Psalms 84 Footnotes

84:6 This psalm may have been used by pilgrims on their way to the sanctuary to attend the annual festivals. The location of a “Valley of Baca” is unknown. The word means “weeping.” The name could have been given to a valley where balsam trees grew, for they “weep.” In this psalm the expression takes on a metaphorical meaning, perhaps describing the sorrows borne by the worshipers or the hardships along their pilgrim way to the Holy City. Yahweh takes even our Baca valleys and transforms them by his presence—the presence experienced at his temple but not limited geographically.