The Bible — World English Bible
Psalm 24
In brief
Psalm 24 is a psalm of David that proclaims the whole earth belongs to the Lord. It then asks a question: who may ascend the hill of God? The answer: the one who has clean hands and a pure heart. The psalm ends with a cry of procession: the ancient gates are told to open so that the King of glory may come in. Christians often see in it the announcement of the victorious Christ.
According to its title, Psalm 24 is a psalm of David. It is a hymn to God as creator and king, built like an entrance liturgy: questions and answers, most likely sung by different groups during a procession to the sanctuary in Jerusalem. Psalm 15 asks a very similar question. The title gives no circumstance. Many think of the day David brought the ark of the covenant up to Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6), but the text does not say so. According to the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish traditions, the Levites sang it in the temple on the first day of the week. From the earliest centuries, Christians have read its last verses as an announcement of Jesus' ascension. Today believers pray it to prepare their hearts before worship, to stand honestly before God and to open their lives to the King of glory.
The chapter in 3 parts
1The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
3Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh, righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob.
7Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
8Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
10Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory!
Understanding Psalm 24 verse by verse
v. 1-2The whole earth and its inhabitants belong to the Lord
The psalm opens with a proclamation: “The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness.” (Yahweh is God's personal name, which many Bibles translate as the Lord.) Everything that exists belongs to God: the mountains, the oceans, the cities, riches, and also “the world, and those who dwell in it,” that is, every human being, believer or not. Verse 2 gives the reason: God founded the earth on the seas and established it on the floods. For the ancient peoples, the waters stood for chaos and threat. The psalm declares that God mastered that chaos and set a stable world in place, as on the day he made the dry land appear (Genesis 1:9-10). The apostle Paul quotes this verse to remind us that all food comes from God and can be received with thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 10:26). For you, this changes how you see what you own: you are not its owner but its steward. And it changes how you see other people: everyone you meet belongs to God.
v. 3-4Going up to God with clean hands and a pure heart
Then comes the question: “Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill?” That hill is Zion in Jerusalem, where God had chosen to make his presence known. If God is so great, who can come near him? The answer comes in four traits. Clean hands speak of actions: doing no harm. A pure heart speaks of intentions, of what nobody sees. Not lifting your soul to falsehood means not setting your heart on what is empty: the Hebrew word covers vanity and sometimes idols. Not swearing deceitfully means keeping your word. God looks at the inside and the outside together. Jesus will take up this idea: blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8). Nobody meets these conditions perfectly, except Jesus himself. Through him you can enter God's presence with confidence (Hebrews 10:19-22). His grace does not cancel the call to integrity: it makes it possible.
v. 5-6The blessing promised to those who seek God's face
Whoever comes near in this way does not leave empty-handed: “He shall receive a blessing from Yahweh.” What comes with it is righteousness: God himself declares that person righteous. Look at where this gift comes from: the God of his salvation. Access to God is not a wage that has been earned, it is the gift of the God who saves. Verse 6 widens the view. It does not speak of a few spiritual heroes but of a generation, that is, a kind of people: those who seek God and seek his face. To seek his face is to want his presence more than his gifts, in prayer as in worship. The psalm even begins to speak to God himself, since it says your face. The end of the verse is very short in Hebrew: it can mean that those who seek God make up the true Jacob, his true people. The ancient Greek translation reads it as the face of the God of Jacob. Many Bibles add the word Selah at the end of the verse, a Hebrew term that invites you to pause for a moment.
v. 7-8Let the gates open before the King of glory
The tone changes: it sounds like a procession that has reached the gates of the city or the sanctuary. A voice cries out: “Lift up your heads, you gates!” The Hebrew literally speaks of the gates' heads, and some Bibles say lintels, the top beam of a doorway. The gates are asked to rise, as if they were too low to let such a king through. The everlasting doors are ancient, as if they had always been there. From inside comes the question: “Who is the King of glory?” In Hebrew, glory carries the idea of weight, the majesty of someone who truly matters. The answer bursts out: “Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.” Israel remembered the God who had fought for them, the one Moses sang of as a warrior after the crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:3). If the psalm accompanied the ark being brought up, the sign of God's presence, the scene takes on its full force. For Christians, the decisive battle was fought at the cross, where Jesus triumphed over the powers of evil (Colossians 2:15), before conquering death by rising again.
v. 9-10The Lord of hosts is the King of glory
The refrain returns almost word for word, as in a song where repeating is a way of proclaiming. The question grows insistent: “Who is this King of glory?” This time, the answer gives his full title: “Yahweh of Armies.” This title, which many Bibles translate as the Lord of hosts, names the God who commands the armies of heaven, sovereign over every power, visible and invisible. It is also the name attached to the ark of the covenant, the sign of God's throne in the midst of his people (1 Samuel 4:4). From the earliest centuries, Christians have read these verses with the ascension of Jesus in mind, entering into glory after his victory. The apostle Paul even calls Jesus the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:8). Others hear in them his entry into Jerusalem or his return, and these readings complement one another. For you, the question becomes personal: which doors of your life are still closed? In Revelation, Jesus stands at the door of a church that has left him outside, and he knocks (Revelation 3:20). Open to him: he is the King.
How to pray Psalm 24
When to pray this psalm
- On Sunday morning, before the service, to prepare your heart to meet God.
- When you have lied, cheated or gone back on your word, and no longer dare to come near to God.
- When money, housing or work worry you, and you need to remember that everything belongs to God.
- Before moving into a new home or starting a new job, to open its doors to God.
- When evil seems to be winning, in your life or in the news, and you need to look to the God who is mighty in battle.
- At Easter or on Ascension Day, to celebrate the victorious Christ who has entered into glory.
A prayer inspired by Psalm 24
Lord, the earth is yours, with everything in it. The world and those who live in it belong to you, and so do I. My home, my money, my time and my body come from you: teach me to manage them as things you have entrusted to me. I long to climb your hill and stand in your holy place, but you know my hands and my heart. You know where I have lied, where I have cheated, where I have given my heart to what is empty. I cannot come before you on my own merits. Thank you for Jesus, the only one who had clean hands and a pure heart, and who opens the way to you for me. Cleanse me, God of my salvation. I want to be one of those who seek your face, not only your blessings. Today I open the doors of my life, my family and my church: let the King of glory come in. You, the Lord strong and mighty in battle, reign where I am afraid, where evil seems to prevail. You are the Lord of hosts, you are my King. Amen.
Key verses
The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
David affirms God's sovereignty over everything that exists. Nothing is yours in your own right: you are a steward of what God entrusts to you.
Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
The question of access to God gets an answer that touches heart and conduct: integrity, inner purity, truth in what you say.
Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in. Who is the King of glory? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.
The psalm becomes a procession. The gates are personified and the king is introduced: the Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle.
Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory!
The final answer gives the title of the King of glory: the Lord of hosts. Many Christians read here the triumphal entry of Christ.
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What the sermons say
Frequently asked questions about Psalm 24
What does Psalm 24 mean?
Psalm 24 is a psalm of David that affirms God owns the whole earth, then asks who may approach him. The answer is integrity of heart and hands. It ends with the King of glory entering through gates that must open. It was most likely sung in procession toward Jerusalem, and many Christians recognize the victorious Jesus Christ in it.
Who is the King of glory in Psalm 24?
The psalm answers itself: he is the Lord strong and mighty, mighty in battle, the Lord of hosts. In ancient Israel, it refers to God entering his sanctuary, perhaps when the ark was carried in. Christians also see Christ in it, who conquered death and returned to the Father. Christian traditions therefore read this text with different emphases.
How do you pray or meditate on Psalm 24?
Read it slowly in three steps. First, acknowledge that everything belongs to God, including what you own. Next, ask him to purify your hands and your heart. Finally, open to him the gates of your life, your home and your church, so the King of glory may reign there. You can read it aloud, like a song of praise.
Articles quoting Psalm 24
World English Bible translation — public domain.