that we are persuaded we shall gratify our readers by subjoining them. Unity, says he, beginning in the prince, and diffused through the people, is here illustrated by two images, the most apt and beautiful that ever were imagined. Kingdoms are considered as bodies politic, of which the king is the head, and the people, in their several ranks and orders, the parts and members. A spirit of union, beginning in the prince, whose person is sacred, is like oil poured upon the head of Aaron, which naturally descends and spreads itself over all the parts of the body, and diffuses beauty and fragrance over the whole, reaching even to the skirts of the garment. Oil is, without question, the finest emblem of union that ever was conceived! It is a substance consisting of very small parts, which yet, by their mutual adhesion, constitute one uniform, well-united, and useful body. The sacred oil carries the idea and the advantage of union yet further, which, being extracted from various spices, yet made up one well-cohering and more valuable compound. The next image carries the exhortation to union and the advantages of it yet higher. Hermon was the general name of one mountain, comprehending many lesser and lower hills, under the surround of a greater. Union, in any nation, is the gift of God; and therefore unity among brethren, beginning from the king, is like the dew of heaven, which, falling first upon the higher summits of Hermon. (refreshing and enriching wherever it falls,) naturally descends to a lower; and thence even to the humble valleys. Zion was the centre of union to all the tribes, where God himself had promised his people rest and peace from their enemies; which, however, were of little value without union and harmony among themselves. Life of David, vol. 3. chap. 14. p. 204. It only remains to be added, says Dr. H., after quoting the above remarks, that these divine pictures receive an additional beauty, and the colouring is much heightened, by their being viewed in another light, as representations of spiritual unity in the church. The spirit of heavenly love was that oil of gladness which Jehovah poured, without measure, on him who is the High- Priest and head of his church. Insinuating and healing, comforting and exhilarating; it is diffused from him over his body mystical, even down to the least and lowest members; of his fulness have we all received; and, as it is said of Marys box of spikenard, in the gospel, the house is filled with the odour of the ointment. Nor did the dew of heaven, in time of drought, ever prove more refreshing and beneficial to the mountains of Judah, than are the influences of grace, when descending in soft silence from above upon the church; in the union and communion of which God hath commanded the blessing, even life for evermore. O come the day when division shall cease, and enmity be done away; when the tribes of the spiritual Israel shall be united in a bond of eternal charity, under the true David, in the Jerusalem which is above, and saints and angels shall sing this lovely Psalm together!
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
133:3 As the dew of {c} Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for {d} there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life for evermore.
(c) By Hermon and Zion he means the plentiful country about Jerusalem.
(d) Where there is such concord.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Mt. Hermon to the north of Israel was the highest mountain in the land. As such it enjoyed unusually heavy dew. Dew was a great blessing in the parched land of Israel. As the dew freshened and invigorated Mt. Hermon, so the blessing of unity among believing Israelites would refresh and invigorate Mt. Zion as they gathered for worship there.
When unity characterizes believers, they can perform priestly work with divine approval, and they can enjoy God’s blessings of refreshment and fertility.