Stadt van mijn hart = Home Of My Heart, 1975 - 1984

Psalm 122 belongs to a later Temple collection of psalms. It’s cultic nature suggests it belongs to the southern Jerusalem tradition, even though there are a number of Northern dialectical forms and constructions. Perhaps in its original form, it served as a blessing for God’s protection for the nomads of the Northern Kingdom as they faced the perils of their journey. After the fall of the North, it was assimilated into the Southern tradition, where the text was expanded for use in the Jerusalem Temple. During this period, known as the Deuteronomic Reform, Israel underwent a major renewal of life and worship in response to sudden influx of the Northern. Finally, some two hundred years later, after the return from Babylonian Exile, this psalm underwent a third process of formation, to suit the worshiping needs of a purified nation.