CORPUS-PSALTERIUMVol. VI
Corpus Psalterium Vol. VI cover

Corpus Psalterium · Vol. VI

Psalm CXXXIV (134)

Cantillated — Night Antiphon

Paul Whitehorn

0:003:42
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Study the Word

Psalm 134 in Hebrew and English, and the words as they are sung.

A Song of Ascents.

1

Look! Praise Yahweh, all you servants of Yahweh, who stand by night in Yahweh’s house!

שִׁ֗יר הַֽמַּ֫עֲל֥וֹת הִנֵּ֤ה ׀ בָּרֲכ֣וּ אֶת־יְ֭הוָה כָּל־עַבְדֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה הָעֹמְדִ֥ים בְּבֵית־יְ֝הוָ֗ה בַּלֵּילֽוֹת׃

2

Lift up your hands in the sanctuary. Praise Yahweh!

שְׂאֽוּ־יְדֵכֶ֥ם קֹ֑דֶשׁ וּ֝בָרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃

3

May Yahweh bless you from Zion, even he who made heaven and earth.

יְבָרֶכְךָ֣ יְ֭הוָה מִצִּיּ֑וֹן עֹ֝שֵׂ֗ה שָׁמַ֥יִם וָאָֽרֶץ׃

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain), from the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. English: World English Bible (public domain). Verse numbers follow the English Bible; the Hebrew numbering is shown beneath where it differs.

Hey you up on the night watch

keeping the LORD's house till dawn

you who work for Him

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

Reach up

toward His holy room

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

Out of Zion

let the LORD

pour good on you

He made the heavens

He made the ground

pour good on you

pour good on you

Hey you up on the night watch

you who work for Him

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

Out of Zion

let the LORD

pour good on you

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

He made the heavens

He made the ground

He made the heavens

He made the ground

pour good on you

He made the heavens

He made the ground

pour good on you

pour good on you

pour good on you

pour good on you

Reach up

toward His holy room

raise a blessing

raise it to the LORD

Out of Zion

let the LORD

pour good on you

He made the heavens

He made the ground

on you

Lyrics by Paul Whitehorn: a singable English rendering of the Hebrew, as sung on this recording.

Corpus Psalterium sets each psalm to music by its Hebrew grammar. Didactic psalms teach; Cantillated psalms are spoken, sung or performed before God. Hear all 150 psalms free.

About these songs. They are a summary and a commentary on the Psalms, not a word-for-word translation. Read what these songs are →

What These Songs Are, and What They Are Not

These songs are not a word-for-word translation of the Psalms. They were never meant to be. Nor do they try to capture every idea in every psalm. In a song, that would be impossible.

What we have done is capture the essence of each psalm: what matters most in it. Think of each song as a summary. Think of it as a cheat sheet. The purpose of the psalm is still being met. God's word to mankind is still being heard.

Behind many of these lines is word research: deep study of the meaning of the Hebrew. So where a line sounds different from your translation, and you think it is wrong, study it. We believe you will find that the essence of what we sing is true.

The truth is that no one can set the Psalms to music without also becoming a commentator. That is what this is. It is a modern commentary on the Psalms: not only the Psalms themselves, and not only the Psalms being sung. So do not think that every word of the psalm is here. It is not. Read the psalm itself, in full.

Why do this at all? Because we believe God intended humanity to be surrounded by His word. This was always the entertainment He wanted us to have: not hours of television, not a day lost in a phone looking at nonsense. The blessed man of Psalm 1 meditates on God's word day and night. How can we meditate on His word if we do not surround ourselves with it?

As ministers, our first responsibility is to share God's word with people. That is what these songs are for.

Paul Whitehorn