Psalms 134
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 134 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
14 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Psalms 134
1(135) Alleluia. Praise you the name of the Lord; praise the Lord, you his servants,Ἀλληλούϊα. Αἰνεῖτε τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, αἰνεῖτε δοῦλοι Κύριον,
2who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.Οἱ ἑστῶτες ἐν οἴκω Κυρίου, ἐν αὐλαῖς οἴκου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν.
3Praise you the Lord; for the Lord is good: sing praises to his name; for it is good.Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι ἀγαθὸς Κύριος· ψάλατε τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, ὅτι καλόν.
4For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.Ὅτι τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἐξελέξατο ἑαυτῷ ὁ Κύριος, Ἰσραὴλ εἰς περιουσιασμὸν ἑαυτῷ.
5For I know that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods;Ὅτι ἐγὼ ἔγνωκα, ὅτι μέγας ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν παρὰ πάντας τοὺς θεούς.
6all that the Lord willed, he did in heaven, and on the earth, in the sea, and in all deeps.Πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐποίησεν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, ἐν ταῖς θαλάσσαις καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀβύσσοις.
7Who brings up clouds from the extremity of the earth: he has made lightnings for the rain: he brings winds out of his treasures.Ἀνάγων νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς, ἀστραπὰς εἰς ὑετὸν ἐποίησεν· ὁ ἐξάγων ἀνέμους ἐκ θησαυρῶν αὐτοῦ.
8Who struck the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast.Ὃς ἐπάταξε τὰ πρωτότοκα Αἰγύπτου ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἕως κτήνους.
9He sent signs and wonders into the midst of you, O Egypt, on Pharao, and on all his servants.Ἐξαπέστειλεν σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν μέσῳ σου Αἴγυπτε, ἐν Φαραῷ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ.
10Who struck many nations, and killed mighty kings;Ὃς ἐπάταξεν ἔθνη πολλά, καὶ ἀπέκτεινε βασιλεῖς κραταιούς·
11Seon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Basan, and all the kingdoms of Chanaan:τὸν Σηὼν βασιλέα τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων, καὶ τὸν Ὢγ βασιλέα τῆς Βασὰν, καὶ πάσας τὰς βασιλείας Χαναάν·
12and gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel his people.Καὶ ἔδωκε τὴν γῆν αὐτῶν κληρονομίαν, κληρονομίαν Ἰσραὴλ λαῷ αὐτοῦ.
13O Lord, your name endures for ever, and your memorial to all generations.Κύριε τὸ ὄνομά σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ τὸ μνημόσυνόν σου εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν.
14For the Lord shall judge his people, and comfort himself concerning his servants.Ὅτι κρινεῖ Κύριος τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ παρακληθήσεται.
15The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the works of men's hands.Τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων.
16They have a mouth, but they can’t speak; they have eyes, but they can’t see;Στόμα ἔχουσι καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν, ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται·
17they have ears, but they can’t hear; for there is no breath in their mouth.Ὦτα ἔχουσι καὶ οὐκ ἐνωτισθήσονται, οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι πνεῦμα ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν.
18Let those who make them be made like to them; and all those who trust in them.Ὅμοιοι αὐτοῖς γένοιντο οἱ ποιοῦντες αὐτὰ, καὶ πάντες οἱ πεποιθότες ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς.
19O house of Israel, bless you the Lord: O house of Aaron, bless you the Lord:Οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον, οἶκος Ἀαρὼν εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον·
20O house of Levi, bless you the Lord: you that fear the Lord, bless the Lord.Οἶκος Λευὶ, εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον, οἱ φοβούμενοι τὸν Κύριον εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον.
21Blessed in Sion be the Lord, who dwells in Jerusalem.Εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ἐκ Σιὼν, ὁ κατοικῶν Ἱερουσαλήμ.
The Fathers on Psalms 134
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 134:1Saint Augustine of Hippo1. Very pleasant ought it be to us, and we should rejoice because it is pleasant, to which this Psalm exhorteth us. For it says, “Praise the name of the Lord” (ver. 1). And it forthwith appends the reason, why it is just to praise the name of the Lord. “Praise the Lord, ye servants.” What more just? what more worthy? what more thankful?…For if He teaches His own servants who have deserved well of Him, the…
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On Psalms 134:2Saint Augustine of Hippo2. …Therefore, “Ye who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God, praise the Lord” (ver. 2). Be thankful; ye were without, and ye stand within. Since then ye stand, is it a small thing for you to think where He should be praised, who raised you when you were cast down, and caused you to stand in His house, to know Him, and to praise Him? Is it a small boon, that we stand in the house…
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On Psalms 134:3Saint Augustine of Hippo3. What reason shall I give why you should praise Him? “Because the Lord is good” (ver. 3). Briefly in one word is here explained the praise of the Lord our God. “The Lord is good;” good, not in the same manner as the things which He here made are good. For God made all things very good; not only good, but also very good. He made the sky and earth, and all things which are in them good, and He made them very…
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On Psalms 134:4Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “For the Lord hath chosen Jacob to Himself, Israel for His own possession” (ver. 4).…Let not Jacob therefore extol himself, let him not boast himself, or ascribe it to his own merits. He was known before, predestinated before, elected before, not elected for his own merits, but found out, and gifted with life by the grace of God. So with all the Gentiles; for how did the wild-olive deserve, that it should be…
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On Psalms 134:5Saint Augustine of Hippo6. …“Because,” says he, “I know that the Lord is great, and our God is above all gods” (ver. 5). If we should say to him, we ask thee, explain to us His greatness; would he not perchance answer us, He whom I see is not so very great, if He be able to be expounded by me. Let him then return to His works, and tell us. Let him hold in his conscience the greatness of God, which he has seen, which he has committed to…
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On Psalms 134:6Saint Augustine of Hippo7. “All whatsoever the Lord willed, He made in the heaven, and in the earth, in the sea, and in all its deep places” (ver. 6). Who can comprehend these things? Who can enumerate the works of the Lord in the heaven and earth, in the sea, and in all deep places? Yet if we cannot comprehend them all, we should believe and hold them without question, because whatever creature is in heaven, whatever is in earth,…
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On Psalms 134:7Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Raising the clouds from the ends of the earth” (ver. 7). We see these works of God in His creation. For the clouds come from the ends of the earth to the midst thereof, and rain; thou scannest not whence they arise. Hence the prophet signifies this, from “the ends of the earth,” whether it be from the bottom, or from the circumference of the ends of the earth, whencesoever He wills He raises the clouds, only…
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On Psalms 134:8–12Saint Augustine of Hippo9. We see therefore these things in that work of His; we praise, we marvel at, we bless God; let us see what He has done among men for His people. “Who smote the first-born of Egypt” (ver. 8). But withal those divine doings are told which thou mightest love, those are not told which thou mightest fear. Attend, and see that also when He is angry, He doeth what He willeth. “From man even unto beast. He sent signs…
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On Psalms 134:13Saint Augustine of Hippo10. Then follows the loud cry of His praise. “Thy Name, O Lord, is for ever and ever” (ver. 13), after all these things which Thou hast done. For what do I see that Thou hast done? I behold Thy creation which Thou hast made in heaven, I behold this lower part, where we dwell, and here I see Thy gifts of clouds, and winds, and rain. I regard Thy people; Thou leddest them from the house of bondage, and didst signs…
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On Psalms 134:14Saint Augustine of Hippo12. “The Lord hath judged His people, and will be called upon among His servants” (ver. 14). Already hath He judged the people. Save the final judgment, the people of the Jews is judged. What is “judged”? The just are taken away, the unjust are left. But if I lie, or am thought to lie, because I have said, it is already judged, hear the Lord saying, “I have come for judgment into this world, that they who see not…
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On Psalms 134:15–17Saint Augustine of Hippo13. Lastly, after all that arrangement and dispensation, the Spirit of God turns itself to reproaching and ridiculing those idols, which are now ridiculed by their very worshippers. “The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold” (ver. 15). As God made all these things, who made whatever He would in heaven and earth, what can anything that man maketh be, but an object of ridicule, not adoration? Was He perchance…
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On Psalms 134:18Saint Augustine of Hippo14. And man, thou laughest doubtless at what thou hast made, if thou knowest by whom thou art made. But of them who know not, what is said? “All they who make them, and all they who trust in them, are like them” (ver. 18). And ye believe, brethren, that there is a likeness to these idols expressed not in their flesh, but in their inner man. For “they have ears, and hear not.” God calls to them indeed, “He who…
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On Psalms 134:19Saint Augustine of Hippo15. But daily do men believe through the miracles of Christ our Lord; daily the eyes of the blind, the ears of the deaf are opened, the nostrils of the senseless are breathed into, the tongues of the dumb are loosed, the hands of the palsied are strengthened, the feet of the lame are guided; sons of Abraham are raised up of these stones, to all of whom be it said, “Bless the Lord, ye house of Israel” (ver. 19).…
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On Psalms 134:21Open Psalms 134 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo16. Let us also with one voice say what follows: “Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, who dwelleth in Jerusalem” (ver. 21). Out of Zion is Jerusalem too. Zion is “watching,” Jerusalem the “vision of peace.” In what Jerusalem will He dwell now? In that which has fallen? Nay, but in that which is our mother, which is in the heavens, of which it is said, “The desolate hath more children than she which hath a husband.”…
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