Bible Strands
Psalms 122:4
where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist describes Jerusalem as the designated pilgrimage site where Israel's tribes gather. The surrounding context places this assembly between Jerusalem's structural unity and the Davidic thrones of judgment located within it.
The words — The text emphasizes שָׁם (sham, "where/there") and עָלוּ (alu, "they went up") to mark the physical ascent. It pairs שִׁבְטֵי־יָהּ (shivtei-Yah, "tribes of Yahweh") with עֵדוּת (edut, "testimony") to define the assembly's function.
The thread — This gathering aligns with the mandated appearances before God in Deuteronomy 16:16 and Exodus 23:17, and parallels the personal vow fulfillment recorded in Psalm 66:13.
Why it lands — The verse identifies the assembled tribes as a formal testimony committed to thanking God's name. It requires readers to treat corporate pilgrimage as a structured act of gratitude rather than a casual visit.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the LORD your God in the place He will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed.
- Psalms 66:13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
- Exodus 23:17 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.
- Exodus 34:23 Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel.
- Psalms 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.
- Psalms 118:19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter and give thanks to the LORD.
- Psalms 132:13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His home:
- Exodus 16:34 And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- Exodus 26:33 And hang the veil from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the veil. So the veil will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.
- Exodus 32:15 Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.