Psalms 121:3 (DRB)

Passage

Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together.

Nearby Context

Psalms 121:1 A gradual canticle. I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord.

Psalms 121:2 Our feet were standing in thy courts, O Jerusalem.

Psalms 121:3 Jerusalem, which is built as a city, which is compact together.

Psalms 121:4 For thither did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord: the testimony of Israel, to praise the name of the Lord.

Psalms 121:5 Because their seats have sat in judgment, seats upon the house of David.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jerusalem", "built", "city", "compact", and "together". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jerusalem" and "built", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Our feet were standing in thy courts..." into verse 4's "For thither did the tribes go up...", so "jerusalem" and "built" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jerusalem" and "built" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.