John Calvin Commentary Psalms 122

I was glad when they said to me. God had often told Moses that His sanctuary would one day have a certain and fixed place of abode; yet from the time of Moses, for more than a thousand years, the Ark of the Covenant had been moved from place to place, as if it had been in a state of pilgrimage.

Finally, it was revealed to David that Mount Zion was the spot where God wanted His ark to be settled and His temple built. Now, as David himself received this revelation with very great joy, he affirms that he was glad to find all the people agreeing to it with one consent.

This circumstance has not been properly considered, and the consequence is that interpreters have offered the unfortunate translation—I was glad with those that said to me. Such a translation, however, only makes the meaning somewhat obscure. But the translation of the Septuagint and the Vulgate, which assigns a neuter meaning to the second verb of the verse, entirely corrupts the meaning: I was glad in the things which were said to me. I indeed admit that literally the reading is—I was glad in those who said to me; but it is not uncommon for the letter ב , beth, which commonly signifies in, to be interpreted as the adverb of time when; and here the context of the text requires such a translation.

David testifies that he felt a double joy in his heart on observing that all the people concurred in obeying the oracle which declared Mount Zion to be the place God had chosen for His solemn worship. By this example we are taught that our joy, likewise, should be doubled when God by His Holy Spirit not only shapes each of us to obey His word, but also produces the same effect in others, so that we may be united in the same faith.

So stubborn and rebellious is human nature that the great majority of mankind invariably murmur against God whenever He speaks. We have, therefore, no small ground for rejoicing when all harmoniously align themselves with us on God's side. Those who translate it as with those who said to me, deduce this meaning: I take delight in the company of those who encourage me to the service of God and offer to be my companions, so that we may go to the sanctuary together. But from the second verse it will be even more obvious that the joy David speaks of came from his seeing the people, with the ready obedience of faith, consenting to the utterance of the heavenly oracle regarding the place chosen to be the lawful and permanent seat of the Ark of the Covenant.

Our feet shall be standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! In the Hebrew text the verb is indeed in the past tense, which it would not be unsuitable to retain; but as it makes little difference to the meaning whether one reading or the other is adopted, I have no difficulty in leaving my readers to their own choice. David rehearses the language in which all the godly commonly expressed themselves—that they would eventually stand with sure footing in Jerusalem, because it was God's will to establish His sanctuary there, which until now had often changed its location and had been carried from place to place.

Through this pilgrim state of the ark, God reminded the people that He had not spoken by Moses without cause concerning what I referred to a little while ago. Thus, whenever the ark of the covenant was moved from one place to another, God thereby stirred up the hearts of His servants to desire and pray that a specific, settled place might be appointed for it.

Moreover, this fixing of its location was not a matter of small importance. As while it was frequently changing its dwelling place, the faith of the people hung in suspense; so after God had chosen a permanent residence for it, He by this testified more unequivocally that He would be the everlasting and unchangeable protector of His people. It is, therefore, not surprising to find the faithful gratefully acknowledging that their feet, which until now had been accustomed to run from place to place, should from now on stand steadfast within the gates of Jerusalem.

The ark, it is true, dwelt a long time in Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3), but since God had made no promise concerning that place, it could not be the permanent dwelling place of that symbol of the divine presence. On the contrary, since, as we shall see in Psalm 132:14, it was said of Mount Zion, This is my rest for ever, the faithful, depending upon that promise, confidently boast that their feet shall hereafter be at rest and stand firm.

Furthermore, as Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, (Colossians 2:9), and who is our true Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14), now resides among us, He has furnished us with reason for more abundant joy. We are, therefore, ungrateful and dull if that promise—Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world,
(Matthew 28:20)—does not enrapture us with exceeding joy, especially if we see it publicly received and with common agreement in any place.

What I have just quoted concerning the rest or repose of the Lord has at last been accomplished in the person of Christ, as is evident from Isaiah 11:10: His rest shall be glorious. Here the Prophet does not speak of the burial of Christ, as some interpreters mistakenly suppose, but of the future distinction of the Church.

Jerusalem is built as a city. Here David begins to celebrate the praises of Jerusalem; and he does this with the design of encouraging the people to persevere steadfastly in their obedience. It was of great importance for the minds of the godly, instead of being drawn here and there, to be kept constantly fixed on that city, which was the bond of a holy unity.

When the people came to be divided into two bodies, that was the commencement of melancholy devastation. It is not surprising, then, to find David commending with such earnestness the place which God had chosen, knowing, as he did, that the prosperity of the Church depended upon the children of Abraham worshipping God there in purity, according to the appointed observances of the law; and next, upon their acknowledging the royal seat which the same God had established there by his own authority and had taken under his own protection.

When it is said that Jerusalem is built as a city, this is not to be understood as referring only to the walls, towers, or ditches of that city, but chiefly to the good order and holy polity by which it was distinguished, although I grant that there is some allusion to its ancient state.

Salem, indeed, had been a noted town even from the beginning; but when God selected it to be the head of the kingdom, it changed its appearance and, in a way, its nature, so that it then began to deserve the name of a well-regulated city. At first sight, it may seem a poor commendation to call Jerusalem a city; but it should be noted that it is here presented as if it were standing alone in the whole world—taking precedence over all other cities, which will attempt in vain to equal it.

David, certainly, in speaking this way, does not intend to divest other cities of the rank to which they may be entitled, but he raises Jerusalem higher, so that it may appear conspicuous above them all. This is just as we find Isaiah (Isaiah 2:2), when speaking of Mount Zion, asserting that it shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills. In that passage, the Prophet, to magnify this little hill, brings down the loftiest mountains of the world, so that they may not obscure its glory.

Similarly, David here affirms that Jerusalem is compacted as a city to lead the faithful, instead of looking around in all directions, to be content with the city God had chosen, since they would find its equal nowhere else.

After humbling all other cities, he shows, in a few words, the excellence of Jerusalem, representing it as regularly built, or suitably and neatly joined together in all its parts.

Some interpret these words literally, not figuratively, as meaning that its citizens live together in peace and unity. However, I see nothing wrong with supposing that they metaphorically describe the peaceable state of a city.

Thus, the mutual harmony that prevails among the citizens of a city, by which they are united to each other, is compared to buildings joined together by skillful and elegant craftsmanship. In such a structure, there is nothing imperfect, disjointed, or torn; instead, a beautiful harmony is found throughout.

By this, David teaches us that the Church can only remain safe when unanimity prevails in her and when, joined together by faith and charity, she cultivates a holy unity.

There the tribes ascended. David here invests Jerusalem with two titles of honor, calling it the sacred and regularly appointed place for calling upon the name of God, and next, the royal seat, to which the whole people were to turn for obtaining justice. All our salvation depends upon these two points: first, that Christ has been given to us to be our priest; and, secondly, that He has been established king to govern us.

God showed this to His ancient people symbolically. The sanctuary erected on Mount Zion was intended to keep their faith fixed upon the spiritual priesthood of Christ; and similarly, through the kingdom of David, an image of the kingdom of Christ was presented to them.

The Psalmist, therefore, says in the first place, that the tribes or families of God would come to Jerusalem; and then he immediately adds, that there the seat of judgment would be erected, on which he and his posterity will sit. The reason it was God's will that there should be only one temple and one altar was so that the people might not stray into various superstitions.

David therefore declares here that this place was appointed by God’s own mouth, so that all the families of God, or the twelve tribes, would assemble there from all directions. To express more plainly how important it was for this form of God’s worship to be preserved pure and complete, he says that it was for a testimony. The noun used comes from the verb עוד, ud, which signifies to bear witness, or to covenant. The word here denotes a mutual declaration or agreement between God and the people.

When the tribes come there, the Prophet essentially says, it will not be at random, as if led by their own fancy, but because God by His own mouth invites them. The point, therefore, is that the holy assemblies held at Jerusalem will not be vain and unprofitable, since God has made a covenant with His people, determining and appointing that place for His service.

From this we learn that in judging the true temple of God, it is necessary to take into account the doctrine taught. With respect to the time in which David lived, since God had adopted the Jewish people and it was His will that they should be employed in the external worship of His name, He prescribed to them a rule from which it was unlawful for them to deviate.

Thus, when the faithful assembled on Mount Zion, it was not foolishness, inconsiderate zeal, or the impulse of their own minds that brought them there—as if they resembled those people we daily see inventing for themselves, out of their own heads, countless kinds of divine worship. Instead, they were led there by the command of God, so that they might worship Him on Mount Zion. By this, the Prophet intimates that all other temples are unholy, and all other religions perverse and corrupt, because they do not correspond with the rule laid down in God’s Word.

He then adds the end of this contract or covenant, which was that the name of God might be praised. And, indeed, as yielding to God the glory of all good things is the end of our adoption, so it is the end of all our actions.

For there were set thrones for judgment. He means that the throne of the kingdom was fixed or established in Jerusalem, or that it had its permanent seat there. Among that people, some system of judgments had always existed; however, these had previously been in an unsettled state and frequently changed. But God at last ordained, in the person of David, a new government that would continue in an unbroken succession, for it was His will that the descendants of David should succeed their father in this royal dignity from generation to generation until the coming of Christ.

A little earlier, the Prophet spoke of the Temple and the priesthood; and now he affirms that this kingdom, which God had established, will be firm and stable, in order to distinguish it from all the other kingdoms of the world, which are not only temporary but also frail and subject to a variety of changes.

This permanence of the kingdom has been expressly confirmed by other Prophets in various parts of their writings, and not without reason. For the purpose was to teach the faithful that God would be the guardian of their well-being only if they remained under the protection and defense of David, and that, therefore, if they desired to continue in safety and to prosper, they should not create new kings for themselves according to their own pleasure, but should live quietly under the kind of government that God had established among them.

The repetition of the word throne is emphatic. There, says the Psalmist, the throne of judgment and equity is established. Then he adds, the throne of the house of David; for it was God’s will that the right and prerogative of reigning should continue in David’s posterity, until the true permanence of this kingdom would be manifested in the person of Christ.