Single lesson
Psalm 122: Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
Psalms 122:1–9
Psalm 122 is a joyful prayer-song about going to Jerusalem, giving thanks to Yahweh, and asking for peace. Children can trace how the words move from glad arrival, to reasons for the city’s importance, to a prayer for its good.
Before you teach
In these verses, the speaker begins with gladness about going to Yahweh’s house and standing in Jerusalem. The psalm describes Jerusalem as a gathered city where the tribes go up to give thanks to Yahweh’s name, where thrones for judgment stand, and then calls for prayer for Jerusalem’s peace and good.
Students will identify the psalm’s movement from joy, to description, to prayer, and explain from the verses why the speaker seeks Jerusalem’s peace.
Welcome: Hear the joy at the start
5 minBegin by reading Psalm 122:1-2 aloud twice. Ask the children to listen for feeling words and place words. Point out that the speaker is glad to go to Yahweh’s house and says, “Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem!” This opens the psalm with joy and arrival.
Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:2
Read and explain: Why Jerusalem matters in this psalm
8 minRead verses 3-5. Explain that Jerusalem is described as “compact together”, a joined city. The tribes go up there according to an ordinance for Israel, and they go to give thanks to Yahweh’s name. The psalm also says thrones for judgment are there, the thrones of David’s house.
Psalms 122:3, Psalms 122:4, Psalms 122:5
Discuss: What does the prayer ask for?
6 minRead verses 6-7 and list the repeated words on paper: pray, peace, Jerusalem, walls, prosperity, palaces. Help children notice that the psalm directly tells people to pray for Jerusalem’s peace. The wording asks for peace within the city and prosperity within its palaces.
Psalms 122:6, Psalms 122:7
Make and respond: An illustrated peace prayer card
7 minChildren make a small card with three parts from the psalm: gladness about going, a picture of the city, and a short prayer for peace. Encourage them to copy one phrase exactly from the verses and draw matching images. Remind them that this activity is our response to the psalm’s words.
Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:6, Psalms 122:7, Psalms 122:9
Closing: Why the speaker seeks Jerusalem’s good
4 minFinish with verses 8-9. Explain that the speaker gives two reasons for saying, “Peace be within you”: for brothers and companions, and for the sake of the house of Yahweh our God. Invite children to say those two reasons back in their own words before ending.
Psalms 122:8, Psalms 122:9
Questions to explore
What changes between verse 1 and verse 6 in the way the speaker talks?
In verse 1 the speaker is glad about going to Yahweh’s house, and in verse 6 the speaker tells people to pray for Jerusalem’s peace.
Psalms 122:1, Psalms 122:6
According to the psalm, why do the tribes go up to Jerusalem?
Verse 4 says they go up according to an ordinance for Israel and to give thanks to Yahweh’s name.
Psalms 122:4
What two reasons does the speaker give for seeking Jerusalem’s good?
Verses 8-9 point to brothers and companions, and to the house of Yahweh our God.
Psalms 122:8, Psalms 122:9
Make, think or respond
Illustrated Peace Prayer Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or crayons
- marker
- Bible
Try it together
- Fold or divide a piece of paper into three spaces.
- In the first space, write or copy a joyful phrase from verse 1 or 2 and draw it.
- In the second space, draw the city and add a word or phrase from verses 3-5.
- In the third space, copy a peace prayer from verses 6-9 and decorate it.
- Share the card with the group and explain which part of the psalm it shows.
The card follows the movement of Psalm 122 from gladness, to the city’s importance, to prayer for peace and good.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, offer two short phrases to copy, such as “Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!” and “Peace be within you.”
- For older children, ask them to label each card section with one theme: joy, thanksgiving, judgment, peace, or seeking good.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “Yahweh our God, thank you for this psalm. Teach us to notice its joy, its thanks, and its prayer for peace. Help us speak words that seek good for others. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 122
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let’s go to Yahweh’s house!”
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together,
4 where the tribes go up, even Yah’s tribes, according to an ordinance for Israel, to give thanks to Yahweh’s name.
5 For there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of David’s house.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Those who love you will prosper.
7 Peace be within your walls, and prosperity within your palaces.
8 For my brothers’ and companions’ sakes, I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of Yahweh our God, I will seek your good.
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.