The Meaning of שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם יָחַד in Ps 133:1

Back to Psalm 133

Introduction

The Hebrew text of Ps. 133:1 reads as follows:

הִנֵּ֣ה מַה־טּ֭וֹב וּמַה־נָּעִ֑ים

שֶׁ֖בֶת אַחִ֣ים גַּם־יָֽחַד׃

The interpretation of this opening verse—crucial for understanding the message of the psalm—is much debated. It could refer to any of the following:

1. Festive gathering: Fellow Israelites experiencing fraternal fellowship in Jerusalem during a feast day.
2. Family unity: Brothers dwelling together on an undivided piece of property after their father's death.
3. National unity: The unification of northern and southern tribes.
4. Something else.

Argument Maps

Festive gathering (preferred)

Some scholars think that 'brothers dwelling together' refers to fellow Israelites fellowshipping together in Jerusalem during a feast day.

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[Festive gathering]: 'Brothers dwelling together' refers to the fraternal fellowship that Israelites experienced during their feasts in Jerusalem (cf. Baethgen 1904 :C:; Keel 1976 :A:).
 + <'Brothers'>: The term 'brothers' strikes "a strongly religious note" (Keel 1976 :A:).
  + <Israelites as brothers>: The term 'brother' is used not only to refer to a literal brother, but also to a "fellow countryman" (HALOT :L:).
   + [Israelites as brothers]: "You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor" (Lev. 19:17–18, ESV; cf. Deut. 15:12 Ps. 122:8).
  + <Brotherly relations >: During festive gatherings in Zion, Israelites related to one another in a brotherly way (cf. Keel 1976 :A:).
   + [Ps. 55:14f]: "But it is you, a man like myself, my companion (אַלּוּפִי), my close friend (מְיֻדָּעִי), with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship at the house of God, as we walked about among the worshipers" (Ps. 55:14f, NIV).
 + <Cultic imagery (v. 2)>: The high-priestly imagery in v. 2 suggests a cultic setting for the psalm (cf. Keel 1976 :A:; Baethgen 1904:395 :C:).
  + [v. 2]: כַּשֶּׁ֤מֶן הַטּ֨וֹב׀ עַל־הָרֹ֗אשׁ יֹרֵ֗ד עַֽל־הַזָּקָ֥ן זְקַֽן־אַהֲרֹ֑ן שֶׁ֝יֹּרֵ֗ד עַל־פִּ֥י מִדּוֹתָֽיו׃
 + <Zion (v. 3)>: The explicit mention of 'Zion' in v. 3 as the place of blessing suggests that the brothers in v. 1 are dwelling (not just anywhere) but on Zion (cf. Keel 1976 :A:; Baethgen 1904:395 :C:).
  + [v. 3]: כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה חַ֝יִּ֗ים עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם׃
 + <Songs of Ascents>: The 'Songs of Ascents' (Pss. 120-134) are probably a collection of songs for the use of pilgrims going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast days (cf. Allen 2002 :C:).

Family unity

Some scholars think that 'brothers dwelling together' refers to an old Israelite custom of (literal) brothers living together on an undivided piece of property after their father's death.

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[Family unity]: 'Brothers dwelling together' refers to an old custom in Israel of brothers living together on an undivided piece of property after their father's death (cf. Ruah 1907:36 :M:; Gunkel 1926 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Usage of ישב יחד>: Elsewhere the phrase ישב יחד or ישב יחדו refers to blood relatives living on an undivided land-holding. #dispreferred
  + [Usage of ישב יחד]: כִּֽי־יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו (Deut. 25:5a; cf. Gen. 13:6; 36:7). #dispreferred
 - <Family life in the Psalms>: "Praise of family life, in itself not a common theme in Psalms, is more likely to speak of wife and children... than of brothers" (Berlin 1987:142 :A:). 
  + [Family life in the Psalms]: Pss. 127-128.
 - <Disconnected from end of psalm (v. 3)>: "In this interpretation, the end of the psalm has little to do with the beginning" (Booij 2002:261 :A:).
  + [v. 3]: כְּטַל־חֶרְמ֗וֹן שֶׁיֹּרֵד֮ עַל־הַרְרֵ֪י צִ֫יּ֥וֹן כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם׀ צִוָּ֣ה יְ֭הוָה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה חַ֝יִּ֗ים עַד־הָעוֹלָֽם׃
  <_ <Metaphorical> 
 - <Too distinctive>: "By its specific subject Psalm 133 would be fairly exceptional among the 'Songs of Ascents'. Generally, these texts deal with matters that concern, or might concern, any Israelite" (Booij 2002:261 :A:).
  <_ <Metaphorical>
 - <Difficult to dwell together>: "The exuberant praise of the 'dwelling together' would seem somewhat odd... Of course, 'dwelling together', as mentioned in Deut 25,5, could be 'good' and 'pleasant'. Yet it was aimed as something else, namely the maintenance of family property. In fact, this form of dwelling must often has caused tensions" (Booij 2002:261 :A:).
  <_ <Metaphorical>: The image of brothers living together on undivided land-holdings is not to be understood literally. It is "a metaphor for an undivided kingdom" (Berlin 1986:142 :A:). #dispreferred

National unity

Some scholars think that 'brothers dwelling together' refers to national unity, to the unification of the northern and southern tribes.

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[National unity]: 'Brothers dwelling together' refers to "the reunification of the north and south with Jerusalem as the capital of a united kingdom" (Berlin 1986:142 :A:; cf. Theodoret and Hill 2001:311 :C:). #dispreferred
 + <Undivided land holdings as metaphor>: "ישב יחד is a technical expression meaning 'living together on undivided land holdings'—a kind of joint tenancy" (Berlin 1986:142 :A:), and in Ps. 133 "this is a metaphor for an undivided kingdom" (Berlin 1986:142 :A:). #dispreferred
  + [ישב יחד as technical expression]: כִּֽי־יֵשְׁב֨וּ אַחִ֜ים יַחְדָּ֗ו (Deut. 25:5a; cf. Gen. 13:6; 36:7). #dispreferred
  + <Metaphor for undivided kingdom>: "Hermon in the north, and Zion in the south, may... suggest the union of the northern and southern tribes" (Perowne 1978:II,420 :C:). #dispreferred
   - <'Hermon'>: "As a reference to the northern tribes... 'Hermon' would be singular" (Booij 2002:260 :A:).
   - <Oil comparison (v. 2)>: "In the comparison in v. 2 references to Israel and Judah cannot be found" (Booij 2002:260 :A:).
    - <Aaron and the northern tribes>: The psalm refers to the time of Hezekiah, when Aaron's priesthood was associated with worship in the north (cf. 1 Kg. 12:28) (cf. Norin :A:, cited in Booij 2002 :A:). #dispreferred
     - <'Beard'>: "Then it is hard to understand why the beard is first mentioned by itself ('...the beard, the beard of Aaron')" (Booij 2002:260 :A:).

Conclusion

The cultic imagery in v. 2 and the mention of Zion in v. 3 suggest that 'brothers dwelling together' in v. 1 refers to Israelite pilgrims fellowshipping in Jerusalem during a festival. This interpretation is also consistent with the semantic range of the word 'brother' and with what some scholars have argued is the setting of the Psalms of Ascent as a whole.

Research

Translations

Ancient

• LXX: ἀλλʼ ἢ τὸ κατοικεῖν ἀδελφοὺς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό
  • "...more than that kindred live together?"
• Peshitta: ܠܐܚ̈ܐ ܡܐ ܕܥܡܪܝܢ ܐܝܟ ܚܕܐ܂
  • "when brothers dwell together"
• Jerome (iuxta Hebr.): habitare fratres in uno
  • 'for brothers to dwell as in unity'
• Targum: למיתב ציון וירושלם כתרין אחין כחדא׃
  • "for Zion and Jerusalem to dwell like two brothers together"

Modern

God's people

• when God's people live together in unity! (NIV)
• for God's people to live together in harmony! (GNT)
• for God's people to live together in harmony! (CEV)

Brothers

• when brothers live together in harmony! (NLT)
• when brothers dwell in unity! (ESV)
• when kindred live together in unity! (NRSV)
• to live together as brothers in unity (REB)
• when brothers truly live in unity (NET)
• wenn Brüder einträchtig beieinander wohnen! (LUT
• wenn Brüder einträchtig beieinander wohnen! (NGÜ)
• wenn Brüder in Frieden zusammenleben! (HFA)
• wenn Brüder einträchtig beieinander wohnen. (ELB)
• wenn Brüder miteinander in Eintracht wohnen. (EÜ)
• wenn Brüder, die beieinander wohnen, sich auch gut verstehen! (GNB)
• que habiten los hermanos juntos en armonía! (RVR95)
• que los hermanos convivan en armonía! (NVI)
• que los hermanos vivan unidos! (DHH94I)
• habitar los hermanos juntos en armonía (BTX4)
• for brothers to live together (NEB)
• that brothers dwell together. (JPS85)
• to live as brothers all together (NJB)
• wenn Brüder beieinander wohnen. (ZÜR)
• pour des frères d'habiter ensemble ! (NBS)
• Pour des frères d'habiter unis ensemble ! (NVS78P)
• pour des frères de se trouver ensemble ! (BDS)
• pour des frères d’être ensemble ! (PDV2017)
• pour des frères d'être ensemble ! (NFC)
• pour des frères de demeurer ensemble! (S21)
• de se trouver entre frères (TOB)

Secondary Literature

Allen, Leslie. 1983. Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco: Word Books.

Baethgen, Friedrich. 1904. Die Psalmen. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht.

Berlin, Adele. 1987. “On the Interpretation of Psalm 133.” In Directions in Biblical Hebrew Poetry, edited by Elaine R. Follis, 141ff. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. Supplement Series, 40. Sheffield, England: JSOT Press.

Booij, Thijs. 2002. “Psalm 133: ‘Behold, How Good and How Pleasant.’” Biblica 83 (2): 258–67.

Gunkel, Hermann. 1926. Die Psalmen. 4th ed. Göttinger Handkommentar Zum Alten Testament 2. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Hossfeld, Frank-Lothar, and Erich Zenger. 2011. Psalms 3: A Commentary on Psalms 101-150. Edited by Klaus Baltzer. Translated by Linda M. Maloney. Hermeneia. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress.

Keel, Othmar. 1976. “Kultische Brüderheit.” Freiburger Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie 23: 68–80.

Ruah, Sigismund. 1907. “Hebräisches Familienrecht in Vorprophetischer Zeit.” Berlin: Friedrich Wilhelms Universität.

Theodoret, and Robert C. Hill. 2001. Commentary on the Psalms. The Fathers of the Church, a New Translation, v. 101-102. Washington, D.C: Catholic University of America Press.

References

133:1