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Psalm 133 Bible study: How good and how pleasant

Both of Psalm 133's pictures come down: the oil ran down Aaron's beard and came down on his robes, and Hermon's dew comes down on Zion, one Hebrew verb three times (133:2-3). Its precious oil is, in Hebrew, the good oil of "how good" (133:1-2), and its brothers living together share their Hebrew words with only one other verse: "If brothers dwell together" (Deuteronomy 25:5).

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“A Song of Ascents. By David. See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!”
Psalm 133:1 · World English Bible

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“In Psalm 133, both the oil and the dew are said to come down.”

Is that in Psalm 133, or not? Make your call.

What's really going on

How good and how pleasant

In the text

The psalm's title is "A Song of Ascents. By David" (133:1) (tap Ascents); Psalm 120's notes look at the title (see its section The first song of ascents), and the title says no more. Then the psalm points: "See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!" (133:1) (tap good, pleasant). In Hebrew See is hinneh, which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "lo!, behold!". The psalm asks nothing and commands nothing. Its first line shows something and says how good it is: brothers who live together in unity, in Hebrew shevet achim gam yachad (tap live, brothers, together). It doesn't say who the brothers are, or where they live; the first is one of this chapter's honest questions.

Honest questions

Questions people ask about Psalm 133

That was a taste

The rest of Psalm 133 is waiting in Favor

  • Oil on Aaron's beard
  • Coming down, and the blessing
  • If brothers dwell together
  • Oil, head and garments in the Law
  • Hermon, and a name like Zion
  • 6 questions as you read
  • 13 more Hebrew words
  • A short check at the end
  • Your notes, saved as you go
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The Hebrew word behind it

יַחַדyachadsay YA-khad

Brown-Driver-Briggs, the entry tagged here: "unitedness", and as an adverb "in union, together". Strong's: "properly, a unit, i.e. (adverb) unitedly". "For brothers to live together in unity" (133:1): together in unity is gam yachad, with gam, which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives as "also, moreover, yea". Only one other verse in the Hebrew Bible has this word, or yachdav, with the psalm's verb for live and its word for brothers: "If brothers dwell together" (Deuteronomy 25:5). Brown-Driver-Briggs lists yachdav as its own entry under the same Strong's number, and it is the word of "Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together" (Psalm 122:3). Psalm 86's undivided is a related verb with its own Strong's number (Psalm 86:11).

For your group

Psalm 133 Bible study questions

  1. 1"See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!" (133:1). Where have you seen people live together like this, and what made it good?
  2. 2Genesis tells of family who couldn't live together (Genesis 13:6-8). Where is living together in unity hardest for you right now, and what would help?
  3. 3"For there the LORD gives the blessing, even life forever more" (133:3). What blessing from the LORD are you most thankful for this week?

Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 133 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.

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Questions

What is Favor?

Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home