Lyrics
Chorus 1
Hineh ma tov u'na'im
Shevet achim gam yachad
Chorus 2
Hineh ma tov
Hineh ma tov
Lai, lai, lai
Verse 1
It's like precious oil flowing
Down the beard of Aharon
From the top of his head
To the edge of his robe
Hineh, hineh ma tov
Verse 2
It's like the dew of Hermon descending
Upon the mountains of Zion
For there, the Lord commanded blessing
Life forevermore
Tag
Behold how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Hineh Ma Tov (Psalm 133)" sets the psalm's Hebrew text directly to music, opening with its well-known declaration that it is good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity. Repeating that Hebrew phrase as its central chorus, the song treats unity itself as the subject of celebration rather than commenting on it from a distance.
Its verses draw on the psalm's two central images, oil poured on Aaron's head and running down his robe, and dew descending from Hermon onto the mountains of Zion, both pictures of blessing flowing outward and downward from a single source. The tag translates the Hebrew refrain into English, closing the song with a plain restatement of its opening claim about unity's goodness.
Performed live in Jerusalem, the song functions as a direct musical setting of Scripture rather than an original composition built around personal testimony. Its structure, alternating Hebrew declaration with English verses, keeps the psalm's ancient language at the center while making its meaning accessible to a wider audience gathered around the same theme of unity.
Related Scripture
- Psalm 133:1-3 The psalm the song sets directly to music, describing unity among brothers as good and pleasant, pictured through oil and dew.
- Exodus 30:30 Describes the anointing of Aaron with oil, the image echoed in the song's first verse.