A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
Psalm 133:1-3
Consisting of three main peaks, the mountain cluster of Hermon marked the northern boundary of the Israelite territory conquered by Joshua. With a maximum elevation of 2814 metres (9232 feet), Hermon is the highest mountain range in Israel and Syria. Even today, Hermon’s lofty peaks are renowned for the abundance of dew, rain, and snow descending upon them, in a region that is largely arid. In fact, the Jordan river – which itself bears great religious, political, and agricultural significance – is recharged annually by snowmelt from Hermon. The Jordan then flows south through Israel, filling the Sea of Galilee, before finally draining into the Dead Sea, the lowest place on Earth.
David’s reference to Mount Hermon in Psalm 133 highlights the mountain’s great spiritual and natural significance. Before David’s battle with Goliath, his eldest brother Eliab spoke disparagingly of the young shepherd who courageously advocated for defeating ‘the uncircumcised Philistine’. Besides the fact that David’s bravery was a reproach to Eliab and the fearful men of Israel, Eliab likely harboured jealousy towards his youngest brother since the great judge Samuel had anointed David, and not him, for an unrevealed purpose.
But when serious trouble arose against David, the petty feelings that had formerly alienated the brothers evaporated like the morning mist. Fleeing from the murderous rage of Saul, David ‘escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him’ (1 Samuel 21:1). Due to their familial association with the object of Saul’s fury, David’s brethren feared that the wrath of the unhinged monarch would burst also upon them. Besides his own blood family, outcasts from across the nation resorted to the cave where David was holed up:
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
1 Samuel 22:2
Happily reunited with his brethren, and encouraged by the little kingdom growing around him, David composed Psalm 133 in the cave of Adullam. Sung the youngest brother and king-anoint in the audience of his family: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’. Sadly, it seems that the catalyst for their change of heart was not purely self reflection, but their potential execution. Nevertheless, David’s brothers came to terms with the fact that their younger brother had done nothing to merit their resentment. Harbouring no bitterness on his part, David went further in expressing the preciousness of their reconciliation, describing it as being ‘like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments’. This unification that David experienced with his brethren, he likened to the fragrant anointing oil reserved for the most solemn and joyous occasions of the Hebrew nation.
David goes on to describe this joyous unity ‘as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion’. Dew descends from heaven, and is a symbol of the blessings of God. For example, Isaac blessed Jacob, saying, ‘therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth’ (Genesis 27:28). Likewise, the holy oil poured upon Aaron came from above and symbolised the blessings of God and the impartation of His spirit. Rolling down from the head of the high priest, the oil trickled through his beard, even reaching the skirts of his garments. Similarly, the condensation of heaven settled upon Hermon, and flowed down from the white-capped mountains into the Jordan, refreshing the whole land of Israel.
If we omit the words supplied by the translators in this passage, we read that ‘the dew of Hermon…descended upon the mountains of Zion’. Since Hermon is over 100 kilometres from Jerusalem, it does not make sense for Hermon’s dew to literally descend upon Zion, which is likely why our translators supplied what they did. But seeing that Zion is a symbol of the church, a valuable allegory may be drawn from the text when we omit the supplied words.
The unmatched dewfall descending from Mount Hermon upon the mountains of Zion may be likened to the richest blessings of unity descending from heaven upon the church. As Hermon’s precipitation recharged the dry and thirsty land of Israel, heartfelt unity gives life and vigour to God’s people. Those who mustered themselves at Adullam’s cave understood that the anointing oil had been poured upon David’s head, and by their presence, they demonstrated their commitment to the cause of David.
The church’s loyalty is to the Son of David. And just as humility enabled David’s brethren to be of one accord, the church must put aside all petty feelings and cherished opinions in order to receive the blessing of true unity. It was severe trial that brought this about in the case of David’s brethren, and trial will likewise reveal the loyalty or betrayal abiding within each church member.
Like David and his brethren, the remnant of Zion will dwell in caves, deprived of worldly comfort and uncertain of life itself. But the church will sing at that time with a joy heretofore unknown to them. With David they will exclaim, ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!’ With the holy anointing oil of the spirit of God poured upon the church, and ‘the dew of Hermon descend[ing] upon the mountains of Zion’, the unified church will know that upon them, ‘the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore’.
Christopher Sparks