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).
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