We have, in the Psalms, fifteen chapter headings from Psalm 120 to 134 with chapter headings reading “A song of degrees.” These “degrees,” or steps, represent the fifteen steps in Jerusalem’s Second Temple, which lead from the court of women to the court of the Israelites. Levite singers would stand on these steps playing instruments and singing these 15 psalms during the three required feasts of Passover, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles. In many Bible translations, these are called the “Songs of Ascent.”
These songs were sung during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem for these major feasts. They are progressive in their content and represent the journey from distant hostile areas to the temple, and eventually through the temple and into the presence of God. Jerusalem was situated on a mountain top, so the journey would be an ascent to the temple.
These psalms are arranged in a chiastic structure with Psalm 127 being the center. Scholars, such as David Mitchell, see similar patterns and themes in Psalms 120 and 134, 121 and 133, 122 and 132, and so forth, until you reach the center, which is the main point of the chiasmus. There are two Davidic psalms before 127 and two after. Psalm 127, in the center, was attributed to Solomon, who built the temple. They have a symmetrical pattern with 24 occurrences of “Yahweh” (Jehovah) before and after Psalm 127. They are written in such a precise manner that rabbis have maintained that they could only have been composed by the Lord.
I find it interesting that the only verse of scripture quoted in the Family Proclamation is Psalm 127:3: “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” This is the center verse of the center chapter of the Songs of Ascents and is the highlight of the whole collection as the center point of the chiasmus. It’s also interesting that this verse is placed in the exact center of the Family Proclamation.
Let’s examine how these psalms are a temple progression.
Psalm 120: “In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and he heard me.” Mesech and Keder, mentioned in verse 5, were hostile tribes. Israelites never lived there, thus, this could be a metaphor for traveling through a hostile area enroute to the temple where they could find refuge. “My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.”
Psalm 121: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” Israelites are looking up to the Temple Mount, where they will find help from the Lord. “The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.” Shade would be protection from the hot sun. The “right hand” is the covenant hand. Covenants provide safety and spiritual protection.
Psalm 122: “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” There were solo parts sung by the priest or one of the Levite singers, and the phrase would be repeated, or answered, by a choir of singers. This antiphonal pattern was sung in conjunction with the ancient temple round dance, or prayer circle. Notice how verse 1 is singular (I was glad …), while verse 2 states, “Our feet (plural) shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.” Verse 1 would have been sung by a soloist, while verse 2 was sung by a choir. The pilgrims are now inside the gates of Jerusalem. “The house of the Lord” and “the throne of the house” are mentioned in this psalm.
Psalm 123: “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.” Instead of looking up to the mountains, we are now looking up to the Lord and the heavens.
Psalm 124: “Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.” Escaping the enemy is a common theme of the psalms and even Nephi’s psalm in 2 Nephi 4. Those of us who have been rescued from addictions and bondage can appreciate how the atonement of Jesus Christ sets us free! The waters and streams that go over our souls in verse 4 may have reference to the laver in the outer courtyard of the temple, where the priests would wash their hands and feet before performing ordinances.
Psalm 125: “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever.” In his excellent book, The Songs of Ascents, David Mitchell states that upon the sixth step leading to the doors of the temple, one could see over the walls of the courtyard and see the mountains of Jerusalem. We are on the sixth song of ascent and on the sixth step, heading for the temple door.
Psalm 126: “When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.” When we are restored from captivity, life can be like a dream! “Bringing our sheaves” in verse 6 can be like bringing new converts to the temple, according to Elder Bednar (see Alma 26:5).
Psalm 127: “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain.” This is the chiastic center and focal point of the Songs of Ascents. Without the temple and the sealing keys, we labor in vain. This psalm is a play on words. To build the house is the Hebrew word banah. It first appears in the Bible with the creation of Eve. She is the “mother of all living” (Moses 4:26) and the symbol of life, eternal family, and procreation. The “children” in verse 3 is the Hebrew derivative banim. Thus, “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.” This is what God is building. Can you see why this is in the center of the Family Proclamation?
Psalm 128: The importance of the family is re-emphasized: “Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.” The promise of future generations and the perpetuation of family relationships can be realized with sacred ordinances available in holy temples. “Thou shalt see thy children’s children.”
Psalm 129: “The blessing of the Lord be upon you.” We are blessed beyond measure as we serve in the temple.
Psalm 130: These 15 steps also symbolize the first 15 days of the holy month of Tishri, the seventh month. The Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) begins on the 1st day of the seventh month. The 10th day of Tishri is the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The 15th day of the month is the beginning of Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Because these holidays begin at sundown, they spill over to the next calendar day. Thus, the eleventh step would be the ending of the Day of Atonement. We would expect a redemptive song for this step. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting and prayer. Psalm 130 begins with a prayer: “Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.” The prayer is answered with forgiveness and redemption: “But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared . . . Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.”
Psalm 131: “Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.”
Psalm 132: “We will go into his tabernacles: we will worship at his footstool. Arise, O Lord, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength. Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy.” We are symbolically worshipping at the throne of God. The Ark of the Covenant would be His footstool. We are clothed in the robes of righteousness and symbolically given the power to stand in God’s presence. In a symbolic temple journey, we are now in the Holy of Holies, the sacred center of the temple. This would correspond to the Celestial Room of our modern temples.
Psalm 133: We are washed and anointed to become kings and queens and priests and priestesses. “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.” In ancient times, washing and anointing covered the entire body. The washing makes us clean, and the anointing seals in purity and seals out any impurities. Oil was used as a sealant.
Psalm 134: “Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which by night stand in the house of the Lord. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” We lift up our hands in a gesture of praise, preparing to enter His presence.
The 15th day of Tishri is the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles. Solomon’s Temple was dedicated during this festival (see 1 Kings 8). The people waved palm branches, chanted Psalm 118, and shouted “Hosanna,” thus, a similar celebration occurred at the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. Also, during the Feast of Tabernacles, kings were coronated. This reminds us of the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple: “That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings” (D&C 109:76).