Thus moved to the depths of his soul, he breaks forth into exhortation to his companion pilgrims to pray for the peace of the city. There is a play on the meaning of the name in ver. 6_a_; for, as the Tel-el-Amarna tablets have told us, the name of the city of the priest-king was Uru Salim--the city of [the god of] peace. The prayer is that the _nomen_ may become _omen_, and that the hope that moved in the hearts that had so long ago and in the midst of wars given so fair a designation to their abode, may be fulfilled now at last. A similar play of words lies in the interchange of "peace" and "prosperity," which are closely similar in sound in the Hebrew. So sure is the psalmist that God will favour Zion, that he assures his companions that individual well-being will be secured by loyal love to her. The motive appealed to may be so put as to be mere selfishness, though, if any man loved Zion not for Zion's sake but for his own, he could scarcely be deemed to love her at all. But rightly understood, the psalmist proclaims an everlasting truth, that the highest good is realised by sinking self in a passion of earnest love for and service to the City of God. Such love is in itself well-being; and while it may have no rewards appreciable by sense, it cannot fail of sharing in the good of Zion and the prosperity of God's chosen. The singer puts forth the prayers which he enjoins on others, and rises high above all considerations of self. His desires are winged by two great motives,--on the one hand, his self-oblivious wish for the good of those who are knit to him by common faith and worship; on the other, his loving reverence for the sacred house of Jehovah. That house hallowed every stone in the city. To wish for the prosperity of Jerusalem, forgetting that the Temple was in it, would have been mere earthly patriotism, a very questionable virtue. To wish and struggle for the growth of an external organisation called a Church, disregarding the Presence which gives it all its sanctity, is no uncommon fault in some who think that they are actuated by "zeal for the Lord," when it is a much more earthly flame that burns in them. PSALM CXXIII. 1 To Thee lift I mine eyes, O Thou that art enthroned in the heavens. 2 Behold, as the eyes of slaves are towards the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid are towards the hand of her mistress, So [are] our eyes towards Jehovah our God, Till He be gracious to us. 3 Be gracious to us, Jehovah, be gracious to us, For we are abundantly filled with contempt. 4 Abundantly is our soul filled With the scorn of them that are at ease, The contempt of the proud.