Psalms 134 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Key Background

Priests and Levites kept watch in the temple overnight, tending the lamps and guarding the gates, so the people addressed here were on an actual night shift rather than merely praying late. Lifting the hands was the standard posture for prayer in Israel and across the ancient Near East, comparable to kneeling in later Christian practice. Placing this brief blessing at the end of the collection rounds off the pilgrim's journey, which began in verse one of Psalm 120 far from home among hostile strangers and finishes inside the temple courts at night.