How Lovely Are Your Dwellings
Psalm 84 summary: what it means
Psalm 84 is about longing to be in God's house. It opens by calling his dwellings lovely and says the speaker's soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD. He notices the sparrow and the swallow, which have found nests near the altars. He calls blessed those who live in God's house, and also those who set their hearts on pilgrimage, who pass through the valley of Weeping and make it a place of springs.
After a short prayer for the anointed, the psalm makes a comparison: one day in God's courts is better than a thousand, and being a doorkeeper there is better than living in the tents of wickedness. It ends by calling the LORD a sun and a shield who withholds no good thing, and blessing the one who trusts him.
Psalm 84: How Lovely Are Your Dwellings
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-84
Psalm 84 commentary: explained verse by verse
How lovely are your dwellings,LORD of Armies!
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!
The psalm opens with delight rather than a request. How lovely are your dwellings, LORD of Armies. The title LORD of Armies returns throughout the psalm.
Also read Psalm 81:1, Psalm 87:2-3, Psalm 122:1, 1 Kings 22:19
My soul longs, and even faints for the courts of the LORD.My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
The speaker describes longing with his whole self. His soul longs and even faints for the LORD's courts, and his heart and flesh cry out for the living God. The desire is for God, not only for the building.
Also read Song of Songs 5:8, Psalm 63:1-2, Psalm 143:6, Psalm 119:20
Yes, the sparrow has found a home,and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young,near your altars, LORD of Armies, my King, and my God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Even the sparrow and the swallow have found a home near God's altars, where the swallow raises her young. The small birds have what the speaker longs for. He addresses God as my King and my God.
Also read Psalm 116:7, Psalm 43:4, Matthew 8:20, Psalm 90:1
Blessed are those who dwell in your house.They are always praising you. Selah.
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Those who live in God's house are called blessed, because they are always praising him. The verse describes constant nearness. A Selah follows.
Also read Psalm 42:5, Revelation 7:15, Psalm 71:15, Psalm 23:6
Blessed are those whose strength is in you,who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage.
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.
A second blessing goes to those whose strength is in God and who have set their hearts on a pilgrimage. Those who cannot live in the house are blessed on the road. The journey is part of the blessing.
Also read Psalm 40:8, Psalm 42:4, Jeremiah 50:4-5, Jeremiah 31:33
Passing through the valley of Weeping, they make it a place of springs.Yes, the autumn rain covers it with blessings.
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.
The pilgrims pass through the valley of Weeping and make it a place of springs. The autumn rain covers it with blessings. A place named for tears becomes a place of water on the way to God.
Also read Psalm 68:9, Romans 5:3-5, Joel 2:23, Revelation 7:14
They go from strength to strength.Every one of them appears before God in Zion.
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.
They go from strength to strength, and every one of them appears before God in Zion. The journey makes them stronger rather than wearing them out. The verse ends at the destination.
Also read John 6:39, 2 Peter 3:18, Isaiah 46:13, Isaiah 40:31
LORD, God of Armies, hear my prayer.Listen, God of Jacob. Selah.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
The speaker turns to prayer, asking the LORD God of Armies to hear him and the God of Jacob to listen. It is a short request in the middle of the psalm. A Selah follows.
Also read Psalm 59:5
Behold, God our shield,look at the face of your anointed.
Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
God is called our shield and asked to look at the face of his anointed. The anointed is not named in the psalm. The prayer is for God's favour on him.
Also read Genesis 15:1, Psalm 84:11, 2 Samuel 23:1, 1 Samuel 16:6
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand.I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God,than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
A single day in God's courts is better than a thousand. The speaker would rather be a doorkeeper in God's house than live in the tents of wickedness. The lowest place near God is preferred to comfort far from him.
Also read Psalm 43:3-4, Psalm 84:1-2, Psalm 27:4, James 2:3
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield.The LORD will give grace and glory.He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
The LORD God is a sun and a shield, giving light and protection. He gives grace and glory and withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly. The verse gathers up the psalm's reasons for longing.
Also read Psalm 85:12, 2 Corinthians 4:17, Psalm 34:9-10, Isaiah 60:19-20
LORD of Armies,blessed is the man who trusts in you.
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
The psalm ends with a third blessing: blessed is the man who trusts in you, LORD of Armies. The first two blessings were for those in the house and those on the road. This one is for anyone who trusts.
Also read Psalm 146:5-6, Isaiah 50:10, Jeremiah 17:7-8, Isaiah 30:18
A prayer from Psalm 84
LORD of Armies, how lovely are your dwellings. My soul longs for your courts, and my heart and my flesh cry out for you, the living God. The sparrow has found a home near your altars, and I want to find mine with you. Let my strength be in you. When I pass through the valley of Weeping, let it become a place of springs. A day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else, and I would rather keep the door of your house than live in the tents of wickedness. You are a sun and a shield. Hear my prayer, God of Jacob. Amen.
Psalm 84 Bible study questions
- In verse 3, where have the sparrow and the swallow found a home, and why might the writer mention such small birds here?
- In verses 5 to 7, what happens to the pilgrims as they pass through the valley of Weeping?
- Verse 10 says one day in God's courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; what would make a single day feel worth that much to you?
- Verse 2 speaks of heart and flesh crying out for God; what, if anything, does that kind of longing look like in your own life?
- Psalm 42:2 asks when the writer will come and appear before God; how does that question compare with the pilgrims who appear before God in Psalm 84:7?
Questions about Psalm 84
What is the meaning of Psalm 84?
It is a song of longing to be near God in his house. It blesses those who live there and those on pilgrimage toward it, and ends by praising the LORD as a sun and a shield.
Who wrote Psalm 84?
The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah and addresses it to the Chief Musician, on an instrument of Gath. No individual author is named.
What does Psalm 84:3 mean?
The sparrow and the swallow have found nests near God's altars. The speaker sees in the small birds the nearness to God that he longs for.
What does Psalm 84:6 mean?
It describes pilgrims passing through the valley of Weeping and making it a place of springs, with the autumn rain covering it with blessings. The King James Version names it the valley of Baca.
What does Psalm 84:10 say in the KJV?
The King James Version reads: "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."
What does Psalm 84:11 mean?
It calls the LORD God a sun and a shield, who gives grace and glory and withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
Psalm 84 KJV: the King James Version
How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!1
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.2
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.3
Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.4
Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them.5
Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.6
They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.7
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.8
Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.9
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.10
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.11
O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.12
Psalm 84 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 לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֑ית לִבְנֵי־קֹ֥רַח מִזְמֽוֹר׃
2 מַה־יְּדִיד֥וֹת מִשְׁכְּנוֹתֶ֗יךָ יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃
3 נִכְסְפָ֬ה וְגַם־כָּלְתָ֨ה ׀ נַפְשִׁי֮ לְחַצְר֪וֹת יְה֫וָ֥ה לִבִּ֥י וּבְשָׂרִ֑י יְ֝רַנְּנ֗וּ אֶ֣ל אֵֽל־חָֽי׃
4 גַּם־צִפּ֨וֹר ׀ מָ֪צְאָה בַ֡יִת וּדְר֤וֹר ׀ קֵ֥ן לָהּ֮ אֲשֶׁר־שָׁ֪תָה אֶפְרֹ֫חֶ֥יהָ אֶֽת־מִ֭זְבְּחוֹתֶיךָ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת מַ֝לְכִּ֗י וֵאלֹהָֽי׃
5 אַ֭שְׁרֵי יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י בֵיתֶ֑ךָ ע֝֗וֹד יְֽהַלְל֥וּךָ סֶּֽלָה׃
6 אַשְׁרֵ֣י אָ֭דָם עֽוֹז־ל֥וֹ בָ֑ךְ מְ֝סִלּ֗וֹת בִּלְבָבָֽם׃
7 עֹבְרֵ֤י ׀ בְּעֵ֣מֶק הַ֭בָּכָא מַעְיָ֣ן יְשִׁית֑וּהוּ גַּם־בְּ֝רָכ֗וֹת יַעְטֶ֥ה מוֹרֶֽה׃
8 יֵ֭לְכוּ מֵחַ֣יִל אֶל־חָ֑יִל יֵרָאֶ֖ה אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֣ים בְּצִיּֽוֹן׃
9 יְה֘וָ֤ה אֱלֹהִ֣ים צְ֭בָאוֹת שִׁמְעָ֣ה תְפִלָּתִ֑י הַאֲזִ֨ינָה אֱלֹהֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃
10 מָ֭גִנֵּנוּ רְאֵ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֑ים וְ֝הַבֵּ֗ט פְּנֵ֣י מְשִׁיחֶֽךָ׃
11 כִּ֤י טֽוֹב־י֥וֹם בַּחֲצֵרֶ֗יךָ מֵ֫אָ֥לֶף בָּחַ֗רְתִּי הִ֭סְתּוֹפֵף בְּבֵ֣ית אֱלֹהַ֑י מִ֝דּ֗וּר בְּאָהֳלֵי־רֶֽשַׁע׃
12 כִּ֤י שֶׁ֨מֶשׁ ׀ וּמָגֵן֮ יְהוָ֪ה אֱלֹ֫הִ֥ים חֵ֣ן וְ֭כָבוֹד יִתֵּ֣ן יְהוָ֑ה לֹ֥א יִמְנַע־ט֝֗וֹב לַֽהֹלְכִ֥ים בְּתָמִֽים׃
13 יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֑וֹת אַֽשְׁרֵ֥י אָ֝דָ֗ם בֹּטֵ֥חַ בָּֽךְ׃
Psalm 84 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 83 there.
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1 Unto the end, for the winepresses, a psalm for the sons of Core.
2 How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of host!
3 My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God.
4 For the sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest for herself where she may lay her young ones: Thy altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God.
5 Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, O Lord: they shall praise thee for ever and ever.
6 Blessed is the man whose help is from thee: in his heart he hath disposed to ascend by steps,
7 In the vale of tears, in the place which be hath set.
8 For the lawgiver shall give a blessing, they shall go from virtue to virtue: the God of gods shall be seen in Sion.
9 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob.
10 Behold, O God our protector: and look on the face of thy Christ.
11 For better is one day in thy courts above thousands. I have chosen to be an abject in the house of my God, rather than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners.
12 For God loveth mercy and truth: the Lord will give grace and glory.
13 He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Psalm 84 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 83.
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1 In finem, pro torcularibus filiis Core. Psalmus.
2 Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum !
3 Concupiscit, et deficit anima mea in atria Domini; cor meum et caro mea exsultaverunt in Deum vivum.
4 Etenim passer invenit sibi domum, et turtur nidum sibi, ubi ponat pullos suos: altaria tua, Domine virtutum, rex meus, et Deus meus.
5 Beati qui habitant in domo tua, Domine; in sæcula sæculorum laudabunt te.
6 Beatus vir cujus est auxilium abs te: ascensiones in corde suo disposuit,
7 in valle lacrimarum, in loco quem posuit.
8 Etenim benedictionem dabit legislator; ibunt de virtute in virtutem: videbitur Deus deorum in Sion.
9 Domine Deus virtutum, exaudi orationem meam; auribus percipe, Deus Jacob.
10 Protector noster, aspice, Deus, et respice in faciem christi tui.
11 Quia melior est dies una in atriis tuis super millia; elegi abjectus esse in domo Dei mei magis quam habitare in tabernaculis peccatorum.
12 Quia misericordiam et veritatem diligit Deus: gratiam et gloriam dabit Dominus.
13 Non privabit bonis eos qui ambulant in innocentia: Domine virtutum, beatus homo qui sperat in te.
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Psalm 84 at a glance
| Verses | 12 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm by the sons of Korah. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to the sons of Korah, for the Chief Musician, on an instrument of Gath. |
| Type | Praise and Trust |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 83 |
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Psalm 84 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 84 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 84 belongs
Psalms of the sons of KorahBook 3 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