Psalm 121 - Yhwh will guard you

The second psalm in the songs of ascent (Pss 120-134) is a really enjoyable and comforting psalm. It describes a problem: not knowing from whence my help will come, and quickly answers that problem: it comes from Yhwh. The rest of the psalm then describes just what it means to have Yhwh as your helper, and does so with the psalm's keyword: שׁמר (guardian (noun), to guard (verb)). 

The psalm divides into two uneven sections, with 1-2 giving the summary, with 3-8 filling in the detail. This is also seen through the uneven repetition of vocabulary: עזר (helper) occurs only in v1 and 2, while שׁמר (guardian/to guard) occurs six times in the remaining six verses (although not in v6, and 2x in v7). 

However, Erich Zenger has a visually very nice structure with more detail which makes a lot of sense too (Zenger, Hermeneia 2011, p321):

I.                      Help from YHWH
            1          Yearning look toward the mountains
            2          YHWH as creator of heaven and earth
II.                     YHWH’s Constantly Watchful Care
            3          Preservation from stumbling
            4          The always-wakeful creator God
III.                    YHWH as Provider of Shade
            5          The protective umbrella
            6          Protection from sun and moon
IV.                    YHWH as Protector for All Life’s Ways
            7          Support for life
            8          Accompaniment on all one’s ways.

My only issue with this is it divides what has been joined as v4c is connected to v5a, but that needn't mean it should be rejected.

Yhwh my Guardian is my guardian who guards

The flexibility of the keyword שׁמר (guardian (noun), to guard (verb)) is one of the most aesthetically pleasing aspects of the psalm. In v3,4 it is used appositionally in the place of, for instance, "Yhwh" or "the mighty one of Jacob": 

v3b He does not slumber - your Guardian.
v4b And he does not sleep - your Guardian.

This contrasts with v5 where שׁמר is again found as a noun to describe Yhwh:

v5a Yhwh [is] your guardian.

And then in the last two verses שׁמר is used as a verb:

v7a Yhwh will guard you from all wickedness
v7b Yhwh will guard your soul
v8a Yhwh will guard your coming and your going

On a side note, I like the translation of שׁמר as guardian/to guard instead of mixing unrelated English words to refer to the noun and verb (NIV has "he who watches" and "will keep" which is pretty clunky), although watcher/to watch or keeper/to keep (ESV) or protector/to protect (CSB) get the point across also. Enabling the reader to have some insight into the underlying Hebrew is a nice mercy that we should try to keep where it doesn't mean mangling the English.

Help!

The psalm opens with an action (lifting my eyes to the hills) and a question:

"whence cometh my help?" (in the Hebrew order) or "where does my help come from?" (as we would say today). The answer to this question is not too long in coming. The very next word after "my help?" is again "my help", and it comes from Yhwh.

As with Psalm 124:8, so too here in 121:2: the Yhwh who is "my help" is the maker of heavens and earth. Something interesting is happening here in the Hebrew, such that it doesn't just say "from Yhwh", but as with Ps 130:4,8, where forgiveness and redemption are described as "with Yhwh", here in 121:2, "my help" is described as "from-with" (מעם) Yhwh. Help is thus not just something that Yhwh gives, or has, but is intrinsic to his identity. As creator, he is also help to his creation, and he gives this help freely to his creatures. In particular, he gives his help from himself to those who lift their eyes to his hills and call to him as their helper. 

One other thing to mention here is that the verb בוא (to come) is there twice in the psalm. First in the question: where does my help come from? And secondly in the final verse in the declaration: Yhwh guards your going and your coming (ובואך). This might also explain the reverse logical order, where they are not "coming and going" but rather "going and coming." One might expect them to say "my coming and my going" (cf Jer 37:4), but here it is "my going and my coming" (although cf Isa 37:28). In this way, the verb forms something of a bookend to the psalm, with the question of the source of my help being answered by Yhwh who guards my going and coming. 

That being said, "go and come" could be taken in a military sense, for instance in Josh 14:11; 1 Sam 18:13,16; 29:6 etc, the phrase, in that order, is a synonym for warring or serving in war, where warriors go out (from their homes to fight) and come (back after the battle has been fought). In this way, depending on the context this psalm is read in, it could be describing Yhwh's guarding of his people in, among other activities, times of war.

Don't fall!

121:3a the NIV translates "He will not let your foot slip"; an awkward translation would be "He does not give your foot to totter." If we were to think of God appointing our steps, this perhaps describes Yhwh placing your feet in firm, certain places, where it will not stumble or fall. It could also be talking about safety and security, if the shaking aspect of the verb is taken into account: he will not set your paths where you would be anxious. This would also link in to my comments about about 8a, if this were a song for going in to battle. 

But the verb מוט (to totter, not to be confused with מות, to die) is one we should be familiar with. It's in 22 other psalms, most famously Ps 46 with its "Dam Busters" song. Quoting from the song, in the first verse we sing

Though mountains shake and tremble (מוט), though the earth should change!

And then the second verse says:

God is in the midst of her--she shall not be moved (מוט)!

The verb מוט is also in Ps 125:1, 

Whoever trusts in Yhwh is like Mount Zion
they cannot be shaken (מוט) but dwell forever.

This describes people as who trust in Yhwh as as stable as a mountain, the same mountain towards which the pilgrims lift their eyes in our psalm. 

This non-slumbering, non-sleeping guardian, will ensure that his people are stable and need have no fear, for he guards where their feet will tread.

Sun and Moon

Perhaps the trickiest riddle to untie in this psalm is 5b-6b,

Yhwh overshadows your right hand.
By day the sun will not smite you,
nor the moon by night.

Is this talking about sunburn? But that would imply there is such a thing as moonburn, which is pretty weird. So reading it literally is a little difficult.

The next option is to ask whether this is a religious thing? Comparative religionists will see the words שׁמשׁ (sun) and ירח (moon) and immediately think of gods with those names or their equivalents. Furthermore, Zenger reminds us that gods and kings are often described (or describe themselves) as shade to their people, so that shade is a synonym for protector. The parable in Judges 9 is just one of several biblical uses of this motif. 

Zenger explains:

YHWH is the royal protective umbrella that shades during the day from the  annoying and even life-threatening heat of the sun and at night from the mysterious and dangerous powers of the moon. (Erich Zenger, Hermeneia, 2011, p329)

Yhwh, the shade by our side, will protect us from physical and metaphysical harm, indeed, as v7 extrapolates, "Yhwh will guard you from all evil/he will guard your soul."

[EDIT: I was just reading through Revelation and there's a fascinating moment in ch.16 where the angels are pouring out their bowls of wrath, and one of them pours their on the sun, giving it super burnie powers:

8 The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and the sun was allowed to scorch people with fire. 9 They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him. (NIV)

Without Yhwh as shade over your right hand, there is no protection from the wrath to come. The ones copping it here are those who have "shed the blood of your people and your prophets." /EDIT]

Psalm 121 as a pilgrim song

Although we've discussed some of what this psalm might mean in war time, or in terms of fear of other gods who are not Yhwh, as a pilgrim song we read this as someone who has left the far places (120:5) and is now looking towards Zion. They want to know that they will be protected on their journey, that they will be safe from physical and spiritual attack, and the answer to their plea is swift. Their help comes from Yhwh, the creator of all, but also the sovereign of all, who is able and active to protect and provide for his creatures. We might think of the danger that comes from pulling up on the side of the road to sleep as they go on these long journeys. But especially in these most vulnerable times they are reminded that Yhwh never sleeps, and he is always working (John 5:17). Yhwh is our guardian, our protector, the one who watches and keeps his children safe. 

Psalm 120 - A song for peace from afar

The first of the psalms with the superscription "a song for going up", this sets the tone of the rest of the collection (120-134). This psalm describes a problem (1-2) but quickly moves on to assert Yhwh's certain action (3-4). Next comes a description of the overall sitz-im-leben of the psalmist (5-6), including a recapitulation of their character which leads to the friction (7).

Rescue me!

The metre of the first verse (after the heading) is quite uneven, with four words in the first stich (to Yhwh in my distress I call) and only one in the second (and he answers). Interestingly the atnach (the main verse divider) is found on the penultimate word, which would lead to a different reading of the verse which would read the first phrase potentially as an addition to the heading: "a song of ascents. to Yhwh in my distress." Following would then be the two words as the two halves of the verse proper: "I called / and he answered." Dividing it this way would seem to honour the Masoretic reading of the verse, although reading it in the uneven way speaks an important message: although the description of the problem (בַּצָּרָתָה לִּי) and the action (אֶל־יְהוָה ... קָרָאתִי) are long, the response is swift (וַיַּעֲנֵנִי). 

The צרה (distress) is explained in v2 to be a moral problem rather than more physical abuse or persecution. The call to Yhwh is to נצל (rescue) his soul from said distress, which consists of lying lips and deceitful tongues. In both instances it is "lip" (singular) and "tongue" (singular), which raises one tantalising possibility that there is one particular person's lies which are plaguing the psalm's supplicant, although more likely they are describing a situation in general where bearing false witness is the norm. 

Smite them!

In v3c the deceitful tongue becomes the focus of the imprecation, first with a veiled threat in 3a-b, "what will he give to you/what will he add to you?", but then with specifics in v4. The image here is bandied about without any verbs of action: the warrior's arrows sharpened with burning juniper coals. We are not told what will happen with them, Yhwh is not asked to fire them. But for those who have ears to hear, the description of the arrows should be threat enough. 

Protect me!

Finally, v5-7 remind us of the situation, and also the remoteness of the psalmist from Jerusalem (as a song of ascent). As the first among these pilgrim psalms, two locations are given at opposite ends of Israel:

כִּי־גַרְתִּי מֶשֶׁךְ | For I sojourn [in] Meshek
שָׁכַנְתִּי עִם־אָהֳלֵי קֵדָר | I dwell with the tents of Qedar.

Allen (WBC) explains that Meshek is a kingdom to the north of Israel, while Qedar (Kedar) lies to the east. As such, rather than synonymous parallelism such as with Ephrathah/Ja'ar (Ps 132:6), this is more akin to a merismus, giving two points on the compass far from Zion, far from the holiness of Yhwh which should flow out to his people. 

Living so far away is depicted as temporary through the verb גור, which means to sojourn, to be a foreigner. It is this former verb, rather than the following שׁכן (to dwell), which determines the meaning of the second. The substantive משׁכן means dwelling place (it occurs twice in Ps 132 to describe a home for the ark), but often is to be read in parallel to אהל (tent, v5c), signifying a more temporary dwelling. They are called to remember that they are foreigners, living in a foreign land, and are thus governed by a different moral code. Lies and deceit characterise the dealings around them; their tendency is towards war rather than peace (v6-7). But Israel must be different - they must be those who love peace, who are for peace. 

Shalom on earth

And this is the goal of the psalm: peace (שׁלום, shalom). In contrast with hatred and war, the psalmist's words are about and for the purpose of peace, for wholeness and completeness. Like the seeds which fall in the rocky ground, the difficulty of living faithfully in this context often seems impossibly difficult. Our tendency is to give in. But whether we are in Meshek or Qedar, whether we have lived there for a week or a generation, by reading this psalm as the first of the songs of ascent, we are reminded to keep our eyes directed towards Zion, and towards Yhwh who dwells there. Yhwh is both our rescuer (v2) as well as our avenger (v3-4), and so we look to him and call to him wherever God has placed us.

Songs for Going Up - the psalms of ascent 120-134

I've been doing some work on the Psalms of Ascent this past year. I'm currently trying to fill in the gaps now I've finished preaching through the series. Here are the links for them. I'll update this page as I go, and plan to get back and fill in the gaps. I've also preached on most of these, or have got someone to preach for me. If you want to listen to what the working out in the blog turns into when preached, the sermons are available here. Most are by me, but there a couple of guest preachers too, including luminaries such as Andrew Shead (Moore College), Peter Lau (SMBC/STM), and some other friends.

• Psalm 120
• Psalm 121
• Psalm 122
• Psalm 123
• Psalm 124
• Psalm 125
• Psalm 126
• Psalm 127
• Psalm 128
• Psalm 129
• Psalm 130
• Psalm 131
• Psalm 132
• Psalm 133
• Psalm 134

I've written a brief post on imagery within the collection, and a much longer one on the puzzling question of the structure of the collection. 

Psalm 134 - Blessing for Yhwh, blessing from Yhwh

The shortest psalm of the collection, and the second shortest in the whole psalter after Psalm 117, Psalm 134 concludes the pilgrimage with a view of the people inside the temple worshipping Yhwh.

This psalm has formal links to the preceding psalm, with its opening הנה (hinneh, look, behold, hey!), as well as by continuing the topic of blessing coming from Yhwh from Zion. Furthermore, the second-last stich of Psalm 133 was "for there [Zion] Yhwh commands blessing", while the second-last stich of Psalm 134 is "Yhwh shall bless you from Zion."

Blessing

The psalm looks very similar to the following psalm, especially in the NIV translation, as they both begin with "Praise the LORD." Of course, while the NIV tends to elide words like הנה and the like, it is present in 134 (and 133) but not in 135. Furthermore, "Praise the LORD" in 134 is actually "Bless (ברכו) the LORD" (and throughout the psalm) while 135 begins with הללו יה (hallelu yah, praise Yah). In fact, הלל (to praise) does not occur at all in the psalms of ascent. ידה, a near synonym, does, as does ברך, but הלל is noticeably absent. If we were to translate more formally, 134 would begin "Look--Bless Yhwh," which is quite different to "Praise Yhwh."

That said, I understand why the NIV chose to eschew "bless" in favour of "praise" (Goldingay actually chooses "worship" in 134:1,2, with "bless" appearing in 134:3). what does it mean to bless - if by "bless" we understand something like "bestow favour upon" - Yhwh? This is something Yhwh does to his people, not his people doing to him. Goldingay justifies his translation of "worship" by pointing to comparative philology - there is a related root in Arabic and Ethiopic which means to kneel. So it could be that this is a homonym, such that "bless" and "kneel" sound and look the same, but the reader (or singer) understands that when directed heavenwards it takes the latter meaning, while when directed earthward it takes the former.

The noun "‎בֶּרֶךְ" does appear, probably meaning "knee", often in the context of childbirth - people give birth upon their knees, newborn babies are placed upon knees. The verb ברך, however, is harder to discern. The tagging in my Accordance Bible Software has three hits for ברך meaning "kneel", which are Gen 24.11; Ps 95.6; 2 Chr 6.13. Genesis is fairly unambiguous - it's camels doing the kneeling. The instance in 2 Chronicles is in apposition to ברך as knees, as mentioned before: ‏וַיִּבְרַךְ עַל־בִּרְכָּיו (and he knelt upon his knees). However, this instance, as well as Ps 95, could both arguably be "bless", without needing the recourse to the verb "kneel."  

All this is to say that the idea of people blessing Yhwh isn't that straightforward, but that doesn't mean it's not what the text is saying. If Yhwh's blessing his people looks like bring gracious to them and filling them with good things, then what does it hurt to with the same for Yhwh? It might be theologically deficient, but just as the angels declare that God is gracious and merciful, and as people pray that his be the kingdom, then the use of ברך to mean "bless" seems less weird and indeed normal. 

Maker of heavens and earth

The final phrase of the psalm, and indeed of this collection, is "maker of heavens and earth." This occurs two other times in the collection (and once just outside it, 115:15) and each time without the article (it never says "the"). A similar phrase occurs in 135:6 but is significantly different, while 146:6 is more similar to our occurrence. 

Looking at this phrase within the songs of ascent, it is interesting to see what is made of Yhwh being the one who made heavens and earth. In both 121:2 and 124:8 it is the creator of all who is Israel's help: 121:2 my help comes from Yhwh, creator...; 124:8 our help is in the name of Yhwh, creator... 

Knowing that Yhwh is the sole source of Israel's help provides content to what is lacking in this psalm. What does his blessing consist of, when Yhwh blesses you from Zion, he who is the creator of heaven and earth? It consists of help. And that is why his people bless him, because he returns blessing of help. 

At night

This idea of Yhwh the creator who is Israel's helper is amplified when considering the potential referent of the puzzling time stamp a the end of the first verse: "בלילות" (at night). Now, it is in the plural, so it could mean "nightly," which is how some commentators take it. The temple attendants who maintain the fires and candlesticks and things, so there is always someone in attendance. But following Gunkel in the desire to link every psalm to some festival or other, it is worth noting one of the key night-time festivals, Passover. Remembering Yhwh's rescue of his people from slavery in Egypt, the sacrifice of the lamb or goat, and the meal eaten in haste with unleavened bread, this was held at night time. Although this festival was supposedly forgotten until the time of Josiah, it came to be a crucial festival in the yearly cycle, with its obvious application to any circumstance in life which resembled Israel's Egyptian slavery. The period of the Babylonian exile, the rule by Persia and then the Seleucid/Ptolemaic to-and-fro, were all reminiscent of that time and memories of that time were conjured up to give them assistance in their time of need.

So when the priests worshipped Yhwh at this night-time festival, they could call upon Yhwh to help them in their time of need. They could remind themselves of need to depend on Yhwh alone for rescue and to return their worship with blessing. 

Holy

One final note is the use of קדשׁ (qodesh, holy) in v2. This has been translated variously as "in the holy place," "in holiness," and "holy," modifying "hands." I think the first is probably correct (holy place - sanctuary), although I would like there to be a particle, "in," which isn't there. This makes me prefer "lift your holy hands," which I can only find in the Bishop's Bible (16th Century), so there are probably good reasons against this option. 

As such, the holy place here, along with the servants of Yhwh standing in the house of Yhwh links again with the mention of Aaron in the preceding psalm. These two final psalms signal the end of the pilgrim's journey, whether real or imagined (cf 126:1). The journey from afar (120:5) has now concluded at the sanctuary, where the connection between Yhwh and his priests, the priests of the people, is concluded. 

Psalm 134 as Christian Scripture

In many ways too much talk of the temple can be discomfiting for Christians. We tend to skip over those bits and move straight to Jesus and to the language of completion. And yet, if we look at a letter like Hebrews, the language of temple was still meaningful for the early Christians. The connection between the temple and heaven was always important, and points us to the satisfaction we should know in God reaching out to his people in Jesus. The blessing of Yhwh in the temple is returned most perfectly in the person of Jesus. Those who called out "how long O Lord?" received their answer in John the Baptiser and in Jesus whose way he prepared. 

Psalm 133 - How good is unity?

Psalm 133 is both the second-last psalm of ascents and also the second-shortest psalm of ascents. It's also the one with all the beards! It's the fourth "for David", or the fifth if you want to include the previous psalm which is all about David but not actually "for David." 

As a David psalm it is hard to find the link on first viewing, except perhaps to point to the priests who serve in Zion. However, there is more, which we will come back to below.

The first word of the psalm proper (הנה, look, behold) is also the first word of the following psalm, linking them together. So too does the word blessing, which occurs only once at the end of this psalm but repeatedly, even as the keyword, in the next psalm. 

Apart from these words which link with the following psalm, in the rest of this psalm there is again much repetition. “Good” occurs in v1 and v2, “how?” twice in v1, “beard” twice in v2, “go down” twice in v2 and a third time in v3. על (upon) is thrice in v2 and then a fourth time in v3. And the comparative כ is used to introduce the two similes in v2. 

The structure seems to be step after step. It looks pretty awful, but here it is:

A song for going up. For David.

1 How good and how pleasant

when brothers live together in harmony!

2 like good oil on the head, 

running down on the beard - the beard of Aaron,  

running down onto his robes.

3 like the dew of Hermon 

falling on the mountains of Zion. 

For there Yhwh commands blessing— 

life until forever.

The subject of the psalm

This is an odd psalm, in that it seems to be dealing with two subjects. In the first verse the subject is the closeness of brothers: 

שׁבת אחים גם־יחד  | brothers dwelling together. 

This is the subject of two rhetorical questions: how good and how pleasant in the first stich. In other words, what is better than the closeness of two brothers?! However this topic seems to be superseded by a second subject in the final two stichs of the psalm, the place where Yhwh has appointed (lit. commanded, צוה (ṣiwwâ) to rhyme with ציון (ṣı̂yôn, Zion)) blessing. It's not immediately clear how these two fit together. "There" is a location, but “brothers” (whether this be actual siblings, all Israel, the priesthood) describes a relationship. The blessing which is found there (שׁם) is חיים עד־העולם (life unto eternity), which again, doesn't quite gel with how the psalm began.

Perhaps the way these two separate ideas come together is in the blessing refracted through unity among people. That is, where there is unity, there is blessing. Where there is togetherness, there is a lasting presence. In disunity there is fracturing and disaster and dissolution of the good. 

Until eternity

The final phrase עד־העולם (with the article) is shared with a number of psalms (28:9; 41:13; 106:48), and indeed gives this psalm its eschatological direction. The three remaining uses of the phrase are Nehemiah 9:5, but also significantly 1 Chronicles 16:36; 17:14. In ch. 16 it is the final words of the song David sang to celebrate the delivery of the ark into Jerusalem, while in ch. 17 is Yhwh speaking through Nathan to confirm his promise to build David a house. In this sense, the use of עד־העולם is almost as if it is an overflow from Psalm 132, with the joy of the ark coming to Jerusalem and Yhwh's promise to David, being the launching pad from which to sing this new song. Indeed, the picture of 1 Chronicles 16 is that of unity, with every person in the whole land celebrating, every person in the whole land given a gift of food from the king, and the song itself (v8-36) makes numerous references to the one nation of Israel and God's care and salvation of it מן־העולם ועד־העולם (from forever and until forever). 

Hermon and Zion

The two places mentioned in apposition to one another are the mountains of Zion and Hermon, both mountains among other mountains. Hermon in particular has multiple summits and is way up north, even in Syria/Palestine. Depending on your map the kingdoms of David and Solomon probably extended that far (it is in between the northernmost Israelite town of Dan and the Syrian city of Damascus). Goldingay (BCOTWP) spends a whole page debunking the oft-repeated theory that Hermon had especially noteworthy dew (he calls it "inherently implausible"). The markers then, much like in the second of the songs (Meschech & Kedar; 121:5), are pointing to the two important mountains to the north (Hermon) and south (Zion) of Israel, which could be something of a merismus to imply the whole of the nation.

A more important question however is what is going on in this verse. The syntax is a little confusing (or at least, it is to me), as there's only the one verb to go around.

כטל־חרמון | like the dew of Hermon

שׁירד | which falls down

על־הררי ציון | upon the mountains of Zion

→ the three key words/phrases in order

like the dew of Hermon which falls down

[like the dew] upon the mountains of Zion

→ they both are mountains, and dew falls on both of them

like the dew of Hermon

[the very dew] which falls down upon the mountains of Zion

→ the dew falls down on Hermon and then runs down on to Zion

The first syntax option is syntactically weirder (the verb really should go with Zion) but the second is a weirder image (how does the dew from one mountain run hundreds of kilometres down and then uphill?!). 

The NIV (if I'm understanding it correctly) goes with a third option, taking it as an eschatological hope, that the mythical dew which falls on Hermon (a now debunked theory!) might one day also fall on Zion: "It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Zion". The CSB and RSV and others go with my second option, that the same dew of Hermon keeps flowing to Zion (or perhaps evaporates from Hermon and then falls on Zion). 

First off, it's worth saying that the precipitation that Hermon is best known for is snow, rather than dew, but that snow does indeed, like in alpine regions, flow downhill, and would flow down into the Jordan and to the foothills of Canaan, out of which Zion climbs. So although this is not the immediate image conjured, when coupled with the flowing oil in v2, from head to beard to clothes, the image is one of God pouring out dew/snow/precipitation on the most northerly point of Israel, which then flows to and nourishes the rest of the land.

Putting it all together

Working from the end to the beginning, this psalm speaks of the way he brings blessing to his people. We know how snow from the highest peaks nourishes all the land through the rivers, as Hermon does Zion. We can look at the priesthood for another illustration, as precious oil is poured on the head and flows to the beard and then clothing of Aaron and his descendants. All this is an illustration of unity, most perfectly illustrated between brothers. It is good and pleasant not just for them at the head, but for everyone their unity impacts as their harmony flows down the chain. 

This psalm is not arguing for trickle down economics, but for trickle-down blessing. It begins with unity and harmony, and as people live out the gospel in life, in forgiveness and selflessness and generosity, this flows down and impacts many others by bringing the blessing of Yhwh: life evermore.

Imagery in the Songs of Ascent - Psalm 120-134

The particle כ (like/as) occurs a bunch in these psalms, usually just the one or max two images throughout the psalm to draw out the point. Out of the 15 a third (120,121,130, 132, 134) don't have the particle, which does occur 15 times in the other 10. That said, there are some similes without the particle, for example 120:4, 121:5, 130:6, which, if you admit these, leaves only the the longest psalm, 132, and the final psalm, 134, without one.

Here's a list of the uses of כ, with my virtual similes in square brackets. (I've just used the NIV11 rather than providing my own translation)

[Ps 120.4 He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.]
[Ps 121.5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;]
Ps 122.3 Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together.
Ps 123.2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till he shows us his mercy.
Ps 124.7 We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
Ps 125.1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
Ps 126.1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
Ps 126.4 Restore our fortunes, LORD, like streams in the Negev.
Ps 127.4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
Ps 128.3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
Ps 129.6 May they be like grass on the roof, which withers before it can grow;
[Ps 130.6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.]
Ps 131.2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.
Ps 133.2-3 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. 

As you can see, a lot of these are quite poignant and emotionally rich images. There are obviously those four  exceptions in square brackets which have images but not כ, while there is only 132 and 134 without either a simile or the particle כ. There's really only 126 which has two separate images; 123 is saying more or less the same thing, and the ideas in 128 are closely related also. 131 literally says the same thing twice, leaving 133 as the only psalm which has a simile about a simile: brotherly closeness is like oil running down which is like dew falling on Mount Hermon (I'm not sure the NIV has understood the imagery here, but I'll leave that discussion until a post on Ps 133).

In short, when reading the psalms of ascent, keep an eye out for the similes/metaphors/images. Get to the heart of them and you'll get to the heart of the psalm. 

The Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation

In February we're going to start 20 weeks in the book of Revelation, which is getting more and more daunting the closer we get. Of course, embarking on the book is a a good thing, as we want to hit that sweet spot between ignoring Revelation to our own detriment, and reading only Revelation, also to our own detriment. That is, not reading Revelation means we miss out on the final book of the New Testament and the Bible (in its canonical order), we miss the promises and encouragements there, we miss the unique imagery and messaging used in this book alone, which will speak to some people in ways an Epistle or Gospel just won't. Similarly, reading nothing except for Revelation usually means reading Revelation through a particular lens of dispensationalism, another of those peculiarly American tack-ons to the Bible. That's usually quite dangerous, it means trying to interpret everything that happens in the world as a secret message disclosing another sign-post in the book for "whoever has ears to hear."

After the first chapter we're going to spend seven weeks looking at the seven letters to the seven churches which Jesus transcribed to John in 1:11,19. As such, 1:9-20 serves as the introduction and framework through which to read the letters. This also means a lot of the vocabulary in 1:9-20 will recur throughout the letters, which it's good to keep an eye out for.

There are lots of points of correspondence (inescapable pun) between the letters, and some of it suggests a structure, but there are more points which go against that structure that I think it's best to just read them as is, to see where there are parallels, but not get all worked up. There are seven, and seven's good and complete and so on, but that's as far as we can go.

If you look at a map, the churches are in a circuit through Asia Minor, so that if a messenger was to bring the book of Revelation from John in Patmos to the churches in Asia Minor, with its batch of personalised letters just after the introduction, they would be able to deliver it in order of the writing without too much trouble. That, to me, seems to be the sole organising principle.

The only other thing to say is that although the actual churches may have had the actual problems described, in terms of Nicolationism and persecution and so on, the "seven-ness" of the letters commends them to all people everywhere to consider how they can learn from this. It's always right to ask how we may have become like the Laodiceans or how we could be more like the Thyatirans, so long as we don't say " we're clearly the Smyrnans here and have nothing to worry about." We aren't these churches, they were and are no more, but we still need to heed the warnings where appropriate, and take encouragement where appropriate too.

Psalm 132 - Yhwh's great promises to David

Structure

Although this psalm does not have the heading "for David", it is easily the one most thoroughly soaked in talk of David. As I explain below, it is essentially a retelling of 2 Samuel 6-7. Like Psalm 130 this psalm has an ABAB structure. There is much repetition, and much correspondence, especially between the two B sections. The way I see it, each section has the introduction from the narrator, and then some speech, first from David, then Israel, then Yhwh in the past, then Yhwh looking to the future. The sections have different lengths (respectively, 10,10,8,12), but each AB pair has 20 stichs (which should correspond to the number of lines in the setting out in of most translations), giving the psalm a nice balance.

A intro 1-2 Remember when David swore to Yhwh

speech 3-5 David's vow to build Yhwh's house

B intro 6 The excitement of hearing of David's vow

speech 7-10 The people encourage Yhwh to dwell in Zion

A` intro 11a-b When Yhwh swore to David

speech 11c-12 Yhwh's vow to build David's house

B` intro 13 When Yhwh chose to dwell Zion

speech 14-18 Yhwh's promises to David in the future

Each section has Yhwh and David; in the two A sections they are adjacent, while in the B sections they are not. Furthermore Yhwh and "the mighty one of Jacob" occurs with one word separating them, twice in the first A section (v2,5). Otherwise the first AB section reuses the word "tabernacle" or "tent" (v5,7), and the second A`B` sections reuse the phrase עדי־עד (for ever ever, v12,14). Apart from these, most of the correspondence is between the two A sections and between the two B sections.

1-5; 11-12

The first of these is unsurprisingly נשׁבע - he swore. They both occur in the respective headings of their sections (v2,11), as the respective oaths of David and Yhwh are introduced. The oaths themselves are discussed in both respects with the conditional אם (if); thrice in v3-4a (and assumed in 4b) and once in 12a. In the case of David's oath, this is a Hebrew oddity where it forms the first half of a phrase but where the second half remains unstated. "If I do x before y (then may something bad happen to me)." So in this case, David's oath is that he will not care for his own interests - by going home or lying down or having a nap - before he builds Yhwh a house. But if he does, then something bad may happen to him. 

The second A section (11-12) reuses אם just the once, but in a positive sense, so that if David's descendants do indeed obediently follow Yhwh, then they will sit on his throne forever.  Interestingly the word order is "then your sons for ever and ever will sit on your throne", so that it's not "for ever and ever" which finish the thought, but "your throne" to be the note to finish this thought on. It's not the length, but the place, which is at the forefront.

6-10; 13-18

There are more repetitions between the B sections, with "resting place" being found in v8 and v14, as well as "anointed one" (lit. "messiah") in v10 and 17. The discussions about the priests and steadfast ones in v9 and 16 are repeated almost verbatim.

9	16
כהניך ילבשׁו־זדק	וכהניה אלבישׁ ישׁע
וחסידיך ירננו	וחסידיה רנן ירננו

The perspectives are obviously different - v8 is from the perspective of the people and v16 is Yhwh speaking, but otherwise there are two notable differences. The first is the clothing: v9 the priests will be clothed with righteousness; v16 the priests will be clothed with salvation. The second difference is the enthusiasm with which steadfast ones will rejoice - in v16 the verb is repeated, such that they will certainly, or enthusiastically, sing for joy (רנן).

Both B sections speak then of the joy of a restored Zion; in v6 it is boasted of from far away, while in v13 it is ensured because Yhwh has chosen (or desired - v13, 14) to choose that as his dwelling place. The places mentioned here - Ephrathah and Ja'ar - are interesting choices. David is said to be an Ephrathite, as Bethlehem was in the area of Ephrathah. We have Judah>Ephrathah>Bethlehem. So in David's home region it is heard that something is happening in Jerusalem. But it is found out also in "the fields of Ja'ar" - which is interesting in the other way - it's very confusing what this might mean. 

Everywhere else in the Bible Ja'ar is translated "forest", but the weirdness of saying "the fields of the forest" has led translators to go instead with "the fields of Ja'ar", assuming that there is some other place (maybe alternate name for Ephrathah?) which is actually called "Ja'ar." There are three options:

1. there is a place called Ja'ar that isn't recorded anywhere else
2. there is a field in a forest
3. there is a typo (NIV footnote suggests Jearim or Je'arim - which just means forests rather than forest)
4. Ja'ar is an alternate name for Ephrathah

It could well be that we are to read the two stichs of v6 in parallel, so that, rather than opposite ends of the land like in 120:5 (Meshek and Kedar), Ephrathah and Ja'ar are more or less the same place. If Ephrathah is or was largely a wooded region, then the places people would live and farm within it would the fields, so I think option 3 probably makes the most sense, and that the name was given it because it was a wooded place.

The story of the psalm

In terms of the story this tells, it all hinges around the person of and promises to David. It revolves around the goings on in 2 Samuel 6-7 where the ark of Yhwh (cf. v8 ark of your power) is brought to Jerusalem and David intends to build a house for Yhwh (v2-5). The intent (or vow, v2) is turned on its head, as instead Yhwh swears (v11a) that he instead will build David a house his servant (v10), promises that his descendants will rule after him (v11b-12). 

The final section of the psalm seems to be more eschatological and hoping despite hope, possibly betraying a post-exilic context. Although her priests may be clothed in sackcloth now, "Her priests I will clothe with salvation" (v16). The line of David may not look like much now, but as with Isaiah 11 (although with different lexemes), Yhwh will cause David's line to "sprout" once again, and he will light his path. The glory that his enemies now enjoy will be turned into shame, will be taken from them and given to the anointed descendant of David.

The image used in v18b continues that begun in v17a. The horn which sprouted there is linked to a crown which "blossoms." The messiah is something of a tree - planted by and nurtured by Yhwh. Just as blossoms come from a tree at the right time of year, so too will Yhwh's chosen one be crowned. This quite beautiful imagery of a floral crown is in obvious contrast with the crown of thorns worn by Jesus as he was proclaimed king, but the irony of course is that the ones who crowned him in jest had their joking turned to shame, as Jesus rose like blossoms on a tree which otherwise seemed dead.

Psalm 131 - At peace with Yhwh

With the last few psalms of ascent we come to the shortest psalms of the collection, with 132 the exception. 131, 133 and 134 are each only three verses each, which ties them together as a unit.

131:1

The psalm proper begins with Yhwh as the addressee, and then three לא־ (not) statements: not lifted up (my heart), not exalted (my eyes), not walking (in greatness), and then, with an ellipsis, assuming "not walking", a virtual fourth, as they are not walking (in things too wonderful for me). This introduction of what they are not doing raises an obvious question: if that's what you're not doing, what are you doing? This is a pattern established from the very first psalm, which begins by detailing the blessed one, who does not a, nor b, nor c.

131:2

If they are not haughty, proud, or boastful, then who are they? 131:2 explains exactly that. They have become calm and quieted their soul. It begins by continuing the repeating the pattern of לא, but combines it with אם (if), forming an idiom. אם־לא sometimes means what it looks like: "if not", but other times (eg. Prov 4:16) is something closer to "until". Goldingay (BCOTWP) suggests "No, rather" to continue the chain of "no's" from v1. It seems to me that the precise idiom found here however seems to be close to the one used sometimes by Isaiah (often it's "if not), in for example 5:9 and 14:24, which is better translated "surely", which seems to be its meaning here also. The mix of idioms confuses me a bit, as contrary meanings for the same words makes it hard for a non-native speaker. All this is a reminder that we approach the text from a great distance - thousands of years and cultures and languages - so what is confusing for us need not be for them. On a side note, from Isaiah's usage of the idiom but using both meanings shows that they had no issues grasping the meaning from context. 

In the second half of v2 the comparison comes. Throughout the psalms of ascent one notable feature is that they tend to have just one illustration or a matching pair of illustrations. In this case we are to picture the (often all-too brief!) peacefulness of a young child resting with their mother, completely safe, at ease, at peace. There are two noteworthy features here in the final stich of the verse; the first is the reuse of נפשׁי (my soul) at the end of each half of this verse: I have quieted my soul/like a child upon [their mother] is my soul. This also highlights the second feature, which I think is probably another ellipsis: the first stich of the second half of this verse has, literally, "like a child upon its mother", and the second stich is "like a child upon my soul." I think it's probably correct to say that אמו (its mother) is to be assumed in the final stich, so that rather than imagining first a child with their mother and then a child with my soul, we supply "its mother" and assume the verb "to be", such that we end up with "like a child upon its mother/like a child upon [its mother] is my soul." Craig Broyles has a lovely suggestion, which is:

This juxtaposition leads one to think further of Yahweh as mother, with one’s  soul or self as the weaned child that is quieted upon her (cf. Isa. 46:3; 49:15). (Craig C. Broyles, UTB; Baker 2012; 470).

I should also add that, as Goldingay explains, the idea that גמל means "weaned" in this context is a little odd. Perhaps it's best to think of a child who has not finished nursing forever (the normal meaning of weaned) but one who has just finished a feeding session (weaned until the next time they need to feed!). We often call it "milk drunk," which I think adds to the idea of being completely satisfied and there being no possibility of wanting for anything else.

131:3

As well as being connected with the shorter psalms which follow, 131 also has a clear connection with 130, as the final verses both address Israel, and both tell Israel to יחל (hope) in Yhwh; indeed the first clause of 130:7 and 131:1 are identical: יחל ישראל אל־יהוה. They both do this because they reflect on what has been learned through personal experience and seek to use that to encourage their fellow Israelites.

With Ps 124, but also interestingly, within these final five, Ps 132 and 133, this is a David psalm, so the best way to read that is perhaps as learning from the patience and humility exhibited by David. Interestingly though, the final phrase of this psalm, מעתה ועד־עולם (from now and forever) elsewhere occurs with reference to God's eternal kingdom centred in Zion and around David (the eight exact hits for this phrase are Isa 9.7; 59.21; Mic 4.7; Ps 113.2; 115.18; 121.8; 125.2; 131.3). The first of these is the reading often associated with Christmas:

“Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isa 9.7 NIV11)

The second Isaiah reference is about his Spirit-endowed servant who always speaks the word of the Lord, and Micah is discussing the restoration of the remnant. I obviously don't know which came first - the psalm or the prophets, but it's certainly interesting to see how this phrase is used in the Hebrew Bible, but knowing from the superscription that this is a David psalm, it certainly adds an extra layer. 

Reflecting on the psalm

The psalm teaches the pilgrim about the approach of their heart as they draw near to God in the temple. Psalm 130 taught them that they can approach, because with Yhwh is forgiveness. In this psalm though, they are reminded that forgiveness must never lead to arrogance, but to humility. Less proud Pharisee and more penitent tax-collector (Luke 18). 

The eschatological quiet taught by this psalm hinges on the trust in Yhwh's character as explained in the previous psalm. "It is well with my soul," "not my will but yours," "to live is Christ and to die is gain" - such expressions reflect well the quiet calm on show here. Even more shocking in the world today where strong-man leaders are all the rage (one commentator perfectly said that we vote not for the one with the best policies but the one who can take over a room), is that for any "David's", whose hope is in Yhwh, that their character is to be peaceable, humble and calm. How wonderful it would be to have some leaders who are peaceful rather than talking themselves up all the time! 

Far better then, to follow the one who did not exalt himself, but gave his life as an offering, and to learn from his mindset (Phil 2).

Psalm 124 - except for Yhwh

This psalm could well be seen as the second half to Psalm 123, with a concentric structure as follows: 

Recognition of the God of heaven (123:1-2)

Call for help (123:3)

Description of danger (123:4)

If the danger were allowed to strike (124:1-5)

Help received (124:6-7)

Praise to the helper/redeemer/creator, (124:8)

This reading within a larger structure adds context which is missing from the second psalm, while also providing resolution which is absent from the first. Nonetheless, Psalm 124 as we have it is separate, with a separate heading, and can well be read on its own.

This is one of five named psalms among this collection; along with Psalm 122, 131 and 135 this is for David, while 127 is for Solomon. That said, Psalm 132 is probably the most davidic psalm in terms of explicit content, although it is not given "for David" as a superscription. While I think there is much to be made of the Solomon psalm in the collection, it's not obvious how those entitled for David are meant to be read.

As is typical in this collection, there is lots of repetition. The psalm divides fairly evenly into two halves, with 1-5 describing the predicament and 6-8 the rescue. The repetition remains within the halves, and is clearest within the first half. 

1-5 Predicament

The word לולי (except/unless; cf εἰ μὴ) occurs only 14 times in the OT, half of those are in the Psalms, and our psalm is the only one in which it occurs twice in succession, in v1 and 2, interspersed with "let Israel say". This pattern of a statement, "let Israel say," and then the statement again, we will see again in Ps 129:1-2, and as such it acts as a call to the congregation to join in, to make this prayer their own. "Sing it with me" we might say today. 

The use of לולי then sets up a negative hypothetical - what would have happened, except that Yhwh was for us - are the things which follow in 3-5. Each verse begins אזי (then) this would have happened. The three verses describe the different ways in which "our souls" would have been destroyed by the enemy, and it's with especial reference to the exodus through water that this psalm makes its point. 

Then they would've swallowed our lives/when their anger flared against us.

Then the waters would've engulfed us/the torrent passing over our souls.

Then, passing over our souls/the raging waters.

v4-5 form a chiasm within the triplet, in the order water-soul-soul-water, which, when reading recursively, explains how v3 is also to be read, that is, as the same event as v4-5, of almost certain death through water - except, of course, that Yhwh was for us. 

Eight times in these five verses the suffix נו (us/our) is used. Yhwh was for us, "adam" was against us, our lives, their anger against us, our souls. Again, with "Israel" in the first verse, this attack, whether against one or many of Israel, is an attack against all God's people, and they all should feel the nearness of their escape. 

Their adversary is "adam", which is an example of a singular standing as a collective: in the created order of things, Yhwh created adam - humanity - but now humanity have turned against their creator by attacking his chosen people. And of course, there is a great sadness, where Yhwh made adam (humanity) from adamah (the ground) but they think they are better than him, as Qohelet reminds us:

"This only have I found: God created mankind (adam) upright, but  they have gone in search of many schemes.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29)

But although the creation has been upended, if "Yhwh is for us", then who can be against us?! Another psalm says exactly this:

"Yhwh is for me; I will not fear. What can people (adam) do to me?" (Ps 118:6)

Indeed, because Yhwh is for his people, though the enemy seems as powerful and insurmountable as the mighty ocean, as the raging flood waters, they can never compare to Yhwh. 

“When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue,

Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.

The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back;

Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back?

Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob,” (Ps 114.1–3,5,7)

6-8 Rescue

In response to their rescue, to the near-miss as it were, the rescue and praise is described. The section begins with the saying "Baruch Adonai" (ברוך יהוה; blessed be Yhwh), which is a common blessing, with that form of the verb occurring 88 times. And why is Yhwh blessed? Because he "has not given us as prey for their teeth."

The description of what it feels like is described in an ABC-CAB chiasm in v7, where Israel is the bird who has been sprung from its trap. 

A Our soul, like a bird

B escaped 

C from the ensnarer's trap.

C` The trap is broken

A` so that we

B` have escaped.

This chiasm comes at the centre of a larger ABA structure, where in v6 the name of Yhwh is invoked, in v7 the rescue is described, and in v8 Yhwh's name is again invoked. In the first instance, in his sovereign goodness he has "not given us as prey for their teeth," while in the second "our help is in the name of Yhwh, creator of heavens and earth."

This description of Yhwh in cosmic terms as παντακρατων is in direct competition to whichever creatures have control of the watery depths, which, without Yhwh's intervention, would have destroyed Israel. But because the one who created the heavens and earth is the God of Israel, it is he whom they fear and not the waters. 

Psalm 124 as a pilgrim song

One could imagine this psalm being sung in relief upon seeing Jerusalem appear between the mountains. The difficulties of the journey, the many times the pilgrim could have been overwhelmed en route, make their safe arrival much more wonderful. In many ways this psalm answers the question, "by what means did you safely arrive here, despite the dangers on the road?"

And it is this trust in the creator of all things, who has chosen to choose Israel despite their size or strength that the name of Yhwh might be known and praised among the nations, which drove them onwards and upwards towards Jerusalem. 

Psalm 130 - Longing waiting for Yhwh

Psalm 130 is one of the best-known of the Psalms of Ascent, as it describes the plea of someone in the depths to Yhwh to hear them and forgive them. As such, it defines the greatest problem not as physical distress but as being estranged from God through sin. 

The word used for sin is עון ('awon), which is better translated "iniquity", the "central concept for human guilt and disaster, which has in view the sin and the damage it creates and the consequences it threatens." (Erich Zenger, Hermeneia; 2011 p434) It occurs twice, first to describe a negative hypothetical (if Yhwh took note of iniquity, v4) and then as the thing from which Yhwh redeems Israel (v8).

The psalm could be read a number of ways. One possibility is to read it in two halves, with the first half address to Yhwh and the second talk about Yhwh. Another is to read the first six verses as the story from sin to redemption, with the last two possibly added later to turn the psalm into something able to be used in a liturgy. A third approach is to read it as alternating ABAB sections, which probably appeals to me a little more (surprising, I know), as it highlights a lot of parallels between sections which are not as evident in the other ways of reading it. (For the sake of argument, the three options here could probably be combined; they're not mutually exclusive.)

A 1-2 Hear me Yhwh

B 3-4 With Yah is forgiveness

A` 5-6 I wait for Yhwh

B` 7-8 With Yhwh is steadfast love

This psalm has a lot of repetition; it is almost rare for a word to be used only once. 

• The pairing Yh(wh)-my Lord occurs in the first three sections (and in the same order); in the fourth Yhwh occurs twice instead.
• Although translated differently, "(my) voice" occurs twice in v2, "hear my voice," and "may your ears listen to the sound (voice) of my pleas."
• Iniquity occurs in v3 as the problem is drawn out, and then again in v8 as the solution is given.
• Two characteristics of Yhwh, סליחה (forgiveness, v4) and חסד (steadfast love, v7) are described as "with you/him."
• v5 I wait for Yhwh, my soul waits.
• v5 and 6 "my soul" is invoked as representing the deepest longing within the writer.
• v6 the refrain "watchmen for the morning" (with the verb elided) is repeated.
• The verb "to hope" is used first for the supplicant in v5 with regards to the word of Yhwh, and then as an imperative for Israel as they are instructed to direct their hope toward Yhwh.
• Redemption is used twice in the final two verses, in v7 as a noun and in v8 as a verb.

There is so much to talk about in these eight verses, so I'll limit myself to a few comments only.

1-2 Hear me Yhwh

The first section describes someone in the depths of despair. The vocabulary used here could lend itself to a variety of contexts, be it physical attack by enemies, slander or betrayal from friends, or something else. Yhwh is addressed first by the name he will be known by, and then as "my Lord", which immediately infers an I-Thou relationship of Lord and servant: Yhwh is my Lord, I am his servant. 

In three ways the psalmist calls on Yhwh to hear:

1. I call to you Yhwh
2. Hear my voice my Lord
3. Make your ears be attentive to the sound of my pleas

These three cries escalate in intensity, as the situation closes in.

3-4 With Yhwh is Forgiveness

The unknown or ambiguous circumstance of v1-2 now takes a concrete form, as the problem is sin and its consequences. We know from Proverbs 1:10-19 and elsewhere that the connection between sinning and suffering is a close one, and in this case the realities have come home. Rather than dwelling in or reflecting on how bad things are, this psalm chooses a different route with a reminder of Yhwh's character. He is my Lord and I am his servant, and because forgiveness is with him I can stand. Were Yhwh to call to mind every time I sinned, I would be a goner, but that is not who Yhwh is. 

The LXX had a lot of difficulty with the final verse of this section, misreading the final verb, combining it with the first phrase of the next section, and altogether reading a completely different psalm to what we have in the MT. They end up with something like "for the sake of your law I will wait for Yhwh." The NIV have done something altogether inexplicable here, which is not made clearer by reference to the Hebrew, Greek or any other potential text criticism. If you know someone who works there you might ask them to explain what they were thinking. Now there is indeed a difficulty, which is that the verb "to fear/revere" is in an odd stem, and/or that there is no pronominal suffix, but "so that you may be revered" seems to be a fairly non-controversial reading of the verse. It seems the NIV feel the need to exegete "fear" as "serving with reverence" to make clear that it doesn't mean "to be afraid of", but that seems to be both dumbing it down and adding in a concept (service) which isn't there.

5-6 I wait for Yhwh

As mentioned above, there are three sets of repetition here: the verb "to wait", "my soul", and "watchmen for the morning". The verb "to hope" as a synonym for "to wait" also occurs here for the first time, anticipating v7. Indeed, the only word in this section used just once in the psalm is the word "word" (דבר)!

We aren't told which verb v6 requires, but either from v5 will do for the watchmen who long for the morning to come. Goldingay (Baker OTCWP) reminds us that we first met the watchmen in Ps 127, who rely on God to oversee their watching lest it be futile. But the God who created the sun and erects its tent for the night is also the one who ensures it will welcome the morning and end the anxious night watch. This illustration obviously stands for the patient waiting of the one who has called upon Yhwh (v1-2) but now must trust and wait for his redemption to come.

7-8 With Yhwh is steadfast love

The psalm finally turns to instruction, as is common throughout the psalter. The experience of enduring suffering will not be wasted but will be used for the edification of the assembly. Therefore Israel is told to hope, to remind themselves that, because steadfast love is with Yhwh, there is a bounteous storehouse of redemption for all Israel from all their iniquities. 

As with v4, v7 also ascribes a quality directly to Yhwh. Goldingay explains it well:

Pardon is “with” Yhwh: it is Yhwh’s possession, or something in Yhwh’s mind, or something that sits next to Yhwh ready to be sent out on its work (like Yhwh’s commitment or truthfulness or might; see on 96:6). (Goldingay, BCOWP; 2008 p527)

This is the lesson for Israel to learn, that as deep as they are in iniquity, Yhwh's story of forgiveness, steadfast love, and redemption, are far greater and more effective. The John Newton quote comes to mind: "I am a great sinner and Christ is a great saviour."

Psalm 130 as a Song of Ascents

Among the songs of ascents this psalm begins a new and final section; rather than agricultural metaphors this psalm gets metaphysical. The journey is still underways, but perhaps along the way there are doubts. Perhaps the pilgrim doubts they will be fit to enter when they arrive, perhaps they have dabbled in the worship of the gods of the nations, perhaps they worry that the collective punishment they have received in the exile has implications for their moral standing before God. But as they sing this song they are reminded that as far as east is from west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Ps 103:12). They are welcome, and the God who created them will not abandon them but will forgive and surely redeem them.

Psalm 130 as Christian Scripture

It's always hard to compare the words of the (Hebrew) OT with the (Greek) NT, and the treatment this psalm has received at the hands of the translators of the Septuagint make using software even more difficult. However, reading this psalm several days after Christmas reminds me of the hopes that were invested in the birth of Jesus. In Matthew 1:21 Joseph is told "you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The word "save" (σῴζω, Mt) and "redeem" (λυτρόω, Ps) are different, as are the words for sin (ἁμαρτία, Mt; ἀνομία, Ps). Matthew has "his people" while Psalms has "Israel." But the similarities are evident nonetheless. 

With the Magnificat in Luke (Lk 1:46-55) the parallels are perhaps closer, despite the language differences. Mary refers to her soul magnifying the Lord, just as the psalmist's soul hopes in his Lord. Mary praises Yhwh's extensive mercy, which especially extends to those who fear him (cf. v4, so that he will be feared). In both passages God is the saviour, and in both the supplicant is the servant of their Lord, Yhwh. The hope of the psalmist and Mary in their respective songs is one and the same: for God's mercy to be shown in the salvation of the people who wait for him.