Psalms 24:5-10

24:5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, 1 

and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 2 

24:6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor,

Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. 3  (Selah)

24:7 Look up, 4  you gates!

Rise up, 5  you eternal doors!

Then the majestic king 6  will enter! 7 

24:8 Who is this majestic king? 8 

The Lord who is strong and mighty!

The Lord who is mighty in battle!

24:9 Look up, you gates!

Rise up, you eternal doors!

Then the majestic king will enter!

24:10 Who is this majestic king?

The Lord who commands armies! 9 

He is the majestic king! (Selah)

1 tn Heb “he (the righteous individual described in v. 4) lifts up a blessing from the Lord.” The singular subject is representative here, as v. 6 makes clear. The referent (godly people like the individual in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The imperfect verbal form is generalizing; such people are typically rewarded for their deeds.

2 tn “and vindication from the God of his deliverance.”

3 tn Heb “this [is the] generation of the ones seeking him, the ones seeking your face, Jacob.” To “seek the Lord’s face” means to seek his favor through prayer (see 2 Sam 21:1; Pss 27:8; 105:4).

4 tn Heb “lift up your heads.” The gates of the Lord’s dwelling place are here personified. The idiom “lift up the head” often means “be confident, bold” (see Judg 8:28; Job 10:15; Ps 83:2; Zech 1:21).

5 tn Heb “lift yourselves up.”

6 tn Or “king of glory.”

7 tn Following the imperatives of the preceding lines, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.

8 sn Who is this majestic king? Perhaps the personified gates/doors ask this question, in response to the command given in v. 7.

9 tn Traditionally, “the Lord of hosts,” a title which here pictures the Lord as a mighty warrior-king who leads armies into battle.