How Good and Pleasant
Psalm 133 summary: what it means
Psalm 133 is three verses long and makes one point. Verse 1 states it: see how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity. The rest of the psalm gives two pictures of that goodness. First, precious oil poured on the head runs down the beard, Aaron's beard, to the edge of his robes. Second, the dew of Hermon comes down on the hills of Zion.
Both pictures show something flowing down and spreading, from head to robe and from mountain to hills. The psalm ends by saying that there the LORD gives the blessing, even life for evermore. Unity is not only described as pleasant. The psalm closes with the LORD's blessing.
Psalm 133: How Good and Pleasant
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-133
Psalm 133 commentary: explained verse by verse
See how good and how pleasant it isfor brothers to live together in unity!
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
The psalm opens with an invitation to look: see how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity. Good and pleasant are both claimed. The rest of the psalm illustrates this single line.
Also read 1 Corinthians 1:10, Isaiah 11:6, 1 John 3:14-19, Philippians 2:2-5
It is like the precious oil on the head,that ran down on the beard,even Aaron’s beard,that came down on the edge of his robes,
It 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;
The first picture is precious oil on the head, running down onto the beard, Aaron's beard, and down to the edge of his robes. The oil does not stay where it was poured. It flows down and covers more as it goes.
Also read Exodus 39:24, Song of Songs 1:3, Leviticus 8:12, John 12:3
like the dew of Hermon,that comes down on the hills of Zion;for there the LORD gives the blessing,even life forever more.
As 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.
The second picture is the dew of Hermon coming down on the hills of Zion. The verse ends with a promise: there the LORD gives the blessing, even life for evermore. The King James Version says the LORD commanded the blessing.
Also read John 5:29, John 5:24, Psalm 16:11, 1 John 2:25
A prayer from Psalm 133
LORD, see how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. Let that unity be among your people. Let it run down like the precious oil on Aaron's head and beard, down to the edge of his robes. Let it come like the dew of Hermon on the hills of Zion. That is where you give the blessing, even life forever more. Where there is division among us, bring us together, and let us receive what you give there. Amen.
Psalm 133 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, what two words does the writer use to describe brothers living together in unity?
- In verses 2 and 3, what two pictures are used for unity, and in which direction does each one move?
- Where have you seen people living together in unity, and what made it good and pleasant?
- The psalm ends its picture of unity with the LORD's blessing. What might that mean for a family, a church or a group of friends?
- Psalm 122:8 also speaks of brothers and companions and prays peace be within you. How does it connect with Psalm 133:1?
Questions about Psalm 133
What is the meaning of Psalm 133?
It says it is good and pleasant for brothers to live together in unity, and compares that unity to precious oil running down Aaron's beard and to the dew of Hermon on the hills of Zion. It ends by saying that there the LORD gives the blessing, life for evermore.
Who wrote Psalm 133?
The heading attributes it to David and calls it a Song of Ascents.
What does Psalm 133:1 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity". Brethren is an older word for brothers.
What does Psalm 133:3 mean?
It compares unity to the dew of Hermon coming down on the hills of Zion, and says that there the LORD gives the blessing, even life for evermore.
What does Psalm 133:2 mean?
It compares unity to precious oil poured on the head that runs down Aaron's beard to the edge of his robes. Like the dew in verse 3, the oil spreads downward from where it starts.
How many verses are in Psalm 133?
Psalm 133 has three verses.
Psalm 133 KJV: the King James Version
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!1
It 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;2
As 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.3
Psalm 133 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃
2 כַּשֶּׁ֤מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב ׀ עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ יֹרֵ֗ד עַֽל־הַזָּקָ֥ן זְקַֽן־אַהֲרֹ֑ן שֶׁ֝יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו׃
3 כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם ׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה חַ֝יִּ֗ים עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם׃
Psalm 133 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 132 there.
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1 Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell in unity.
2 Like the precious ointment on the head, that ran down upon the beard, the beard of Aaron, Which ran down to the skirt of his garment:
3 As the dew of Hermon, which descendeth upon mount Sion. For there the Lord hath commandeth blessing, and life for evermore.
Psalm 133 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 132.
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1 Canticum graduum David. Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum, habitare fratres in unum !
2 Sicut unguentum in capite, quod descendit in barbam, barbam Aaron, quod descendit in oram vestimenti ejus;
3 sicut ros Hermon, qui descendit in montem Sion. Quoniam illic mandavit Dominus benedictionem, et vitam usque in sæculum.
Printable Psalm 133: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 133 at a glance
| Verses | 3 |
| Heading in the text | A Song of Ascents. By David. |
| Attributed to | The heading calls it a Song of Ascents and attributes it to David. |
| Type | Song of Ascents |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 132 |
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Psalm 133 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 133 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 133 belongs
Songs of AscentsPsalms of DavidBook 5 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source