The Meaning of Psalms 132:9 Explained

Psalms 132:9

KJV: Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.

YLT: Thy priests do put on righteousness, And Thy pious ones cry aloud.

Darby: Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness, and let thy saints shout for joy.

ASV: Let thy priest be clothed with righteousness; And let thy saints shout for joy.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let thy priests  be clothed  with righteousness;  and let thy saints  shout for joy. 

What does Psalms 132:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 132:1-18 - The Lord's Blessing Upon Zion
This psalm evidently dates from the dedication of Solomon's temple. In the glory of completion God never forgets the toils and anxieties of the builders. When the topstone flashes in the sunlight, the trench-diggers, and foundation-makers come in for their need of praise. The singer recapitulates two memorable scenes in the history of the Ark: Ephratah is probably Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim, where the Tabernacle was situated in Eli's time; while the field of the wood is Kirjath-jearim, whence David brought the sacred emblem to Jerusalem, 1 Chronicles 13:5.
The prayer of Psalms 132:8-10 is similar to that of Solomon, 2 Chronicles 6:41. For us the ark of God's strength is our Lord's nature, in which God and man meet. We are called to be priests, to lift our hands in intercession and to fill the earth with praise. Then in Psalms 132:11-18 God seems to take the clauses of that prayer, one by one and to answer, them. His resting-place is in His people. The staves were drawn out from the Ark when it was deposited in the Temple. In Christ there is finality; He is Omega, the Last. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 132

1  David in his prayer commends unto God the reverent care he had for the ark
8  His prayer at the removing of the ark
11  With a repetition of God's promises

What do the individual words in Psalms 132:9 mean?

Your priests let be clothed with righteousness and Your saints let shout for joy
כֹּהֲנֶ֥יךָ יִלְבְּשׁוּ־ צֶ֑דֶק וַחֲסִידֶ֥יךָ יְרַנֵּֽנוּ

כֹּהֲנֶ֥יךָ  Your  priests 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
יִלְבְּשׁוּ־  let  be  clothed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
צֶ֑דֶק  with  righteousness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֶדֶק  
Sense: justice, rightness, righteousness.
וַחֲסִידֶ֥יךָ  and  Your  saints 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חָסִיד  
Sense: faithful, kind, godly, holy one, saint, pious.
יְרַנֵּֽנוּ  let  shout  for  joy 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: רוּן 
Sense: to overcome.