1Alegrei-me quando me disseram: Vamos á casa do Senhor.
2Os nossos pés estão dentro das tuas portas, ó Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem está edificada como uma cidade que é compacta,
4Onde sobem as tribus, as tribus do Senhor, até o testemunho d'Israel, para darem graças ao nome do Senhor.
5Pois ali estão os thronos do juizo, os thronos da casa de David.
6Orae pela paz de Jerusalem: prosperarão aquelles que te amam.
7Haja paz dentro de teus muros, e prosperidade dentro dos teus palacios.
8Por causa dos meus irmãos e amigos, direi: Paz esteja em ti.
9Por causa da casa do Senhor, nosso Deus, buscarei o teu bem.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
A song of joy at arriving in Jerusalem, describing the city as united and well-ordered, home to the thrones of judgment of the house of David, ending with the request: 'pray for the peace of Jerusalem.'
Explanation
Attributed to David, this third 'Song of Degrees' celebrates the physical arrival in Jerusalem as both a religious center (where the tribes went up to worship) and a political one (seat of the Davidic throne), reinforcing Israel's unified identity around the holy city. The call to pray for the peace of Jerusalem (v.6, a wordplay on the city's own name, which contains the Hebrew root 'shalom,' peace) has become a prayer practice still observed today by Jews and Christians around the world. The application for today is that praying for the peace of specific, concrete places is a legitimate and enduring form of intercession.
Fun facts
- The name 'Jerusalem' in Hebrew contains the root of the word 'shalom' (peace), making the request in verse 6 a deliberate wordplay in the original language.
- Praying for the 'peace of Jerusalem' remains, to this day, a common practice among Jews and Christians around the world, citing this verse directly.