Logos Bible Study

Psalm 84:1–7

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84:1How lovely is the place where you live,1

O Lord who rules over all!2

84:2I desperately want to be3

in the courts of the Lord’s temple.4

My heart and my entire being5 shout for joy

to the living God.

84:3Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow6 builds a nest,

where she can protect her young7

near your altars, O Lord who rules over all,

my king and my God.

84:4How blessed8 are those who live in your temple

and praise you continually!

(Selah)

84:5How blessed are those who9 find their strength in you,

and long to travel the roads that lead to your temple!10

84:6As they pass through the Baca Valley,11

he provides a spring for them.12

The rain13 even covers it with pools of water.14

84:7They are sustained as they travel along;15

each one appears16 before God in Zion.

Read in Logos
Psalm 84:1–2: How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Or “your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 43:3; 46:4; 132:5, 7).
  2. 2 Traditionally, “Lord of hosts.” The title draws attention to God’s sovereign position (see Ps 69:6).
  3. 3 Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”
  4. 4 Heb “the courts of the Lord” (see Ps 65:4).
  5. 5 Heb “my flesh,” which stands for his whole person and being.
  6. 6 The word translated “swallow” occurs only here and in Prov 26:2.
  7. 7 Heb “even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself, [in] which she places her young.” The psalmist here romanticizes the temple as a place of refuge and safety. As he thinks of the birds nesting near its roof, he envisions them finding protection in God’s presence.
  8. 8 The Hebrew noun is an abstract plural. The word often refers metonymically to the happiness that God-given security and prosperity produce (see v. 12 and Pss 1:1; 2:12; 34:9; 41:1; 65:4; 89:15; 106:3; 112:1; 127:5; 128:1; 144:15).
  9. 9 Heb “[Oh] the happiness [of] the man.” Hebrew literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle stated here was certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, we translate the gender and age specific “man” with the plural “those.” The individual referred to in v. 5a is representative of followers of God, as the use of plural forms in vv. 5b–7 indicates.
  10. 10 Heb “roads [are] in their heart[s].” The roads are here those that lead to Zion (see v. 7).
  11. 11 The translation assumes that the Hebrew phrase עֵמֶק הַבָּכָא (’emeq habbakha’) is the name of an otherwise unknown arid valley through which pilgrims to Jerusalem passed. The term בָּכָא (bakha’) may be the name of a particular type of plant or shrub that grew in this valley. O. Borowski (Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 130) suggests it is the black mulberry. Some take the phrase as purely metaphorical and relate בָּכָא to the root בָּכָה (bakhah, “to weep”). In this case one might translate, “the valley of weeping” or “the valley of affliction.”
  12. 12 The reads “a spring they make it,” but this makes little sense. Many medieval Hebrew , as well as the , understand God to be the subject and the valley to be the object, “he [God] makes it [the valley] [into] a spring.”
  13. 13 This rare word may refer to the early (or autumn) rains (see Joel 2:23).
  14. 14 The reads בְּרָכוֹת (bérakhot, “blessings”) but the preceding reference to a “spring” favors an emendation to בְּרֵכוֹת (bérekhot, “pools”). Pools of water. Because water is so necessary for life, it makes an apt symbol for divine favor and blessing. As the pilgrims traveled to Jerusalem, God provided for their physical needs and gave them a token of his favor and of the blessings awaiting them at the temple.
  15. 15 Heb “they go from strength to strength.” The phrase “from strength to strength” occurs only here in the OT. With a verb of motion, the expression “from [common noun] to [same common noun]” normally suggests movement from one point to another or through successive points (see Num 36:7; 1 Chr 16:20; 17:5; Ps 105:13; Jer 25:32). Ps 84:7 may be emphasizing that the pilgrims move successively from one “place of strength” to another as they travel toward Jerusalem. All along the way they find adequate provisions and renewed energy for the trip.
  16. 16 The psalmist returns to the singular (see v. 5a), which he uses in either a representative or distributive (“each one”) sense.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house,

ever singing your praise! Selah

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca

they make it a place of springs;

the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

each one appears before God in Zion.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord Almighty!

My soul yearns, even faints,

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh cry out

for the living God.

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young—

a place near your altar,

Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

How lovely is your dwelling place,

Lord of Armies.

I long and yearn

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh cry out for the living God.

Even a sparrow finds a home,

and a swallow, a nest for herself

where she places her young—

near your altars, Lord of Armies,

my King and my God.

How happy are those who reside in your house,

who praise you continually.

Selah

Happy are the people whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a source of spring water;

even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.

They go from strength to strength;

each appears before God in Zion.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

I long, yes, I faint with longing

to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

I will shout joyfully to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young

at a place near your altar,

O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God!

What joy for those who can live in your house,

always singing your praises.

Interlude

What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,

who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,

it will become a place of refreshing springs.

The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

They will continue to grow stronger,

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

How lovely are your dwelling places,

O Yahweh of hosts!

My soul longs and even fails

for the courtyards of Yahweh.

My heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Even a bird finds a home, and a swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young,

near your altars, O Yahweh of hosts,

my king and my God.

Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they can ever praise you. Selah

Blessed is the man whose strength is in you;

in their heart are the highways to Zion.

Passing through the Valley of Baca,

they make it a spring.

The early rain covers it with blessings as well.

They go from strength to strength,

until each appears before God in Zion.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts!

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord:

My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house,

And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young,

Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God.

Blessed are they that dwell in thy house:

They will be still praising thee. Selah.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee;

In whose heart are the ways of them.

Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well;

The rain also filleth the pools.

They go from strength to strength,

Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.

Public Domain