Every verse here opens — tap a number for what that one means.
1I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
2Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:
4Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD.
5For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.
7Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
9Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.
Commentary
Psalm 122, explained
What Psalm 122 is saying
Psalm 122, attributed to David, expresses the pilgrim's joy upon arriving at Jerusalem and standing within its gates. The psalm celebrates Jerusalem as the place of unified worship, Davidic justice, and tribal gathering. It closes with prayers for the city's peace (shalom) and prosperity, employing wordplay between Yerushalayim and shalom.
The background behind it
The reference to the 'thrones of judgment' and the tribal pilgrimage reflects the pre-exilic period when Jerusalem served as both religious and judicial center. The Hebrew wordplay between Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and shalom (peace) reflects a popular etymology that equated the city's name with peace.
Themes running underneath
The psalm develops a theology of sacred space: Jerusalem is where the tribes converge, where justice is administered, and where God's name dwells. The repeated prayers for peace treat the city's welfare as inseparable from the worshiper's own well-being.
Why it still matters
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem models intercession for one's faith community—the conviction that individual flourishing is bound up with the health of the whole.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.