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Wisdom & Poetry · Old Testament

Psalms 24

Psalm 24: the earth is the Lord's and the King of glory comes in

General context

The psalm declares that the earth and its fulness, the world and its inhabitants, are the Lord's, because he founded it on the seas and established it on the floods. It asks who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place, and answers: one with clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to vanity or sworn deceitfully; he will receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This, it says, is the generation of those who seek him, who seek thy face, O Jacob, followed by Selah. The gates are then commanded to lift up their heads and the everlasting doors to be lifted up so that the King of glory may come in. A question asks who this King of glory is, and the answer is the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. The command to the gates is repeated, the question is asked again, and the final answer is the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory, followed by Selah.

Cited passages: Psalms 24:1, Psalms 24:2, Psalms 24:3, Psalms 24:4, Psalms 24:5, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 24:7, Psalms 24:8, Psalms 24:9, Psalms 24:10

Psalms 24 (KJV)

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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The text as printed carries no heading, so no author or occasion is stated in this source. The psalm does not identify who asks and who answers its questions, and it gives no narrator. "The hill of the Lord" and "his holy place" are named without location, and the gates and everlasting doors are addressed without being identified as belonging to any city or building. Verse 6 addresses "O Jacob" directly; the English wording, "that seek thy face, O Jacob", is the source's reading, and the text does not explain how Jacob is the one whose face is sought. "The Lord of hosts" is the final title, and "mighty in battle" describes him without naming any battle. Selah stands after verses 6 and 10. The question of verse 3 resembles the opening of Psalm 15, "who shall dwell in thy holy hill?", and the answer there also concerns conduct and oaths.

Cited passages: Psalms 24:3, Psalms 24:7, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 24:10, Psalms 24:8, Psalms 15:1

Literary context

The psalm has three parts that differ in form. Verses 1-2 are a declaration about the earth with a reason. Verses 3-6 are a question and answer about who may ascend, closing with Selah. Verses 7-10 are a command, a question and an answer, spoken twice with small changes: "be ye lift up" becomes "even lift them up", and "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle" becomes "The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory". Repetition with variation gives the ending its shape, and the question "Who is this King of glory?" is asked twice so that the name is given twice. The earlier question, who shall ascend, concerns a person going up; the later one concerns the King coming in, so movement runs both ways through the poem. Hands and heart, soul and oath are the terms of the first answer; strength, battle and hosts are the terms of the second. The gates are personified with heads to lift.

Cited passages: Psalms 24:1, Psalms 24:9, Psalms 24:8, Psalms 24:10, Psalms 24:4, Psalms 24:7

Key moments

  1. The earth is the Lord's (Psalms 24:1). The psalm declares that the earth, the world and its inhabitants belong to the Lord.
  2. Who shall ascend? (Psalms 24:3). It asks who may go up the hill of the Lord and stand in his holy place.
  3. Clean hands, pure heart (Psalms 24:4). The answer names clean hands, a pure heart, and no deceitful oath.
  4. Lift up your heads, O gates (Psalms 24:7). The gates are commanded to lift up so the King of glory may enter.
  5. Who is this King of glory? (Psalms 24:8). The question is answered: the Lord strong and mighty in battle.
  6. The Lord of hosts (Psalms 24:10). The repeated question ends with the Lord of hosts named as the King of glory.

For reflection

The psalm asks first who may go up to the Lord's hill and then commands the gates to open for the Lord to come in; how do the two directions of movement fit together in one poem?

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