The closing benediction Shalom al-Yisra'el is verbatim identical to the ending of Ps. 125, forming a deliberate liturgical bracket within the Songs of Ascents (Pss. 120–134) and suggesting these psalms were sung as a unified collection on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Shalom is far richer than 'peace'—it encompasses wholeness, relational harmony, material well-being, and the complete restoration of all that is broken. The psalm closes by embedding the individual household blessing within the grand story of Israel, insisting that the personal and national are never separable in Hebrew covenant thought. F.O.G. retains 'Shalom' untranslated to honor its full semantic range; F.O.G.M. uses 'Peace' as its liturgically resonant and memorable English equivalent.

The closing benediction Shalom al-Yisra'el is verbatim identical to the ending of Ps. 125, forming a deliberate liturgical bracket within the Songs of Ascents (Pss. 120–134) and suggesting these psalms were sung as a unified collection on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Shalom is far richer than 'peace'—it encompasses wholeness, relational harmony, material well-being, and the complete restoration of all that is broken. The psalm closes by embedding the individual household blessing within the grand story of Israel, insisting that the personal and national are never separable in Hebrew covenant thought. F.O.G. retains 'Shalom' untranslated to honor its full semantic range; F.O.G.M. uses 'Peace' as its liturgically resonant and memorable English equivalent.