Psalms 132:3

3 "I'm not going home, and I'm not going to bed,

Psalms 132:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 132:3

Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house
The new house and palace David built for himself after he came to the throne, made of cedar, ( 2 Samuel 5:11 ) ( 7:2 ) ; not that he should never enter into it till he had found a dwelling for God, but that he should not go into it with pleasure till that was done; for this and what follows are hyperboles, as Kimchi observes, and signify that he should have no peace nor satisfaction of mind till this was accomplished. It may be applied to our Lord's ascension to heaven, which was not till after he had purchased the church with his blood, which is the temple and habitation of God;

nor go up into my bed;
or "the bed that made for me" F18; the royal bed, a bed of down, with soft pillows, fit for a person of such dignity to lie down on. Ainsworth renders it "the pallets of my bed"; the phrase of going up agrees with the custom of the eastern countries, who have galleries in their chambers where they are set; at one end of each chamber in their houses there is a little gallery raised three, four, or five feet above the floor, with a balustrade in the front of it, with a few steps likewise leading up to it; here they place their beds {s}; so that when they went to bed they might with great propriety be said to go up to it; but this David could not do with pleasure, so long as there was no place and habitation for God.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 (yewuy vre) "lectum strati mei, vel stratorum meorum", Gejerus, Michaelis.
F19 Dr. Shaw's Travels, p. 209. Ed. 2.

Psalms 132:3 In-Context

1 O God, remember David, remember all his troubles!
2 And remember how he promised God, made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob,
3 "I'm not going home, and I'm not going to bed,
4 I'm not going to sleep, not even take time to rest,
5 Until I find a home for God, a house for the Strong God of Jacob."
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.