Psalms 84–12
Psalm 84:1-12
Psa.84.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- הגתית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבני: PREP
- קרח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 42:1 (Hebrew 41:1) (structural): Shares the same authorial attribution 'לבני־קרח' (of the Sons of Korah) and the superscription directing the choirmaster (למנצח), indicating common liturgical/authorial tradition.
- Psalm 44:1 (Hebrew 43:1) (verbal): Another psalm headed 'למנצח... לבני־קרח'—verbal parallel in superscription linking it to the Korahite collection and to musical direction.
- Psalm 122:1 (thematic): Like Psalm 84, Psalm 122 celebrates pilgrimage and joy in going to the house of the LORD ('How good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity' and 'I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD”'), paralleling the sanctuary/pilgrim theme found in the Korahite psalms.
- Psalm 63:1 (thematic): Expresses intense longing and thirst for God ('My soul thirsts for you'), echoing the devotional yearning for God's presence that characterizes Psalm 84 and other Korahite compositions.
Alternative generated candidates
- To the choirmaster. On the Gittith. Of the sons of Korah, a psalm.
- For the leader;on the Gittith—of the sons of Korah, a psalm.
Psa.84.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מה: PRON,int
- ידידות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- משכנותיך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2fs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 27:4 (thematic): Expresses the psalmist's singular desire to dwell in the house of the LORD—parallel longing for God's dwelling place.
- Psalm 26:8 (verbal): 'LORD, I love the habitation of thy house' closely echoes the affection for God's dwelling expressed in Ps.84:2.
- Exodus 25:8 (allusion): God's instruction to build a sanctuary 'that I may dwell among them' provides the foundational idea of God's tabernacles/inhabitation referenced in Ps.84:2.
- Psalm 23:6 (verbal): 'I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever' echoes the theme of abiding in God's house found in Ps.84:2.
- Psalm 122:1 (thematic): Joy and devotion in going to the house of the LORD parallel Ps.84's celebration of God's dwelling-places.
Alternative generated candidates
- How lovely are your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!
- How lovely are your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!
Psa.84.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- נכספה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- וגם: CONJ
- כלתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- לחצרות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ובשרי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
- ירננו: VERB,piel,impf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אל: NEG
- חי: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 42:1-2 (verbal): Shares the imagery of the soul panting/longing for God and explicitly mentions thirsting for ‘the living God,’ paralleling Ps 84:3’s language of deep spiritual longing.
- Psalm 63:1 (verbal): Uses nearly identical phrasing—‘my soul thirsts’ and ‘my flesh faints’—expressing both bodily and spiritual yearning for God, as in Ps 84:3.
- Psalm 27:4 (thematic): Expresses a singular desire to dwell in the LORD’s house and behold his beauty, thematically matching Ps 84:3’s longing for the courts of the LORD.
- Psalm 26:8 (thematic): ‘I love the habitation of your house’ echoes the affection for God’s dwelling-place in Ps 84:3, both portraying love for the LORD’s courts.
Alternative generated candidates
- My soul longs and even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
- My soul longs, and even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the God of the living.
Psa.84.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- צפור: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצאה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ודרור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- קן: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- לה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- שתה: VERB,qal,impv,2,sg
- אפרחיה: NOUN,m,pl+PRON,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- מזבחותיך: NOUN,m,pl+PRON,2,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מלכי: NOUN,pl,m,cons
- ואלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
Parallels
- Matthew 10:29-31 (verbal): Uses the sparrow image to show God's care for even small birds—parallels Psalm 84:4's sparrow/swallow finding a home at God's altars and the theme of divine providence.
- Matthew 6:26 (thematic): Speaks of 'the birds of the air' which God feeds, echoing the theme that birds find sustenance and shelter under God's care—a theological tie to birds finding a nest at God's altars.
- Luke 9:58 (allusion): Jesus' saying 'foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests...' directly echoes the proverbial image of birds finding homes; Luke uses this motif to contrast human homelessness with the birds' nests in Scripture.
- Psalm 84:10 (structural): Within the same psalm, this verse's longing to dwell in the courts of the LORD ('better is one day in your courts...') develops the motif of finding abode in God's presence that the bird imagery in v.4 expresses.
Alternative generated candidates
- Even the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself—where she may lay her young—near your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
- Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself—where she may lay her young—near your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
Psa.84.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשרי: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יושבי: PTC,qal,ptc,mp,cons
- ביתך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- עוד: ADV
- יהללוך: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl,suff2ms
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 27:4 (verbal): Both verses express the longing to ‘dwell in the house of the LORD’—a desire to be continually present with God and to enjoy his presence.
- Psalm 23:6 (thematic): Speaks of dwelling in the house of the LORD forever (security and blessedness), echoing the blessing on those who reside in God's house and praise him.
- Psalm 84:10 (or 84:9 in some numberings) (structural): Within the same psalm the value of God’s courts is emphasized: ‘For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere,’ reinforcing why dwelling in God’s house is a blessing.
- Psalm 5:7 (verbal): Uses similar language about entering/being in God’s house and bowing in his sanctuary, connecting presence in the temple with worship and blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will praise you continually. Selah.
- Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will ever praise you. Selah.
Psa.84.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשרי: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עוז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- בך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מסלות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בלבבם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp-suf
Parallels
- Psalm 73:26 (verbal): Both verses describe God as the believer’s strength in the heart—God sustains inwardly even when the body fails.
- Isaiah 40:31 (thematic): Trusting/waiting on the LORD results in renewed strength for the journey, paralleling the image of strength in God enabling travel on the pilgrim’s way.
- Psalm 18:32 (verbal): Speaks of God girding the psalmist with strength and making his way secure—closely echoing the theme of God-given strength and safe paths.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (thematic): Trust in the LORD and he will direct/straighten your paths—parallels the idea that the believer’s heart-habitation of ‘the ways’ is grounded in reliance on God.
- Psalm 119:105 (thematic): God’s word as lamp and light guiding the pilgrim’s path connects with the imagery of inwardly held 'ways' and divine guidance on the journey to God’s house.
Alternative generated candidates
- Blessed is the one whose strength is in you; in his heart are the highways.
- Blessed is the one whose strength is in you—whose heart is set on the pilgrim ways.
Psa.84.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עברי: ADJ,m,sg
- בעמק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הבכא: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מעין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישיתוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- גם: ADV
- ברכות: NOUN,f,pl,const
- יעטה: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- מורה: VERB,qal,ptcp,NA,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 35:6-7 (thematic): Desolate places made to bloom and springs/streams appearing in the wilderness—same motif of transforming barrenness into water and blessing.
- Isaiah 41:17-18 (thematic): God opens rivers and fountains in the desert and supplies the thirsty—closely parallels the image of turning the Valley of Baka into a spring.
- Psalm 65:9-10 (verbal): God waters the earth, softening it with showers and blessing its growth—parallel language of rain and divine blessing on the land.
- Psalm 126:5-6 (thematic): Those who go out weeping but return with joy—similar theme of turning weeping (Baka) into a cause of blessing and rejoicing.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (thematic): The righteous are like a tree planted by water that prospers—akin to the image of making a spring in a valley and being sustained/blessed.
Alternative generated candidates
- As they pass through the Valley of Baca they make it a spring; the early rain also clothes it with blessings.
- As they pass through the Valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with blessings.
Psa.84.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ילכו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מחיל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- חיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אל: NEG
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בציון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 34:23 (quotation): Law requiring Israelite males to appear before the LORD three times a year—background for the Psalm's image of coming to appear before God in Zion.
- Deuteronomy 16:16 (quotation): Repeats the command that all Israel must appear before the LORD at the festivals—provides cultic/legal context for pilgrimage and appearing before God in Jerusalem/Zion.
- Psalm 122:1–4 (thematic): Another 'song of ascent' celebrating pilgrimage to Jerusalem and the joy of going to the house of the LORD—shares the pilgrimage/Zion-worship theme of Ps 84:8.
- Isaiah 2:3 (thematic): Speaks of peoples coming to Zion to learn the law and walk in God's ways—parallels the idea of approaching/appearing before God at Zion.
- Psalm 65:4 (verbal): Speaks of the blessed person whom God causes to draw near and to dwell in his courts—echoes the blessing and nearness/appearance before God found in Ps 84:8.
Alternative generated candidates
- They go from strength to strength; each of them appears before God in Zion.
- They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
Psa.84.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שמעה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- תפלתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss1s
- האזינה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- סלה: MISC
Parallels
- Psalm 86:6 (verbal): Directly petitions God to 'give ear'/'hear my prayer'—very similar wording and plea for divine attention.
- Psalm 17:6 (verbal): I have called upon thee… incline thine ear unto me—same petitionary language asking God to hear the supplicant.
- Psalm 20:1 (verbal): 'The LORD hear thee… the God of Jacob'—combines the request that the LORD hear with an explicit reference to the God of Jacob, as in Ps 84:9.
- Psalm 18:6 (cf. 2 Samuel 22:7) (thematic): The psalmist cries to the LORD in distress and the LORD hears—parallel theme of calling on God and his attentive response.
- Isaiah 59:1 (thematic): Affirms that the LORD's hand and ear are not shortened so as to be unable to save or hear—theological underpinning for the plea 'hear my prayer.'
Alternative generated candidates
- O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
- O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Psa.84.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מגננו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,poss
- ראה: VERB,qal,imperat,2,m,sg
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- והבט: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,sg
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- משיחך: NOUN,m,sg,suff2ms
Parallels
- Psalm 80:3 (thematic): Both verses invoke God’s face/attendance toward his people or leader—pleading that God look upon (or turn his face to) his people and restore them, echoing the appeal to God’s regard in Ps 84:10.
- Psalm 2:7 (thematic): Psalm 2 presents the king as God’s anointed/son; connects the motif of a divinely appointed ruler (māšîaḥ) whose relationship with God is in view—parallel to addressing or regarding 'your anointed.'
- Psalm 89:38-39 (verbal): Uses the same term for 'your anointed' and treats God’s attitude toward that anointed one (rejection/anger), directly engaging the language of God’s regard for his anointed found in Ps 84:10.
- Psalm 18:50 (verbal): Speaks of God’s kindness toward 'his anointed' (David), using the same verbal category (māšîaḥ) and linking divine favor/protection with the anointed, a positive counterpart to the appeal in Ps 84:10.
- 1 Samuel 16:13 (structural): The anointing of David by Samuel establishes the concrete historical locus of 'the LORD’s anointed'—this foundational narrative undergirds later psalmic references to God’s anointed and his reception of God’s Spirit and favor.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, O God, our shield; look upon the face of your anointed.
- Behold our shield, O God; look upon the face of your anointed.
Psa.84.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בחצריך: PREP
- מאלף: PREP
- בחרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- הסתופף: VERB,hithpael,perf,3,m,sg
- בבית: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מדור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באהלי: PREP+NOUN,pl,m,cons
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 34:9-10 (verbal): Shares the promise that the righteous 'lack no good thing' (verses about those who fear/seek the LORD not being left without good).
- Psalm 23:1 (thematic): Both express divine provision and the believer's lack of want — 'The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want' parallels 'He will withhold no good thing.'
- Psalm 28:7 (verbal): Uses the same protective image—'The LORD is my strength and my shield'—echoing Ps 84:11's 'God is a sun and shield.'
- Psalm 121:5-8 (thematic): Depicts the LORD as keeper and protector who watches over and preserves his people, resonating with Ps 84:11's protective/provider role.
- Malachi 4:2 (allusion): Employs the 'sun' imagery ('Sun of righteousness shall rise') that parallels Ps 84:11's metaphor of God as a life-giving/illuminating 'sun.'
Alternative generated candidates
- For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
- For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psa.84.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שמש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומגן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וכבוד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימנע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- להלכים: PREP+VERB,qal,ptc,.,m,pl
- בתמים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 3:3 (verbal): Calls the LORD a shield and links God’s protection with his glory/help, echoing Ps 84:11’s 'shield' and 'glory' language.
- Psalm 18:2 (verbal): Describes Yahweh as rock, fortress and shield — similar protective imagery to Ps 84:11’s designation of the LORD as a shield.
- Psalm 34:10 (thematic): Promises that those who seek the LORD 'lack no good thing,' paralleling Ps 84:11’s assurance that God withholds no good thing from the upright.
- James 1:17 (allusion): Affirms that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father above, reflecting Ps 84:11’s theme that God gives grace, glory and good things.
- Malachi 4:2 (Hebrew 3:20) (thematic): Speaks of the 'sun of righteousness' rising with healing — paralleling the 'sun' imagery in Ps 84:11 that associates God’s radiance with blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD gives grace and glory. The LORD will not withhold goodness from those who walk uprightly.
- For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; he will not withhold good from those who walk blamelessly.
To the choirmaster; on the Gittith. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
How lovely are your dwelling places, O LORD of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself—where she may lay her young—near your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they will praise you continually. Selah.
Blessed is the one whose strength is in you, whose heart is set on the pilgrim road.
Passing through the Valley of Baca they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings.
They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Behold, O God, our shield; look upon the face of your anointed.
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD will give grace and glory, and will not withhold good from those who walk in integrity.