Exodus 15:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In a similar manner, we are invited to ascend and experience the presence of the Lord on the holy mountain, which from the humble stone that Daniel beheld expanded to encompass the entire earth (Dan. 2:34-35). This is the sacred abode of God, the divine temple that constitutes His sanctuary, created by Him. The apostle affirms that the temple of God is sacred, and you are that temple (1 Cor. 3:17). To clarify that this does not pertain to the temporary temple in earthly Jerusalem, it should be noted that it signifies the everlasting kingdom, which represents God's eternal inheritance, the everlasting Jerusalem. As it is written: Which (dwelling or inheritance) Thy hands have made, O Lord!

You shall place me upon the mountain of Your inheritance, specifically in the territory of the Canaanites. You, O Lord, have solidified the sanctuary in Jerusalem as Your dwelling. Strengthen it, O Lord, by Your hands, that it may stand steadfast at Your word.

The poet likens the people of Israel to a plant that has been uprooted and repositioned. Similarly, in Psalm 79 (9-12), this nation is depicted as a vine that the Lord removed from Egypt, subsequently planted in a prepared area within Canaan, overshadowing its mountains, with its branches extending toward the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River. In this context, Moses, the song leader, petitions the Lord to bring the Israelites into His rightful inheritance, which explicitly refers to the temple mountain, Moriah. Recognized as the Lord’s possession, this mountain became a sacred site from the time of Abraham. Though the Israelites were established throughout the Promised Land, the essence of their identity as God's chosen and consecrated people was deeply rooted in the temple mount.

The focus of the divinely inspired poet is not primarily on the conquest of Palestine but rather on the establishment of God's people in His holy presence. Just as the planting of vines anticipates a bountiful harvest for the grower, Moses petitions that the people be settled "on the mountain of the Lord's possession, in the place of the sanctuary of the Lord." His fervent wish for the people is that they embody a community worthy of divine selection, understanding that if they remain steadfast in their devotion to the Lord, they will also be blessed with worldly greatness.