◄ Psalm 132:11 ►
The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: "One of your descendants I will place on your throne.
Study Bible
The LORD swore an oath
This phrase emphasizes the solemnity and unchangeable nature of God's promise. In Hebrew, the word for "swore" is "נִשְׁבַּע" (nishba), which conveys a binding commitment. The act of swearing an oath by the LORD Himself underscores His faithfulness and the certainty of His word. In the ancient Near Eastern context, oaths were serious and inviolable, often sealed with a sacrifice or a solemn ritual. Here, it signifies God's unwavering commitment to His covenant with David.

to David
David, the second king of Israel, is a central figure in the biblical narrative. His life and reign are chronicled in the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. David is often seen as a man after God's own heart, despite his flaws. The promise to David is foundational for the messianic hope in the Bible, as it establishes his lineage as the royal line through which the Messiah would come. This covenant with David is a continuation of God's redemptive plan, which began with Abraham.

a promise He will not revoke
The Hebrew word for "promise" here is "אֱמֶת" (emet), which also means truth or faithfulness. This highlights the reliability and steadfastness of God's word. The phrase "will not revoke" assures us of the permanence of God's covenant. In a world where human promises often fail, God's promises are unbreakable. This assurance is a source of hope and confidence for believers, reminding them of God's unchanging nature.

One of your descendants
The Hebrew term "מִפְּרִי בִטְנְךָ" (mi-pri bitnecha) literally means "from the fruit of your body," indicating a biological descendant. This promise points directly to the Davidic line, which is significant in the biblical narrative as it leads to the birth of Jesus Christ, the ultimate fulfillment of this promise. The genealogies in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage back to David, affirming Him as the rightful heir to David's throne.

I will place on your throne
The throne symbolizes authority, kingship, and governance. In the context of ancient Israel, the throne of David represented not just political power but also spiritual leadership under God's guidance. The promise of placing a descendant on David's throne is not merely about political succession but about the establishment of an eternal kingdom. This is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, whose reign is eternal and whose kingdom is not of this world, as He reigns in the hearts of believers and will one day return to establish His kingdom fully.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who makes and fulfills promises.

2. David
The second king of Israel, a man after God's own heart, to whom God made a significant covenant.

3. Descendants of David
Refers to the lineage of David, ultimately pointing to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God's promise.

4. Throne of David
Symbolizes the enduring kingdom and the messianic promise that one of David's descendants would reign eternally.

5. The Davidic Covenant
The divine promise made by God to David, ensuring that his lineage would have an everlasting kingdom.
Teaching Points
God's Faithfulness
God's promises are irrevocable and trustworthy. Just as He kept His promise to David, He will keep His promises to us.

The Messianic Fulfillment
Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise to David, emphasizing the continuity of God's redemptive plan through history.

The Importance of Lineage
The genealogies in the Bible, particularly those of Jesus, underscore the fulfillment of God's promises and the importance of His divine plan.

The Eternal Kingdom
Believers are part of an eternal kingdom through Christ, the descendant of David, which calls us to live with an eternal perspective.

Covenant Relationship
Understanding the Davidic Covenant helps us appreciate the depth of God's commitment to His people and His unfolding plan of salvation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the promise made to David in Psalm 132:11 reflect God's character and His faithfulness?

2. In what ways does the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant through Jesus Christ impact your understanding of God's promises?

3. How can the assurance of God's irrevocable promises influence your daily walk with Him?

4. What significance does the eternal throne of David have for believers today, and how should it shape our worldview?

5. How can studying the genealogies of Jesus in the Gospels enhance our appreciation for God's meticulous plan of salvation?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Samuel 7
This chapter details the Davidic Covenant, where God promises David that his throne will be established forever.

Luke 1:32-33
The angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary about Jesus, affirming that He will inherit the throne of David and reign forever.

Acts 2:29-36
Peter's sermon at Pentecost, where he explains how Jesus fulfills the promise made to David.

Revelation 22:16
Jesus refers to Himself as the Root and Offspring of David, highlighting His fulfillment of the Davidic promise.
Sermons
A Prayer for the House of DavidT. W. Chambers, D. D.Psalm 132:1-18
Spiritual WorshipC. Short Psalm 132:1-18
The House of GodJ. Stalker, D. D.Psalm 132:1-18
The Song of the BuildersA. Maclaren, D. D.Psalm 132:1-18
People
David, Ephratah, Ephrath, Jacob, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Body, David, Descendants, Fruit, Kingdom, Oath, Revoke, Saying, Sons, Sure, Swore, Sworn, Throne, Truth, Turn, Turneth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 132:11

     1150   God, truth of
     1160   God, unchangeable
     2078   Christ, sonship of
     2354   Christ, mission

Psalm 132:8-12

     1351   covenant, with David

Psalm 132:10-12

     5366   king

Psalm 132:11-12

     1443   revelation, OT
     2215   Christ, Son of David
     2230   Messiah, coming of
     5370   kingship, human
     5431   oaths, divine
     5581   throne

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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