Bible Strands
Psalms 122:9
For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses fellow pilgrims or residents during a corporate assembly in Jerusalem. He speaks at a moment of communal focus on the city's spiritual and physical welfare.
The words — The prepositional phrase לְמַעַן (le.ma.'an) literally means "for the sake of," establishing the motive for the psalmist's action. The verb אֲבַקְשָׁה ('a.vak.shah) translates as "I will seek," paired with טוב (tov, "good" or "prosperity") to denote deliberate pursuit of the city's well-being.
The thread — This pursuit of the city's welfare runs parallel to Nehemiah 2:10, where external opposition reacts to rebuilding efforts, and 1 Chronicles 29:3, where personal wealth is dedicated to God's house. It also aligns with Psalms 84:10's declaration that presence in God's courts supersedes all other locations.
Why it lands — The text requires prioritizing communal and divine welfare over individual convenience. It demands active, intentional pursuit of the city's prosperity rather than passive attendance.
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
Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.
Cross-references
- Nehemiah 2:10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were deeply disturbed that someone had come to seek the well-being of the Israelites.
- Psalms 84:10 For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
- 1 Chronicles 29:3 Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:
- Nehemiah 13:14 Remember me for this, O my God, and do not blot out my deeds of loving devotion for the house of my God and for its services.
- Esther 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews and highly favored by his many kinsmen, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his countrymen.
- Psalms 26:8 O LORD, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides.
- Psalms 69:9 because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.
- Psalms 84:1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
- John 2:17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”
- Psalms 102:13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show her favor—the appointed time has come.