The imagery of unity shifts from the anointing oil, which represents the priesthood, to the refreshing dew, which symbolizes kingship and leadership. Just as dew falls gently each day to nourish the crops that sustain human life—rather than washing them away in a destructive downpour—a king's rule should be moderate, honest, and pleasant. This gentle, life-giving moisture also serves as a symbol for the future redemption [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, מאירי].
A geographic puzzle arises regarding the vast physical distance between Mount Hermon and the mountains of Zion, prompting the question of how dew from Hermon could fall so far to the south. One approach resolves this by reading the thought as a dual comparison: the pleasantness of unity is like the dew of Mount Hermon, and it is also like the dew that falls on the mountains of Zion [אבן עזרא, רד״ק]. Hermon is highlighted because it is a towering, arid mountain where dew is exceptionally abundant and noticeable. The pleasant reality of a proper royal government in Zion is thus compared to the refreshing nature of the dew on Hermon [מאירי].
Another perspective views this imagery as a miraculous flow of divine abundance. Just as moisture and dew travel from the high, rain-soaked peaks of Hermon down to the lower, drier hills of Zion [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ], God's blessings descend first upon the king, who then channels them to the people [מצודת דוד]. In this view, blessings sometimes arrive at one location solely to be passed on to their ultimate destination. Hermon receives the dew not for its own benefit, but to transfer it to Zion. This mirrors a person who is granted material wealth specifically to support those dedicated to spiritual study, thereby earning a share in eternity [מלבי״ם].
A contrasting approach views Hermon and Zion as opposite states of blessing. Mount Hermon is a snowy peak where dew is essentially wasted, failing to make anything grow. However, when there is true unity among the people, the dew is not lost on the barren heights of Hermon but is instead directed as a fruitful blessing upon Zion. This state of harmony is likened to the perfect, blessed union of a married couple [אלשיך].
Ultimately, God commanded His blessing to rest specifically in Zion. As the seat of kingship and the home of a perfected people, Zion is the focal point of divine favor [רד״ק, מאירי]. This ultimate blessing is granted as life everlasting. In contrast to the purely physical and temporary existence represented by Hermon, the life bestowed in Zion is eternal [מלבי״ם]. The primary approach among commentators is that this promise of enduring life points directly to the eternal existence of the World to Come.