The Earth Is the LORD's
Psalm 24 summary: what it means
Psalm 24 moves in three steps. It opens by claiming the whole earth and everyone in it for the LORD, who founded it on the seas. Then it asks who may go up the LORD's hill and stand in his holy place. The answer is a person with clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul to falsehood or sworn deceitfully. Such people receive blessing and are called the generation that seeks God's face.
The last part is a call and response. The gates and everlasting doors are told to lift up their heads so the King of glory can come in. Twice the question is asked, who is the King of glory, and twice it is answered: the LORD, strong and mighty in battle, and then the LORD of Armies.
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Psalm 24: The Earth Is the LORD's
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-24
Psalm 24 commentary: explained verse by verse
The earth is the LORD’s, with its fullness;the world, and those who dwell in it.
The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
The psalm begins with ownership. The earth, everything that fills it, and everyone who lives in it belong to the LORD. Nothing is left outside that claim.
Also read Exodus 19:5, 1 Corinthians 10:26, Job 41:11, Psalm 89:11
For he has founded it on the seas,and established it on the floods.
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
The reason given for the ownership is that God made it. He founded the earth on the seas and established it on the floods. The maker is the owner.
Also read Genesis 1:9-10, Psalm 93:1, Psalm 104:5-6, Job 38:8-11
Who may ascend to the LORD’s hill?Who may stand in his holy place?
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
Two questions ask who may go up to the LORD's hill and stand in his holy place. The psalm narrows from the whole world to one holy place, and from God's ownership to human access.
Also read Psalm 68:15-16, Ephesians 4:8-10, Leviticus 10:3, Psalm 15:1
He who has clean hands and a pure heart;who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood,and has not sworn deceitfully.
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
The answer covers actions and inner life together: clean hands and a pure heart. It adds two specific tests, not lifting the soul to falsehood and not swearing deceitfully. Honesty is at the centre of the answer.
Also read Isaiah 1:15-16, Psalm 26:6, Psalm 51:10, 1 Timothy 2:8
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,righteousness from the God of his salvation.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
The person described in verse 4 receives a blessing from the LORD. He also receives righteousness from the God of his salvation, so what he has is given by God. The verse describes the result of seeking God honestly.
Also read Philippians 3:9, Titus 2:10-14, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Corinthians 1:30
This is the generation of those who seek Him,who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.
Those who meet the standard are called the generation of those who seek God's face. The verse names them as a group, even Jacob, tying them to the people of Israel. It ends with Selah, which the text does not explain.
Also read Romans 4:16, Isaiah 53:10, John 1:47, Psalm 27:8
Lift up your heads, you gates!Be lifted up, you everlasting doors,and the King of glory will come in.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
The scene changes to a procession. The gates are told to lift up their heads and the everlasting doors to be lifted up, so the King of glory can come in. The gates are spoken to as if they were people.
Also read Haggai 2:7, Malachi 3:1, 1 Kings 8:6, Psalm 21:5
Who is the King of glory?The LORD strong and mighty,the LORD mighty in battle.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
A voice asks who the King of glory is. The answer is the LORD, strong and mighty, mighty in battle. The king entering is God himself, described as a victor.
Also read Revelation 19:11-21, Colossians 2:15, Isaiah 63:1-6, Psalm 50:1
Lift up your heads, you gates;yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors,and the King of glory will come in.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
The command to the gates is repeated almost word for word. The repetition gives this section the shape of a call and response. It builds toward the final answer.
Who is this King of glory?The LORD of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.
The question comes a second time, and the answer is fuller: the LORD of Armies is the King of glory. The psalm ends on that title and a closing Selah.
Also read Isaiah 54:5, John 14:9, John 12:40, Psalm 2:6-12
A prayer from Psalm 24
LORD, the earth is yours, with all its fullness, the world and everyone who lives in it. You founded it on the seas and set it firm on the waters. Who may climb your hill or stand in your holy place? Give me clean hands and a pure heart. Keep me from lifting up my soul to what is false and from swearing deceitfully. Let me be among those who seek you and seek your face. King of glory, strong and mighty, LORD of Armies, I want the gates and doors of my life to be open to you. Come in. Amen.
Psalm 24 Bible study questions
- In verses 1 and 2, what does the psalm say belongs to the LORD, and what reason does it give?
- In verses 3 and 4, what question is asked, and what marks of the person who may stand in the holy place are listed?
- As you read verse 4, what might clean hands and a pure heart look like in ordinary daily life?
- Verses 7 to 10 call on gates and doors to lift up their heads for the King of glory; what picture does that scene create for you?
- Psalm 15:1 asks who shall live on the LORD's holy hill, much like Psalm 24:3; how do the two answers compare?
Questions about Psalm 24
What does Psalm 24 mean?
It says the whole earth belongs to the LORD, asks who may stand in his holy place, and answers that it is those with clean hands and a pure heart. It ends with the gates opening for the King of glory, who is the LORD.
What do Psalm 24:3 and 4 mean?
Verse 3 asks who may go up to the LORD's hill and stand in his holy place. Verse 4 answers: someone with clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted his soul to falsehood or sworn deceitfully.
Who is the King of glory in Psalm 24?
The psalm answers its own question twice. In verse 8 he is the LORD, strong and mighty in battle, and in verse 10 he is the LORD of Armies.
What does Psalm 24:7 mean?
It commands the gates and everlasting doors to lift up their heads so that the King of glory can come in. It pictures a king's procession arriving at the gates.
Who wrote Psalm 24?
The heading attributes it to David. The psalm does not describe the occasion.
What does Psalm 24:1 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." In verse 10 it has LORD of hosts, where the World English Bible has LORD of Armies.
Psalm 24 KJV: the King James Version
The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.1
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.2
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?3
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.4
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.5
This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.6
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.7
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.8
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.9
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.10
Psalm 24 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 לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר לַֽ֭יהוָה הָאָ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֑הּ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃
2 כִּי־ה֭וּא עַל־יַמִּ֣ים יְסָדָ֑הּ וְעַל־נְ֝הָר֗וֹת יְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃
3 מִֽי־יַעֲלֶ֥ה בְהַר־יְהוָ֑ה וּמִי־יָ֝קוּם בִּמְק֥וֹם קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃
4 נְקִ֥י כַפַּ֗יִם וּֽבַר־לֵ֫בָ֥ב אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹא־נָשָׂ֣א לַשָּׁ֣וְא נַפְשִׁ֑י וְלֹ֖א נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לְמִרְמָֽה׃
5 יִשָּׂ֣א בְ֭רָכָה מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וּ֝צְדָקָ֗ה מֵאֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעֽוֹ׃
6 זֶ֭ה דּ֣וֹר דרשו מְבַקְשֵׁ֨י פָנֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃
7 שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וְֽ֭הִנָּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָב֗וֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד׃
8 מִ֥י זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְ֭הוָה עִזּ֣וּז וְגִבּ֑וֹר יְ֝הוָ֗ה גִּבּ֥וֹר מִלְחָמָֽה׃
9 שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וּ֭שְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָבֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד׃
10 מִ֤י ה֣וּא זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֑וֹת ה֤וּא מֶ֖לֶךְ הַכָּב֣וֹד סֶֽלָה׃
Psalm 24 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 23 there.
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1 On the first day of the week, a psalm for David. The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof: the world, and all they that dwell therein.
2 For he hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 The innocent in hands, and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbour.
5 He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Saviour.
6 This is the generation of them that seek him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
8 Who is this King of Glory? the Lord who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.
10 Who is this King of Glory? the Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.
Psalm 24 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 23.
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1 Prima sabbati. Psalmus David. Domini est terra, et plenitudo ejus; orbis terrarum, et universi qui habitant in eo.
2 Quia ipse super maria fundavit eum, et super flumina præparavit eum.
3 Quis ascendet in montem Domini? aut quis stabit in loco sancto ejus?
4 Innocens manibus et mundo corde, qui non accepit in vano animam suam, nec juravit in dolo proximo suo:
5 hic accipiet benedictionem a Domino, et misericordiam a Deo salutari suo.
6 Hæc est generatio quærentium eum, quærentium faciem Dei Jacob.
7 Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portæ æternales, et introibit rex gloriæ.
8 Quis est iste rex gloriæ? Dominus fortis et potens, Dominus potens in prælio.
9 Attollite portas, principes, vestras, et elevamini, portæ æternales, et introibit rex gloriæ.
10 Quis est iste rex gloriæ? Dominus virtutum ipse est rex gloriæ.
Printable Psalm 24: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 24 at a glance
| Verses | 10 |
| Heading in the text | A Psalm by David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David. |
| Type | Praise |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 23 |
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Psalm 24 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 24 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 24 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