I was listening to the FacebookLive on Psalm 133. On the topic of the ground in the last line of the Psalm, discussion was about the word ‘there’ as likely referring to Zion. I was encouraged by what was said about Zion being the place that God has promised eternal life.
However, is there a possibility that the ‘there’ refers to the unity in verse 1? That the blessing of God and life everlasting are connected to living in unity. Not sure, but it seems to be a possibility.
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Psalm 133
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However, is there a possibility that the ‘there’ refers to the unity in verse 1? That the blessing of God and life everlasting are connected to living in unity. Not sure, but it seems to be a possibility.
That’s a good thought, and it’s important to consider different options when interpreting the text. Here are two reasons why I don’t think that “there” is referring to “unity”:
- “There” is more likely referring to something must closer to it than a word or concept introduced at the beginning of the psalm, several verses back. This is the most natural way to read it, absent any clear contextual clues.
- If “there” is referring to unity, the argument would be this: “Dwelling in unity is pleasant because that is where God commanded the blessing of eternal life.” But what does it mean to say that unity is where God commanded a blessing? I would have expected a different word, not one that shows location, like “through.” Also, how is eternal life located (even figuratively) within unity? Wouldn’t that be a result of unity, rather than unity being the place where eternal life is located or found?
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Thanks @Brent-Karding - those are helpful thoughts!
