Psalm 132

¹ LORD, remember David and all his affliction,

² how he swore to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³ “Surely I will not come into the structure of my house, nor go up into my bed;

⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids,

⁵ until I find out a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah. We found it in the field of Jaar.

⁷ “We will go into his dwelling place. We will worship at his footstool.”

⁸ Arise, LORD, into your resting place, you, and the ark of your strength.

⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness. Let your saints shout for joy!

¹⁰ For your servant David’s sake, don’t turn away the face of your anointed one.

¹¹ The LORD has sworn to David in truth. He will not turn from it: “I will set the fruit of your body on your throne.

¹² If your children will keep my covenant, my testimony that I will teach them, their children also will sit on your throne forever more.”

¹³ For the LORD has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his habitation.

¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever. I will live here, for I have desired it.

¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provision. I will satisfy her poor with bread.

¹⁶ I will also clothe her priests with salvation. Her saints will shout aloud for joy.

¹⁷ I will make the horn of David to bud there. I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.

¹⁸ I will clothe his enemies with shame, but on himself, his crown will shine.”

Around Psalm 132

Book context

PsalmsEditorial draft

Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers used in Israel’s worship, written by several people over a long period. Headings name David most often, along with Asaph, the sons of Korah and others. The collection falls into five books, each ending with a short blessing of the LORD (41:13, 72:19, 89:52, 106:48), and it closes with a call for everything that has breath to praise the LORD (150:6). The psalms hold praise, lament, thanksgiving, confession and trust, so readers find words for nearly every season of life.

Why we say this

HisFullGlory editorial · broad consensus · not yet reviewed by a theological reader

From the text itself

Sources

Notes summarise their sources in our own words. Where Christians or scholars disagree, the note says so. Notes are not original-language evidence and do not replace the text.

AI explanation

About Psalms as a whole · Written by an AI model · Not reviewed by a theological reader

This explanation was written by an AI model to help you get started. It names no sources and can contain mistakes. Scripture comes first, and context with sources is shown separately on this page.

What this book is about

“How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” A prayer can begin like that, and in the Psalms it does. Four times the poet asks how long, and then, in the same short song, comes the turn: “But I trust in your loving kindness.”

That honesty runs through the whole book. Psalms is a collection of 150 songs and prayers, and it holds praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, songs for the king, and reflections on wisdom and on God's law. It is arranged in five books and moves, on the whole, from many laments at the start to pure praise at the end.

Joy, fear, anger, guilt and doubt are all spoken to God directly.

Background

The psalms were written and gathered over several centuries. Their headings link about half of them with David and others with Asaph, the sons of Korah, Solomon and Moses. They were sung in the worship of the temple and later in synagogues and churches.

How Christians read it

Jews and Christians have prayed the Psalms daily for well over two thousand years. The New Testament quotes them more than any other book and reads many as speaking of Christ, among them Psalms 2, 22 and 110. The psalms that call for judgment on enemies are hard to read. Many understand them as handing vengeance over to God instead of taking it oneself.

About this explanation

Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI model, on 19 October 2026. It draws on the WEB text and general knowledge and was not checked against sources by a person. Every quotation from Scripture is checked automatically against the WEB text.

Report a mistake