Psalms — Chapter 24

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1A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein.

2For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

3Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?

4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.

5He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from the God of his salvation.

6Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!

8Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!

10Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts—He is the King of Glory. Selah

1The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

8Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.

10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

1The earth is Jehovah`s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.

2For he hath founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the floods.

3Who shall ascend into the hill of Jehovah? And who shall stand in his holy place?

4He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood, And hath not sworn deceitfully.

5He shall receive a blessing from Jehovah, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6This is the generation of them that seek after him, That seek thy face, [even] Jacob. Selah

7Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in.

8Who is the King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in.

10Who is this King of glory? Jehovah of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah Psalm 25 [A Psalm] of David.

1A psalm of David. The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it.

2For he set its foundation upon the seas, and established it upon the ocean currents.

3Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?

4The one whose deeds are blameless and whose motives are pure, who does not lie, or make promises with no intention of keeping them.

5Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them.

6Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor, Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. (Selah)

7Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors. Then the majestic king will enter.

8Who is this majestic king? The Lord who is strong and mighty. The Lord who is mighty in battle.

9Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors. Then the majestic king will enter.

10Who is this majestic king? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He is the majestic king. (Selah)

1The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein.

2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.

3Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?

4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.

5He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh, righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.

7Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.

8Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.

9Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.

10Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

A royal and liturgical psalm likely used in temple worship. It opens by declaring that the earth and everything in it belong to the LORD, since he founded it upon the seas (vv. 1-2). It then asks who may ascend God's holy hill, answering that it is the one with clean hands and a pure heart, who does not chase false things or swear deceitfully, and such a person receives blessing from God (vv. 3-5). The psalm closes with a dramatic call for the gates to lift up so the King of glory may enter, repeating the question of his identity and answering that he is the LORD, strong and mighty in battle, the LORD of hosts himself (vv. 7-10).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Entrance Liturgy / Hymn of Praise / Messianic
Attributed Author: David — "A Psalm of David"
Key Themes: God's universal ownership, entrance requirements for worship, the King of Glory entering His gates, God as warrior-king, the LORD of hosts
Historical Context: Psalm 24 completes the trilogy of Psalms 22-24 (Cross, Shepherd, Crown). It may have been composed for the Ark's procession into Jerusalem (2 Sam 6:12-15) — the dramatic moment when the Ark approached the gates of Zion. The psalm has a responsive/antiphonal structure suggesting liturgical use: one group asks "Who shall ascend?" (v.3); another answers (vv.4-5); a processional voice cries "Lift up your heads, O gates!" (v.7); gatekeepers respond "Who is this King of glory?" (v.8); and the answer thunders: "The LORD strong and mighty!" This is also prophetically applied to Christ's ascension and His future return in glory.
The Earth Is the LORD's (vv.1-2): The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. Paul quotes the verse twice in 1 Corinthians 10 to settle a question about food. The ground of the claim is given as construction, for he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods, which uses the imagery of the surrounding creation stories and assigns the outcome to one builder.
Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the LORD (vv.3-6): Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD, or who shall stand in his holy place. The question of Psalm 15:1 asked again, and the answer here is shorter and arranged by body part, he that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity. Then the promise, he shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation, so what the qualified person receives is described as given rather than earned.
Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates (vv.7-10): Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. The passage is built as an exchange, almost certainly sung antiphonally as a procession arrived at the sanctuary: a summons, then a challenge from inside, who is this King of glory, then an answer, the LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. The whole thing repeats with a different answer the second time, the LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory, so the question is asked twice and answered twice, and the psalm ends on the title rather than on the entry.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 24 | Who Can Enter God's Presence? | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 24 - The Great and Sovereign God
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Everything Belongs to God (v.1) — The psalm opens by declaring that the earth and everything in it belongs to the LORD. Do you live as if your possessions, time, and relationships ultimately belong to God rather than to you?
  • Clean Hands and a Pure Heart (v.4) — Approaching God requires integrity both in action and in motive, not one without the other. Which is harder for you to keep aligned, your outward behavior or your inward motives?
  • Expanding Your View of God (v.7) — The gates are called to lift up their heads because the King of glory is too great to fit through as they are. Is your understanding of God large enough, or do you need to expand your expectations of who He is?