KJV · Chapter 133/150
1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
3As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
A short, beautiful song celebrating the blessing of unity among brothers, comparing it to the fragrant oil that flows from the head down to Aaron's beard, and to the cool dew of Mount Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion.
This fourteenth 'Song of Ascents' was likely sung by families and tribes gathered on their pilgrimages to Jerusalem, celebrating the value of brotherly unity through two rich sensory images from ancient culture: the priestly anointing oil (used to consecrate Aaron as high priest in Exodus 29) and the abundant dew of Mount Hermon, a mountain north of Israel known for its generous moisture even on dry ground. The application for today is that genuine unity among people — family, community, church — is compared to something as precious and refreshing as sacred oil and life-giving dew.