Psalms — Chapter 84
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1For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of Hosts!
2My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young near Your altars, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God.
4How blessed are those who dwell in Your house! They are ever praising You. Selah
5Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; even the autumn rain covers it with pools.
7They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
8O LORD God of Hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah
9Take notice of our shield, O God, and look with favor on the face of Your anointed.
10For better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
12O LORD of Hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!
1How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
2My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
3Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
4Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
5Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
6Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
7They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
8O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
9Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
1How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts!
2My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of Jehovah; My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God.
3Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, Even thine altars, O Jehovah of hosts, My King, and my God.
4Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: They will be still praising thee. Selah
5Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; In whose heart are the highways [to Zion].
6Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs; Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings.
7They go from strength to strength; Every one of them appeareth before God in Zion.
8O Jehovah God of hosts, hear my prayer; Give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah
9Behold, O God our shield, And look upon the face of thine anointed.
10For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield: Jehovah will give grace and glory; No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
12O Jehovah of hosts, Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. Psalm 85 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1For the music director, according to the gittith style; written by the Korahites, a psalm. How lovely is the place where you live, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies!
2I desperately want to be in the courts of the Lord’s temple. My heart and my entire being shout for joy to the living God.
3Even the birds find a home there, and the swallow builds a nest where she can protect her young near your altars, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God.
4How blessed are those who live in your temple and praise you continually. (Selah)
5How blessed are those who find their strength in you and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple.
6As they pass through the Baca Valley, he provides a spring for them. The rain even covers it with pools of water.
7They are sustained as they travel along; each one appears before God in Zion.
8O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. (Selah)
9O God, take notice of our shield. Show concern for your chosen king.
10Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better than spending a thousand elsewhere. I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God than live in the tents of the wicked.
11For the Lord God is our sovereign protector. The Lord bestows favor and honor; he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.
12O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, how blessed are those who trust in you.
1How lovely are your dwellings, Yahweh of Armies!
2My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of Yahweh. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
3Yes, the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young, near your altars, Yahweh of Armies, my King, and my God.
4Blessed are those who dwell in your house. They are always praising you. Selah.
5Blessed are those whose strength is in you; who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
6Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs. Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
7They go from strength to strength. Everyone of them appears before God in Zion.
8Yahweh, God of Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, God of Jacob. Selah.
9Behold, God our shield, look at the face of your anointed.
10For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
12Yahweh of Armies, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
Summary
A pilgrimage psalm expressing deep affection for God's dwelling place, the psalmist's soul faints with longing for the courts of the LORD, even envying the sparrows and swallows that nest near the altar (vv. 1-4). He describes the blessing of those who journey toward Zion, finding strength renewed and even hardship transformed into refreshment along the way (vv. 5-7). The psalm turns to prayer for God's anointed king, expressing that a single day in God's courts is worth more than a thousand anywhere else (vv. 8-10). It closes with confidence that the LORD is a sun and shield who withholds no good thing from those who walk uprightly, declaring blessed everyone who simply trusts in him (vv. 11-12).
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Zion (v.7): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
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
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
- Longing for God With Your Whole Being (v.2) — The psalmist describes his soul, heart, and flesh all crying out for God's courts, not just his mind or his schedule. Does your pursuit of God involve your whole self, or just the parts that are convenient?
- Turning Weeping Into Springs (v.6) — Pilgrims passing through the dry Valley of Baca find it transformed into a place of springs simply by passing through it in faith. What hard season are you walking through right now that God could turn into a source of refreshment for others?
- From Strength to Strength (v.7) — Rather than draining the pilgrims, the journey toward God actually builds their strength as they go. If your walk with God feels like it's wearing you out rather than building you up, is something off about the direction you're headed?
- One Day With God Outweighs a Thousand Elsewhere (v.10) — The psalmist would rather be a doorkeeper in God's house than dwell comfortably among the wicked. Are you chasing comfort or status in places that pull you away from God's presence?
- God Withholds No Good Thing From the Upright (v.11) — The psalm closes with confidence that God gives every good thing to those who walk uprightly. When God hasn't given you something you want, can you trust that His timing or His "no" is still for your good?