Psalm chapter 24
English Standard Version
1 The earth is the Lord 's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, 2for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. 3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah
New International Version
2for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters. 3Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?
4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. 5They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior.
6Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob. 7Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory.
New American Standard Bible
1The earth is the Lord’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who live in it. 2For He has founded it upon the seas And established it upon the rivers. 3Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? 4One who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to deceit And has not sworn deceitfully. 5He will receive a blessing from the Lord And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face— even Jacob. Selah 7Lift up your heads, you gates, And be lifted up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 8Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, you gates, And lift them up, you ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! 10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of armies, He is the King of glory. Selah
Christian Standard Bible
2for he laid its foundation on the seas and established it on the rivers. 3Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. 5He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 7Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in.
New Living Translation
1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 2For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.
3Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. 5They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior.
King James Version
New King James Version
1{A Psalm of David.} The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.
What does Psalm chapter 24 mean?
In this psalm King David extols God as the eternal King, the Lord of hosts. This psalm has traditionally been associated with David's relocation of the ark of the covenant, from the house of Obed-edom to Mount Zion (2 Samuel 6). A procession would have accompanied the ark with singing and music (1 Chronicles 15:2–28). Likely, the psalm was composed for a choir. The people at worship or a chorus would sing the first two verses, and a leader asked the questions starting in verse 3.David writes that the Lord owns the earth and everything in the earth and on it, including human beings. The "fullness" of earth is a reference to all of humanity. As the one who created the world and established its form, God is rightfully considered the Master of everyone and everything (Psalm 24:1–2).
Only the righteous can properly worship the Lord in His house. This involves having pure motives, a truthful approach, and hands which are not stained with evil. David writes that those who lead a righteous life will receive blessing from God (Psalm 24:3–6).
Calling out to the entire city of Jerusalem, David cries out for the city gates to swing open so the King of glory can enter Jerusalem. In Hebrew the exact same phrasing used in verse 7 is repeated in verse 9, emphasizing the poetry and importance of that moment. This psalm describes God as strong and mighty, mighty in battle and the Lord of hosts (Psalm 24:7–10).
