Psalm 132:16 Study Bible: Her priests I will also clothe with salvation. Her faithful ones will shout aloud for joy.

◄ Psalm 132:16 ►

I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will sing out in joy.

I will clothe her priests with salvation
This phrase emphasizes God's promise to provide spiritual protection and deliverance to the priests. In the Old Testament, priests were responsible for mediating between God and the people, offering sacrifices, and maintaining the temple. The imagery of being "clothed" suggests being enveloped or covered, indicating a complete transformation or endowment. Salvation here can be understood as both physical deliverance and spiritual redemption. This promise is reminiscent of the priestly garments described in Exodus 28, which were designed for glory and beauty, symbolizing righteousness and holiness. The concept of being clothed with salvation is echoed in Isaiah 61:10, where the prophet speaks of being clothed with garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness, pointing to the ultimate fulfillment in Christ, who is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16).

and her saints will sing out in joy
The term "saints" refers to the faithful followers of God, those set apart for His purposes. In the context of ancient Israel, this would include the community of believers who worshiped Yahweh and adhered to His covenant. Singing out in joy reflects a response to God's salvation and blessings, a common theme in the Psalms where music and worship are expressions of gratitude and celebration (Psalm 100:1-2). This joy is not merely emotional but is rooted in the reality of God's deliverance and faithfulness. The prophetic aspect of this phrase can be seen in the New Testament, where the joy of the saints is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ, who brings ultimate salvation and joy to His people (Luke 2:10-11). The joy of the saints is also a foretaste of the eternal joy promised in Revelation 19:7, where the marriage supper of the Lamb is celebrated.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Priests
In the context of ancient Israel, priests were the mediators between God and the people, responsible for performing sacrifices and maintaining the temple rituals. They symbolize spiritual leadership and service.

2. Saints
Refers to the faithful followers of God, often seen as those who are set apart for His purposes. In the New Testament context, this term is expanded to include all believers in Christ.

3. Zion
While not mentioned directly in this verse, Zion is the broader context of Psalm 132. It represents the city of Jerusalem, the spiritual center of Israel, and symbolizes God's dwelling place among His people.

4. Salvation
In Hebrew, the word for salvation is "yeshuah," which implies deliverance, safety, and victory. It is a central theme in the Bible, pointing ultimately to the work of Jesus Christ.

5. Joy
The expression of joy in this verse is a response to God's salvation and blessings. It is a theme that runs throughout the Psalms, reflecting the appropriate response of God's people to His goodness.

Teaching Points

Spiritual Adornment
Just as priests were clothed in special garments, believers today are spiritually adorned with salvation. This is a reminder of our identity in Christ and the righteousness we have through Him.

Joyful Response
The saints' joyful singing is a natural response to God's salvation. As believers, our lives should be marked by joy, reflecting the gratitude we have for God's work in our lives.

Role of the Priesthood
In Christ, all believers are part of a royal priesthood. This calls us to live lives of service, worship, and intercession, reflecting God's glory to the world.

Salvation as a Gift
Salvation is not something we earn but a gift from God. This should humble us and lead us to live lives of thankfulness and obedience.

Community of Believers
The reference to "her saints" highlights the communal aspect of faith. We are called to live out our faith in community, encouraging one another in joy and service.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the imagery of being "clothed with salvation" impact your understanding of your identity in Christ?

2. In what ways can you express joy in your daily life as a response to God's salvation?

3. How does the concept of a "royal priesthood" influence your view of your role in the church and the world?

4. What are some practical ways you can live out the communal aspect of faith mentioned in this verse?

5. How can the connection between salvation and joy in this verse inspire you to share the gospel with others?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Exodus 28:2
This verse describes the garments of the priests, which were meant for glory and beauty. Psalm 132:16 speaks of clothing priests with salvation, indicating a deeper, spiritual adornment.

Isaiah 61:10
This verse speaks of being clothed with garments of salvation and a robe of righteousness, paralleling the imagery in Psalm 132:16.

1 Peter 2:9
This New Testament verse describes believers as a royal priesthood, connecting the idea of priesthood to all Christians and their role in proclaiming God's salvation.

Revelation 19:8
This verse describes the saints being clothed in fine linen, representing the righteous acts of the saints, which ties back to the joy and salvation mentioned in Psalm 132:16.

Sermons

A Consecration Sermon	Isaac Barrow, D. D.	Psalm 132:16
A Prayer for the House of David	T. W. Chambers, D. D.	Psalm 132:1-18
Spiritual Worship	C. Short	Psalm 132:1-18
The House of God	J. Stalker, D. D.	Psalm 132:1-18
The Song of the Builders	A. Maclaren, D. D.	Psalm 132:1-18
God's Choice of Zion	D. Dickson.	Psalm 132:13-16
Zion and Her Provision	C. Parvey.	Psalm 132:13-16

People

David, Ephratah, Ephrath, Jacob, Psalmist

Places

Jerusalem

Topics

Aloud, Clothe, Clothed, Cries, Godly, Joy, Ones, Pious, Priests, Saints, Salvation, Shout, Sing

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Psalm 132:16

     5145   clothing
     5167   mouth
     5467   promises, divine
     7155   saints

Psalm 132:13-16

7271 Zion, as symbol

Psalm 132:13-18

7470 temple, significance

Library

An Examination of Post-Millennialism.
Post-millennialists teach that the only Kingdom over which Christ will ever reign is a spiritual and celestial one. They say that those Jews who expected their Messiah to set up a visible and material Kingdom on the earth were mistaken, that they erred in the interpretation of their prophetic Scriptures and cherished a carnal and unworthy hope. Let us examine this assertion in the light of God's Word. In Psalm 132:11 we read "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it: Of the …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Vive Jesus. Preface.
THE Holy Ghost teaches that the lips of the heavenly Spouse, that is The Church, resemble scarlet and the dropping honeycomb, [15] to let every one know that all the doctrine which she announces consists in sacred love; of a more resplendent red than scarlet on account of the blood of the spouse whose love inflames her, sweeter than honey on account of the sweetness of the beloved who crowns her with delights. So this heavenly spouse when he thought good to begin the promulgation of his law, cast …
St. Francis de Sales—Treatise on the Love of God

Promises and Threatenings
'And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished the building of the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do. 2. That the Lord appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared unto him at Gibeon. 3. And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou hast made before Me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put My name there for ever; and Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of Its Author
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." This Scripture has both a negative …
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

Emmaus. Kiriath-Jearim.
"From Beth-horon to Emmaus it was hilly."--It was sixty furlongs distant from Jerusalem.--"To eight hundred only, dismissed the army, (Vespasian) gave a place, called Ammaus, for them to inhabit: it is sixty furlongs distant from Jerusalem." I inquire, whether this word hath the same etymology with Emmaus near Tiberias, which, from the 'warm baths,' was called Chammath. The Jews certainly do write this otherwise... "The family (say they) of Beth-Pegarim, and Beth Zipperia was out of Emmaus."--The …
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Promise in 2 Samuel, Chap. vii.
The Messianic prophecy, as we have seen, began at a time long anterior to that of David. Even in Genesis, we perceived [Pg 131] it, increasing more and more in distinctness. There is at first only the general promise that the seed of the woman should obtain the victory over the kingdom of the evil one;--then, that the salvation should come through the descendants of Shem;--then, from among them Abraham is marked out,--of his sons, Isaac,--from among his sons, Jacob,--and from among the twelve sons …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Nature of Covenanting.
A covenant is a mutual voluntary compact between two parties on given terms or conditions. It may be made between superiors and inferiors, or between equals. The sentiment that a covenant can be made only between parties respectively independent of one another is inconsistent with the testimony of Scripture. Parties to covenants in a great variety of relative circumstances, are there introduced. There, covenant relations among men are represented as obtaining not merely between nation and nation, …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Covenanting Confers Obligation.
As it has been shown that all duty, and that alone, ought to be vowed to God in covenant, it is manifest that what is lawfully engaged to in swearing by the name of God is enjoined in the moral law, and, because of the authority of that law, ought to be performed as a duty. But it is now to be proved that what is promised to God by vow or oath, ought to be performed also because of the act of Covenanting. The performance of that exercise is commanded, and the same law which enjoins that the duties …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Introduction. Chapter i. --The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers.
St. Hilary of Poitiers is one of the greatest, yet least studied, of the Fathers of the Western Church. He has suffered thus, partly from a certain obscurity in his style of writing, partly from the difficulty of the thoughts which he attempted to convey. But there are other reasons for the comparative neglect into which he has fallen. He learnt his theology, as we shall see, from Eastern authorities, and was not content to carry on and develop the traditional teaching of the West; and the disciple …
St. Hilary of Poitiers—The Life and Writings of St. Hilary of Poitiers

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Departure from Ireland. Death and Burial at Clairvaux.
[Sidenote: 1148, May (?)] 67. (30). Being asked once, in what place, if a choice were given him, he would prefer to spend his last day--for on this subject the brothers used to ask one another what place each would select for himself--he hesitated, and made no reply. But when they insisted, he said, "If I take my departure hence[821] I shall do so nowhere more gladly than whence I may rise together with our Apostle"[822]--he referred to St. Patrick; "but if it behoves me to make a pilgrimage, and …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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