Psalms 122 KJV
A Prayer for Jerusalem
About This Psalm
I was glad when they said, Let us go to the house of the LORD. The joy of worshiping together in community.
1 was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companionsโ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
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Did You Know?
The psalm's superscription attributes it to David despite Jerusalem's capture occurring late in his reign, creating a theological tension that frames the city as both a historical achievement and a future-oriented divine promise.
Verse 4's reference to the 'testimony of Israel' alludes to the covenant renewal ceremonies at the three pilgrimage festivals, linking the ascent to Jerusalem with the Deuteronomic requirement for tribal unity under Torah rather than mere geography.
The chiastic structure pivots on 'shalom' in verses 6-8, where the Hebrew root echoes the city's etymology (yeru-shalem) to portray peace not as absence of war but as the active restoration of covenantal wholeness extending from temple to gates.
Its placement among the Songs of Ascents (120-134) positions it as the central Jerusalem-focused hymn in the collection, mirroring the geographic and spiritual climax of the pilgrimage journey from distant lands back to Zion.
The reference to 'thrones of judgment' in verse 5 connects the Davidic line to pre-exilic judicial practices at the city gate, implying that Jerusalem's security is tied to righteous governance rather than solely to cultic worship.