Psalms 24:3

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord; either who shall stand in the holy place of him? (Who shall go up on the hill of the Lord? who shall stand in his holy place?)

Psalms 24:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 24:3

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
&c.] Though the Lord has a claim in general to the whole world, and all its fulness; yet there is a particular part of it, or spot in it, which is his special and peculiar property, and that is his church and people; for though some reference may be had, in this passage, to Mount Moriah, and the hill of Zion, on which the temple was afterwards built, and is called the hill of the Lord, where he desired to dwell, ( Psalms 68:15 Psalms 68:16 ) ; yet the church is mystically intended, and is so called on account of its visibility, through a profession of faith in Christ, and for its immovableness, being built on him;

and who shall stand in his holy place?
the same with the hill of the Lord; the temple being to be built upon it, where the Lord took up his residence, and was worshipped, and holiness becomes the house of God for evermore: the import of these questions is, who is a proper person to be an inhabitant of Zion, or a member of a Gospel church? and the answer to them is in ( Psalms 24:4 ) , in which is a description much like that which is given of one hundred forty and four thousand seen with the Lamb on Mount Zion, ( Revelation 14:1 Revelation 14:4 Revelation 14:5 ) ; compare with this verse.

Psalms 24:3 In-Context

1 The psalm of David. The earth and the fullness thereof is the Lord's; the world, and all that dwell therein. (The song of David. The earth and its fullness is the Lord's; yea, the world, and all who live in it.)
2 For he founded it on the seas; and made it ready on floods. (For he founded it upon the seas; and established it upon the depths below.)
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord; either who shall stand in the holy place of him? (Who shall go up on the hill of the Lord? who shall stand in his holy place?)
4 The innocent in hands, that is, in works, and in clean heart; which took not his soul in vain, neither swore in guile to his neighbour. (Those with innocent hands, or works, and with clean, or pure, hearts; they who took not their souls unto idols, nor swore falsely to their neighbours.)
5 He shall take blessing of the Lord; and mercy of God his health. (They shall receive a blessing from the Lord; mercy from the God of their salvation, or of their deliverance.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.