Fathers

Psalms 122

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I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of the house of the LORD our God I will seek thy good.

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What the Fathers say

Psalms 122:1

Western Saints

Augustine of Hippo

This Psalm is a "Song of degrees;" as we have often said to you, for these degrees are not of descent, but of ascent. He therefore longeth to ascend. And whither doth he wish to ascend, save into heaven? What meaneth, into heaven? Doth he wish to ascend that he may be with the sun, moon, and stars? Far be it! But there is in heaven the eternal Jerusalem, where are our fellow-citizens, the Angels: we are wanderers on earth from these our fellow-citizens. We sigh in our pilgrimage; we shall rejoice in the city. …

Exposition on Psalm 122 ↗

Bernard of Clairvaux

But shall the hope of so great a joy be without joy? Rejoicing in hope, says the Apostle. And David said not that he would rejoice but that he had rejoiced, because he hoped he would go into the house of the Lord. He did not yet hold life, but he had assuredly reaped the hope of life; and he was experiencing in himself the truth of the Scripture that testifies that not only the reward but the very expectation of the just is joy.

Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 37 ↗