Chapter Overview
Summary
Psalm 133 (MT) / Psalm 132 (LXX) is the fourteenth Song of Ascents — a short (3-verse) Davidic celebration of brotherly-unity. The psalm deploys two striking similes: unity-is-like-oil-on-Aaron's-beard (v. 2) and unity-is-like-Hermon-dew-on-Zion (v. 3). Together they frame unity as both priestly-consecration and divinely-falling-blessing.
Notable Variants
133:1 'how good and how pleasant / Ecce quam bonum' classic unity-celebration; 133:2 oil-on-Aaron's-beard priestly-consecration image; 133:3 Hermon-dew-on-Zion blessing-flow imagery.
Structural Notes
MT Ps 133 = LXX Ps 132. 3 verses. Fourteenth Song of Ascents. Davidic-attributed.
A song of ascents. Of David. How good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together.
'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!' tracks MT. 'ECCE QUAM BONUM.' Latin Vulgate. Traditional monastic-and-ecumenical chant. John 17:21 (Jesus' high-priestly prayer: 'that they may all be one') Christologically-unifies the vision.
It is like fine oil on the head, running down on the beard — Aaron's beard — running down to the collar of his robes.
'It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes' tracks MT. AARON'S-ANOINTING-OIL (Ex 29:7, Lev 8:12). The priestly-consecration-imagery: unity-among-brothers is like the sacred-chrism flowing-down-the-priest's head. Acts 2:1 ('when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE') captures unity as the setting for divine-anointing.
Like the dew of Hermon running down on the mountains of Zion — for there the LORD has commanded the blessing: life forever.
'It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore' tracks MT. HERMON-DEW-ON-ZION. Mount Hermon (far-north, 9200ft) catching-and-sending-moisture to distant-Zion — the divine-geography of blessing-flowing-from-heights. 'LIFE FOREVERMORE' (life eis ton aiōna) — eternal-life vocabulary. John 10:28 ('I give them eternal life'), 17:3.