Mazmur 132:6-10

132:6 Look, we heard about it ¹  in Ephrathah, ² 

we found it in the territory of Jaar. ³ 

132:7 Let us go to his dwelling place!

Let us worship ⁴  before his footstool!

132:8 Ascend, O Lord, to your resting place,

you and the ark of your strength!

132:9 May your priests be clothed with integrity! ⁵ 

May your loyal followers shout for joy!

132:10 For the sake of David, your servant,

do not reject your chosen king! ⁶ 

[132:6]  ¹ tn Rather than having an antecedent, the third feminine singular pronominal suffix here (and in the next line) appears to refer to the ark of the covenant, mentioned in v. 8. (The Hebrew term אָרוֹן [’aron, “ark”] is sometimes construed as grammatically feminine. See 1 Sam 4:17; 2 Chr 8:11.)

[132:6]  ² sn Some understand Ephrathah as a reference to Kiriath-jearim because of the apparent allusion to this site in the next line (see the note on “Jaar”). The ark was kept in Kiriath-jearim after the Philistines released it (see 1 Sam 6:21-7:2). However, the switch in verbs from “heard about” to “found” suggests that Ephrathah not be equated with Jair. The group who is speaking heard about the ark while they were in Ephrath. They then went to retrieve it from Kiriath-jearim (“Jaar”). It is more likely that Ephrathah refers to a site near Bethel (Gen 35:16, 19; 48:7) or to Bethlehem (Ruth 4:11; Mic 5:2).

[132:6]  ³ tn Heb “fields of the forest.” The Hebrew term יָעַר (ya’ad, “forest”) is apparently a shortened alternative name for קִרְיַת יְעָרִים (qiryat yÿ’arim, “Kiriath-jearim”), the place where the ark was kept after it was released by the Philistines and from which David and his men retrieved it (see 1 Chr 13:6).

[132:7]  ⁴ tn Or “bow down.”

[132:9]  ⁵ tn Or “righteousness.”

[132:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “do not turn away the face of your anointed one.”