John Calvin Commentary Psalms 122:3

"Jerusalem, that art builded As a city that is compact together;" — Psalms 122:3 (ASV)

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.