Seventeen verses on what the psalms call lovely, glorious or fair, and what they say does not last.
The psalms use the word beauty sparingly, and the beauty they care about most is God's. Psalm 27:4 asks for one thing: to see the LORD's beauty. Psalm 96:6 places strength and beauty in his sanctuary. When the psalms speak of human beauty, they often say it fades. Several lines, like the beauty of holiness, come from the King James Version, and the World English Bible words them differently.
The verses are grouped by the beauty of the LORD, the beauty of holiness in worship, beauty in people, and beauty that fades. Where the King James Version and the World English Bible differ, the note says so. Tick any you want and print them.
One thing I have asked of the LORD, that I will seek after:that I may dwell in the LORD’s house all the days of my life,to see the LORD’s beauty,and to inquire in his temple.
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
One thing I have asked: to dwell in the LORD's house and to see the LORD's beauty. Out of everything the psalmist could want, this is the one thing named.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us.Establish the work of our hands for us.Yes, establish the work of our hands.
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
The King James Version reads let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, where the World English Bible has favor. Either way, the psalm asks for it to rest on people and on the work of their hands.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name.Worship the LORD in holy array.
Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The King James Version reads worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness, the World English Bible in holy array. It follows a call to give the LORD the glory due to his name.
How lovely are your dwellings, LORD of Armies. The psalmist longs for the place of worship itself, and the next verse says his soul faints for its courts.
When you rebuke and correct man for iniquity,you consume his wealth like a moth.Surely every man is but a breath.” Selah.
When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
The King James Version reads you make his beauty to consume away like a moth, where the World English Bible has wealth. Both end by calling every man a breath, which the King James Version words as vanity.
They are appointed as a flock for Sheol.Death shall be their shepherd.The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.Their beauty shall decay in Sheol,far from their mansion.
Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.
Their beauty shall decay in Sheol. Psalm 49 is speaking of those who trust in their wealth, and says their beauty decays in Sheol.
As for man, his days are like grass.As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. The next verse says the wind passes over it and it is gone, and verse 17 sets God's loving kindness against it.
But the wicked shall perish.The enemies of the LORD shall be like the beauty of the fields.They will vanish—vanish like smoke.
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
The enemies of the LORD shall be like the beauty of the fields, and vanish like smoke. Here beauty is the thing that disappears. The King James Version has the fat of lambs instead.
What does the beauty of holiness mean in the Psalms?
The phrase comes from the King James Version of Psalm 29:2 and Psalm 96:9, and Psalm 110:3 has the beauties of holiness. The World English Bible gives the same lines as holy array. In both translations the phrase describes how the LORD is to be worshipped, and in Psalms 29 and 96 it follows a call to give him the glory due to his name.
Questions
Which psalm talks about the beauty of the Lord?
Psalm 27:4 asks to see the LORD's beauty. In the King James Version, Psalm 90:17 also reads let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us.
Is there a psalm about inner beauty?
The psalms do not use the phrase. Psalm 51:6 says God desires truth in the inward parts, and in the King James Version Psalm 45:13 calls the king's daughter all glorious within.
Which psalm says I am fearfully and wonderfully made?
Psalm 139:14. The psalmist gives thanks for being fearfully and wonderfully made and adds, your works are wonderful.
What do the psalms say about beauty fading?
Psalm 39:11 in the King James Version says beauty consumes away like a moth, and Psalm 49:14 says the beauty of those who trust in wealth decays in the grave. Psalm 103:15 compares a human life to a flower of the field.
Every psalm on this page was picked by hand, not by an algorithm, and the text is printed unedited from a public
domain translation. More about this site