Who Shall Dwell in Your Sanctuary
Psalm 15 summary: what it means
Psalm 15 is built as a question and an answer. Verse 1 asks who may dwell in God's sanctuary and live on his holy hill. The rest of the psalm answers by describing a person, not a ritual. That person walks blamelessly, does what is right and speaks truth in his heart. The list then turns to speech, friendship, promises and money, the ordinary places where honesty is tested.
Nothing in the answer mentions sacrifice or ceremony. Almost every item is about honesty and how a person treats others: no slander, no harm to a friend, keeping an oath even when it hurts, no usury, no bribe against the innocent. The psalm ends with a promise rather than another rule: the one who does these things shall never be shaken.
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Psalm 15: Who Shall Dwell in Your Sanctuary
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-15
Psalm 15 commentary: explained verse by verse
LORD, who shall dwell in your sanctuary?Who shall live on your holy hill?
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
The psalm opens with two parallel questions about who may live in God's presence, in his sanctuary and on his holy hill. The rest of the psalm is the answer, so this verse frames everything that follows.
Also read Revelation 21:3-4, Psalm 2:6, Psalm 43:3-4, John 14:3
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right,and speaks truth in his heart;
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
The first answer is broad: a person who walks blamelessly, does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart. Truth here reaches past what is said to what is meant, so honesty starts before any words are spoken.
Also read Isaiah 63:8, Colossians 3:9, Acts 10:35, Psalm 84:11
he who doesn’t slander with his tongue,nor does evil to his friend,nor casts slurs against his fellow man;
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
This verse is about speech and neighbors. The person described does not slander, does not do evil to a friend, and does not cast slurs against others, so the harm the tongue can do is named three ways.
Also read Romans 13:10, 1 Samuel 24:11, Romans 1:30, James 4:11
in whose eyes a vile man is despised,but who honors those who fear the LORD;he who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn’t change;
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
Here the person's values line up with God's: a vile man is despised in his eyes, and those who fear the LORD are honored. The verse also praises someone who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change it once the cost is clear.
Also read Acts 28:10, Acts 24:2-3, Daniel 5:17-31, 2 Kings 3:13-14
he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury,nor take a bribe against the innocent.He who does these things shall never be shaken.
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
The last test is money. The person does not lend at usury and does not take a bribe against the innocent. The psalm then gives its promise: whoever does these things shall never be shaken.
Also read Matthew 27:3-5, Matthew 7:21-25, Micah 7:3, Nehemiah 5:2-5
A prayer from Psalm 15
LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary and live on your holy hill? Teach me to walk blamelessly, to do what is right, and to speak truth in my heart. Keep my tongue from slander. Keep me from harming my friend or casting slurs on my neighbor. Help me honor those who fear you. Give me the steadiness to keep my word even when it hurts. Keep me honest with money, and never let me take a bribe against the innocent. Let me not be shaken. Amen.
Psalm 15 Bible study questions
- Verse 1 asks two questions; how do verses 2 to 5 answer them?
- In verse 3, what three things does the person who lives on God's holy hill not do?
- Verse 4 speaks of keeping an oath even when it hurts; when have you found a promise costly to keep?
- Most of the qualities in this psalm concern how people treat each other; what does that suggest to you about coming near to God?
- Psalm 15:1 and Psalm 24:3 ask almost the same question; how do the answers in the two psalms compare?
Questions about Psalm 15
What is Psalm 15 about?
It asks who may live in God's presence and answers with a portrait of a person of integrity: truthful, loyal to friends, faithful to promises and honest with money.
Who wrote Psalm 15?
The heading reads A Psalm by David, so it attributes the psalm to David. The text does not give an occasion.
What does Psalm 15:1 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?"
What does Psalm 15:3 mean?
It describes someone who does not slander with the tongue, does no evil to a friend and casts no slurs against a neighbor. The verse is about the damage words can do to the people nearest to us.
What does Psalm 15:5 mean?
It closes the list with two money matters, lending at usury and taking a bribe against the innocent, then promises that the person who does these things shall never be shaken. The KJV reads "He that doeth these things shall never be moved."
How many verses are in Psalm 15?
Psalm 15 has five verses, so there is no Psalm 15:13 or 15:16. Those references usually belong to another book, such as John 15 or Romans 15.
Psalm 15 KJV: the King James Version
LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?1
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.2
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.3
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.4
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.5
Psalm 15 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְ֭הֹוָה מִי־יָג֣וּר בְּאָהֳלֶ֑ךָ מִֽי־יִ֝שְׁכֹּ֗ן בְּהַ֣ר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ׃
2 הוֹלֵ֣ךְ תָּ֭מִים וּפֹעֵ֥ל צֶ֑דֶק וְדֹבֵ֥ר אֱ֝מֶ֗ת בִּלְבָבֽוֹ׃
3 לֹֽא־רָגַ֨ל ׀ עַל־לְשֹׁנ֗וֹ לֹא־עָשָׂ֣ה לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה לֹא־נָשָׂ֥א עַל־קְרֹֽבוֹ׃
4 נִבְזֶ֤ה ׀ בְּֽעֵ֘ינָ֤יו נִמְאָ֗ס וְאֶת־יִרְאֵ֣י יְהוָ֣ה יְכַבֵּ֑ד נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לְ֝הָרַ֗ע וְלֹ֣א יָמִֽר׃
5 כַּסְפּ֤וֹ ׀ לֹא־נָתַ֣ן בְּנֶשֶׁךְ֮ וְשֹׁ֥חַד עַל־נָקִ֗י לֹ֥א לָ֫קָ֥ח עֹֽשֵׂה־אֵ֑לֶּה לֹ֖א יִמּ֣וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃
Psalm 15 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 14 there.
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1 A psalm of David. Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? or who shall rest in thy holy hill?
2 He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice:
3 He that speaketh truth in his heart, who hath not used deceit in his tongue: Nor hath done evil to his neighbour: nor taken up a reproach against his neighbours.
4 In his sight the malignant is brought to nothing: but he glorifieth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth not;
5 He that hath not put out his money to usury, nor taken bribes against the innocent: He that doth these things shall not be moved for ever.
Psalm 15 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 14.
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1 Psalmus David. Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo? aut quis requiescet in monte sancto tuo?
2 Qui ingreditur sine macula, et operatur justitiam;
3 qui loquitur veritatem in corde suo: qui non egit dolum in lingua sua, nec fecit proximo suo malum, et opprobrium non accepit adversus proximos suos.
4 Ad nihilum deductus est in conspectu ejus malignus; timentes autem Dominum glorificat. Qui jurat proximo suo, et non decipit;
5 qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad usuram, et munera super innocentem non accepit: qui facit hæc non movebitur in æternum.
Printable Psalm 15: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 15 at a glance
| Verses | 5 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm by David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David. |
| Type | Wisdom |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 14 |
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Psalm 15 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 15 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 15 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 1 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source