Psalms · psalm 134 of 150
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Psalm 134 is the last Song of Ascents and a brief liturgy of blessings. First a voice calls the servants of the Lord who serve by night in his house to bless him and lift their hands toward the sanctuary. Then another voice answers with a blessing: may the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless the worshiper from Zion.
Psalm 134 closes the collection of fifteen Songs of Ascents, which began with the anguished cry of Psalm 120 and ends with a blessing in the house of the Lord. It is very short, with only three verses, and has two parts that read like a dialogue: the pilgrim greets those who keep watch in the temple, and they answer with the blessing. It was probably sung at the end of the pilgrimage or in a night service.
The psalm begins with an invitation: come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! It refers to the priests and Levites who served during the night watches, guarding the temple and its offerings. To bless means to acknowledge and praise God for who he is; it is not giving something to God but expressing gratitude and honor.
Verse 2 shows how: lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the Lord. Lifting hands was a gesture of prayer and worship, of surrender and expectation. The sanctuary was the place where God chose to make his name dwell.
Verse 3 changes voice. Perhaps the priests answer, or a voice from the temple: may the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth. So the collection ends as Psalm 121 began, with the Maker of heaven and earth. The blessing comes from God to the one who praises him, and human praise is answered with divine blessing.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
The servants of the Lord who serve by night in his house are called to bless him. Even in the silent hours of the night, when no one is watching, service is a form of worship.
Lifting hands toward the sanctuary and blessing the Lord is a prayer with the whole body. Worship is not only words but also gesture and surrender.
The Lord, who made heaven and earth, blesses from Zion the one who blesses him. The Creator's blessing answers the praise of his people and closes the collection as it opened, with his creating power.
5 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: All the servants of the Lord who stand by night in his house. — Psalm 134:1
Answer: Lift them toward the sanctuary. — Psalm 134:2
Answer: Bless the Lord. — Psalm 134:2
Answer: From Zion. — Psalm 134:3
Answer: As the one who made heaven and earth. — Psalm 134:3
Psalm 134 honors quiet service. Many in the church serve without being seen, like those who prepare the building, care for children or pray in secret. The psalm reminds them that this work is a way of blessing the Lord, and that he blesses them. In a Sunday school class you can thank those who serve behind the scenes.
It also invites us to use the body in prayer, lifting hands, kneeling or simply closing our eyes in reverence. And it reminds us that worship and blessing go in both directions. For Christians, we no longer need to go up to Zion: through Christ we have access to the Father, and he blesses us with every spiritual blessing.
Psalm 134 closes the Songs of Ascents with a mutual blessing between the people and the Lord. Psalm 135 begins a new section with a call to praise, recalling what God did in creation and in the exodus.
Probably priests and Levites who kept watch in the temple at night, as 1 Chronicles 9:33 suggests. Pilgrims finishing their journey greeted them with this psalm. The text does not say more, and some think it could be used in a night vigil of the festival.
When God blesses, he gives good to people; when people bless God, they express gratitude, honor and praise. It is not that God needs something but that the creature acknowledges who he is. Psalm 134 shows that blessing goes in both directions.
The text does not say. Most commentators think it is the answer of the priests or Levites to the pilgrims, or the closing blessing of an officiant. The verb changes from plural to singular, which suggests a dialogue between a group and a person, or between two voices.