Psalms 84:1-4

Context

Psalm 84¹

For the music director; according to the gittith style;² written by the Korahites, a psalm.

84:1 How lovely is the place where you live,³

O Lord who rules over all!⁴

84:2 I desperately want to be⁵

in the courts of the Lord’s temple.⁶

My heart and my entire being⁷ shout for joy

to the living God.

84:3 Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow⁸ builds a nest,

where she can protect her young⁹

near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,

my king and my God.

84:4 How blessed¹⁰ are those who live in your temple

and praise you continually! (Selah)

[84:1] ¹sn Psalm 84. The psalmist expresses his desire to be in God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple, for the Lord is the protector of his people.

[84:1] ²tn The precise meaning of the Hebrew term הַגִּתִּית (haggittit) is uncertain; it probably refers to a musical style or instrument.

[84:1] ³tn Or “your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 132:5, 7).

[84:1] ⁴tn Traditionally, “Lord of hosts.” The title draws attention to God’s sovereign position (see Ps 69:6).

[84:2] ⁵tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”

[84:2] ⁶tn Heb “the courts of the Lord” (see Ps 65:4).

[84:2] ⁷tn Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.

[84:3] ⁸tn The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.

[84:3] ⁹tn Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.”

[84:4] ¹⁰tn The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).