Psalms 84 · ESV Study Bible

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the LORD

PSALM 84 [†] How r lovely is your s dwelling place,

O LORD of hosts!

2 My soul t longs, yes, u faints

for the courts of the LORD;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to v the living God.

3 Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O LORD of hosts,

w my King and my God.

4 x Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever y singing your praise! Selah

5[†] Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

z in whose heart are the highways to Zion. [2]

6 As they go through the Valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

a the early rain also covers it with b pools.

7 They go c from strength to strength;

each one d appears before God in Zion.

8 O e LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;

give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

9 f Behold our g shield, O God;

look on the face of your anointed!

10[†] For a day h in your courts is better

than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be i a doorkeeper in the house of my God

than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

11 For the LORD God is j a sun and g shield;

the LORD bestows favor and honor.

k No good thing does he withhold

from those who l walk uprightly.

12 O LORD of hosts,

m blessed is the one who trusts in you!

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of n the Sons of Korah.

PSALM—NOTE ON Psalm 84. This is a psalm celebrating pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to worship at the temple. It is very much like the hymns in praise of Zion as God’s special place (e.g., Psalm 122), although this one especially focuses on the delight of going to worship there. The purpose of singing this psalm is to cultivate that delight, to open the eyes and hearts of God’s people to the staggering privilege of being a welcome guest in God’s own house, and to write deep into their souls the conviction that wickedness offers no reward that can even remotely compare to the joy and pleasure of God’s house. The psalm most likely comes from a time when the sanctuary was located in Zion (84:7), and when a king ruled and protected the pilgrims (v. 9): he is called the anointed, and is probably from David’s line (though even Saul was called “the LORD’s anointed,” 1 Sam. 24:6; however, Saul was a poor protector of the sanctuary and its personnel, 1 Sam. 22:6–19). The psalm has three parts, in each of which people are pronounced “blessed” (Ps. 84:4, 5, 12).

PSALM—NOTE ON 84:1–4 Blessed Are Those Who Dwell in God’s Courts. The song opens by describing God’s house, the central sanctuary in Jerusalem. It is lovely and delightful, because it is the Lord’s dwelling place; this is why the pious soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD: this is where the worshiper actually meets the living God—no wonder his heart and flesh sing for joy. (Israelite worship was not “quiet” or “restrained”: how could it be, if these beliefs are true?) The marvel is that God’s house is a welcoming place; if even the sparrow finds a home there, and the swallow too, then the humble and faithful Israelite need not fear that God will turn him away. those who dwell in your house. These are people with constant access to the sanctuary (see note on 23:5–6); they are ever singing God’s praise because they can attend the services so readily. Such people are blessed, truly happy (see note on 1:1).