Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 122:8

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 122:8. For any brethren and companions' sakes — Because this city is the abode of my kinsfolk and countrymen, I will wish it prosperity. I will promote its peace and tranquillity by all means in my power. I will affectionately say, May peace be within thee!

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 120-124 To Jerusalem for worship

Each of the fifteen Psalms 120:0 to 134 is entitled ‘A Song of Ascents’ (RSV; NIV). These psalms were apparently sung by worshippers from the country areas as they made the journey up to Jerusalem for the various annual festivals.

Whether or not the psalms were written for this purpose, they have been arranged in a sequence that reflects the feelings of the travellers. They provide expressions of worship for the travellers as they set out from distant regions, travel through the country, come to Jerusalem, and finally join in the temple ceremonies.
The collection opens with a cry from one who lives in a distant region and is bitterly persecuted by his neighbours (120:1-2). Their insults pierce him like sharp arrows and burn him like red-hot coals. He prays that God’s punishment of them will be just as painful (3-4). He is tired of being victimized. He feels as if he lives in a far-off land where he is surrounded by attackers from hostile tribes. He will set out for Jerusalem and seek some peace and refreshment of spirit in God’s house (5-7).
As he journeys through the hill country, the man knows that God who made the hills cares for him (121:1-2). Even when he sleeps by the roadside at night, God, who never sleeps, watches over him (3-4). God protects him from dangers by day and by night (5-6). Surely, God will take him to Jerusalem and bring him safely home again (7-8).
In the excitement of anticipation, the traveller pictures his dream as fulfilled. He recalls a psalm of David and pictures himself at last standing in Jerusalem as David once did (122:1-2). He sees it as a beautiful, well-built city, where the tribes of Israel are united in their worship of God, and where God rules his people through the throne of David (3-5). He prays that God will always preserve the city and prosper its people (6-8). He himself will do all he can for the city’s good (9).
Ungodly people mock the poor traveller, and others who have now joined him, for putting up with such hardships just to attend a religious festival in Jerusalem. The worshippers ask God to give them some relief by silencing those who mock them (123:1-4).
The persecuted travellers once more recall the experience of David and sing one of his psalms that reflects their own experience. As David was persecuted, so are they. Only through God’s grace and power have they been kept from much worse treatment (124:1-3). Their enemies are as violent and destructive as a raging flood (4-5), as cruel as wild animals (6) and as cunning as bird-trappers (7), but the travellers have the great Creator on their side (8).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"For my brethren and companion's sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek thy good."

"I will seek thy good (Jerusalem's good)" These words cannot be made to fit the mouth of an ordinary pilgrim coming to Jerusalem to worship. The business of seeking the good of a great walled city is the business of a king, not that of an ordinary citizen.

The reasons here assigned for the concern and solicitation for the peace, prosperity and "good" of Jerusalem are: (1) for the sake of the psalmist's brethren; (2) for that of his companions; and (3) for the sake of the "house of Jehovah."

How, then did this psalm come to be among the psalms of the Little Psalter mentioned in the introduction to these fifteen psalms? There could have been nothing whatever in the way of adopting this "Psalm of David" as an appropriate addition to the little hymnal that the worshippers traveling to the three great annual festivals in Jerusalem would have found to be most appropriate.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

For my brethren and companions’ sakes - Because they dwell there; or, because they go up there to worship; or, because they love thee, and find their happiness in thee; or, because they are unconverted, and all my hope of their salvation is to be derived from thee - from the church, from the influence of religion.

I will now say, Peace be within thee - I will pray for thy peace, for thy prosperity, for the blessing of God upon thee - because their good, their comfort, their hope of salvation, depends on thee - on the influence which shall go out from thee. So the Christian prays that the church may prosper - that the divine blessing may rest upon it - that there may be in it harmony, peace, love, and zeal - that a blessing may attend the preaching of the gospel - not only because he loves it, and seeks his own comfort and edification in it, but that his friends and kindred - his wife, his parents, his children, his neighbors - those whom he loves, and whose salvation he desires, may be saved. This expresses the true feelings of piety all over the world; this is one of the grounds of the strong love which the friends of God have for the church - because they hope and desire that through the church those most dear to their hearts will find salvation.

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

8.For the sake of my brethren and neighbors. He specifies two causes on account of which he felt a care about the Church, for the purpose of stirring up, by his example, all the faithful to exercise the same care. These words, however, seem to contain a tacit contrast. Among the wicked and malicious he might be the object of suspicion, or, at least, he was in danger of being slandered; as if, in commending Jerusalem, he had rather an eye to his own particular advantage than to the public welfare. In order, therefore, to remove all ground for objecting, that in thus speaking he was craftily endeavoring to establish his own kingdom, he protests, that he is not influenced by personal considerations, but by a concern for the whole Church, which he embraced with a sincere affection of heart. I will speak, says he, O Jerusalem! of thy peace, not because it will be profitable for me or mine, but because thy prosperity shall extend itself to all the children of God; for under the term brethren he doubtless comprehends all believers that he did so, because the worship of God so far from remaining entire would go to ruin unless Jerusalem continued standing. If then the salvation of our brethren is regarded by us as an object of importance, if religion is with us a matter of heart-work, we ought, at the same time, as much as in us lies, to take an interest in the prosperity of the Church. Whence it follows, that such as are indifferent about her condition, are no less cruel than impious; for if she is “the pillar and foundation of truth,” the inevitable consequence of her destruction must be the extinction of true piety. And if the body is destroyed, how can each of the members fail to be involved in destruction? Farther, this passage teaches us, that the Church is not an empty title, but must be sought for where the true religion prevails. Whence it appears, how foolish the Papists are, who, notwithstanding their having rejected and overthrown the doctrine of the Gospel, yet mightily boast of the name of the Church.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Psalms 122:1-9 continues. The idea is I'm traveling now towards Jerusalem. I'm with probably a company of fifty, a hundred people. They always got together for these trips to Jerusalem. That is why, actually, when Jesus was twelve years old, when his parents left Jerusalem, they left with a big company of people going back up towards Nazareth. And that's why they could get out a whole day's journey without missing Him. You know, He's probably with His cousins or you know, with part of the crowd. And it wasn't until dinnertime that they began to look around and couldn't find Him. And then is when they had to retrace their steps back to Jerusalem, because they would always travel with a big company.

And how glorious that must have been, coming towards Jerusalem with a large company of people. Of course, let us say that we here... say it was the big conclave that's going to be in San Bernardino. And we all decided you know, "Well, let's go and let's worship the Lord in San Bernardino. Or up at the conference center." So we get the idea of going up, but we didn't have cars. We're going to have to walk. So we all have our provisions. We start out together. We're singing as we're going down the road. The children are throwing rocks and taking sticks and beating trees and this kind of stuff, you know. And it's a big kind of an occasion going to worship the Lord.

I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go to the house of the LORD ( Psalms 122:1 ).

Someone suggested, "Well, let's go up this year. Come on, let's go up to the house of the Lord." All right. "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the Lord.'"

For our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem ( Psalms 122:2 ).

The anticipation. Now there is something about Jerusalem, once your feet have stood within the gates, you always want to go back and stand again. There's something magnetic about that place. Once having stood there, there's always a yearning to go back.

Every year after our visit to Israel, Kay and I come home and we're trying to get over jet lag and we'll say, "Well, this is our last year. You know, this will be it. It's just, you know." But my, as the time approaches to leave again, we get so excited. We're all planning and getting things all set and ready to go, and we're eager and raring to go again. There's just something about the place; you just love to go back again and again. "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." Glorious anticipation.

For Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up ( Psalms 122:3-4 ),

And that is, the people. All the word compact together means that all the people gather together within it in a compact type of a group. "Whither the tribes go up."

the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD ( Psalms 122:4 ).

So all of the people gathering together to give thanks to the Lord.

For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David ( Psalms 122:5 ).

Jerusalem is the capital. Jerusalem is the center.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee ( Psalms 122:6 ).

We had a fellow come in this past week who God has given the gift of giving. And he said, "I like to give where I know that God is going to bless me." And so a while back, he gave money designated to be distributed to the poor. Because the scriptures said, "He who lends to the poor lends to the Lord" ( Proverbs 19:17 ). He said, "I like to just lend some money to the Lord." So he said, "Just distribute this to the poor, because I know God's interested in the poor and God's going to bless me."

Well, he came back and he said, "Well, God has blessed me because I distributed to the poor." He said, "Now I want to give again where I know that God will bless. And God said that He would bless those that bless Israel. And so I want to give a gift just for the nation of Israel. Let it come from the church and I want you to take it over with you when you go." So we'll be taking a gift to Israel when we go over in January. We're going to give it to Prime Minister Begin and just tell him it's from the Christians at Calvary Chapel because we're praying for the peace of Jerusalem and we love them for preserving the Bible for us and for bringing us our Savior. And we're just going to give it in the name of the Lord to the nation. And if you'd like to contribute to that fund, you can just designate it. "They shall prosper," it says, "that love thee."

He said, "God has so blessed me for giving to the poor, loaning to Him for the poor. Now I want to give into something else that God has declared Himself for." So he gave me a check for $450,000 that I'll be taking over. He says, "My accountant says this is what I need to write off for the end of the year." So loaning to the poor pays pretty good interest.

Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee ( Psalms 122:7-8 ).

He tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and then he offers sort of a prayer, "Peace be within thy walls. For the companions' sake, I will now say, 'Peace be within thee.'"

Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good ( Psalms 122:9 ).

Still in the anticipation of gathering in Jerusalem to worship the Lord. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 122

David spoke of his delight in going up to the temple to worship God in this short psalm. He exhorted the Israelites to pray for the security of Jerusalem so that this blessing might continue. Such a condition, i.e., a peaceful state, would glorify God, as well as benefit His people.

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

For my brethren and companions' sakes,.... Who were regenerated by the spirit of God; adopted into his family, and children of the same father; stood in the same relation to Christ the firstborn, and members of the same church; and so brethren: partners in the same blessings and promises of the covenant; partakers of the same grace; joined together in religious worship; shared in the same joys and griefs; travellers together to the same heavenly country, and entitled to the same glory and happiness. So David, though a king, reckoned his meanest subjects as such, who were spiritual men; and for their sakes, through the goodwill, love, and affection he bore to them, he would set praying souls an example, and by it enforce his own exhortation, as follows:

I will now say, peace [be] within thee; now and always put up this petition, and not put it off to longer time; that peace and prosperity may always attend the church of God, as well as the city of Jerusalem, literally considered, and the inhabitants of it.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.   7 Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.   8 For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.   9 Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

      Here, I. David calls upon others to which well to Jerusalem, Psalms 122:6; Psalms 122:7. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for the welfare of it, for all good to it, particularly for the uniting of the inhabitants among themselves and their preservation from the incursions of enemies. This we may truly desire, that in the peace thereof we may have peace; and this we must earnestly pray for, for it is the gift of God, and for it he will be enquired of. Those that can do nothing else for the peace of Jerusalem can pray for it, which is something more than showing their good-will; it is the appointed way of fetching in mercy. The peace and welfare of the gospel church, particularly in our land, is to be earnestly desired and prayed for by every one of us. Now, 1. We are here encouraged in our prayers for Jerusalem's peace: Those shall prosper that love thee. We must pray for Jerusalem, not out of custom, nor for fashion's sake, but out of a principle of love to God's government of man and man's worship of God; and, in seeking the public welfare, we seek our own, for so well does God love the gates of Zion that he will love all those that do love them, and therefore they cannot but prosper; at least their souls shall prosper by the ordinances they so dearly love. 2. We are here directed in our prayers for it and words are put into our mouths (Psalms 122:7; Psalms 122:7): Peace be within thy walls. He teaches us to pray, (1.) For all the inhabitants in general, all within the walls, from the least to the greatest. Peace be in thy fortifications; let them never be attacked, or, if they be, let them never be taken, but be an effectual security to the city. (2.) For the princes and rulers especially: Let prosperity be in the palaces of the great men that sit at the helm and have the direction of public affairs; for, if they prosper, it will be well for the public. The poorer sort are apt to envy the prosperity of the palaces, but they are here taught to pray for it.

      II. He resolves that whatever others do he will approve himself a faithful friend to Jerusalem, 1. In his prayers: "I will now say, now I see the tribes so cheerfully resorting hither to the testimony of Israel, and the matter settled, that Jerusalem must be the place where God will record his name, now I will say, Peace be within thee." He did not say, "Let others pray for the public peace, the priests and the prophets, whose business it is, and the people, that have nothing else to do, and I will fight for it and rule for it." No; "I will pray for it too." 2. In his endeavours, with which he will second his prayers: "I will, to the utmost of my power, seek thy good." Whatever lies within the sphere of our activity to do for the public good we must do it, else we are not sincere in praying for it. Now it might be said, No thanks to David to be so solicitous for the welfare of Jerusalem; it was his own city, and the interests of his family were lodged in it. This is true; yet he professes that this was not the reason why he was in such care for the welfare of Jerusalem, but it proceeded from the warm regard he had, (1.) To the communion of saints: It is for my brethren and companions' sakes, that is, for the sake of all true-hearted Israelites, whom I look upon as my brethren (so he called them, 1 Chronicles 28:2) and who have often been my companions in the worship of God, which has knit my heart to them. (2.) To the ordinances of God: He had set his affections to the house of his God (1 Chronicles 29:3); he took a great pleasure in public worship, and for that reason would pray for the good of Jerusalem. Then our concern for the public welfare is right when it is the effect of a sincere love to God's institutions and his faithful worshippers.