Psalm 84

¹How lovely is the place where you live,[#tn 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).]

O Lord who rules over all !

²I desperately want to be[#tn Heb “my soul longs, it even pines for.”]

in the courts of the Lord ’s temple.

My heart and my entire being shout for joy

to the living God.

³Even the birds find a home there,

and the swallow builds a nest,

where she can protect her young

near your altars, O Lord who rules over all ,

my king and my God.

⁴How blessed are those who live in your temple[#tn 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).]

and praise you continually! (Selah)

⁵How blessed are those who find their strength in you,[#tn 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.]

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

⁶As they pass through the Baca Valley,[#tn 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.”]

he provides a spring for them.

The rain even covers it with pools of water.

⁷They are sustained as they travel along;[#tn 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.]

each one appears before God in Zion.

⁸O Lord , sovereign God,[#tn Heb “Lord, God, hosts.” One expects the construct form אֱלֹהֵי before צְבָאוֹת (tsÿva’ot, “hosts”; see Ps 89:9) but יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (yehvah ’elohim) precedes צְבָאוֹת in Pss 59:5 and 80:4, 19 as well.]

hear my prayer!

Listen, O God of Jacob! (Selah)

⁹O God, take notice of our shield![#tn The phrase “our shield” refers metaphorically to the Davidic king, who, as God’s vice-regent, was the human protector of the people. Note the parallelism with “your anointed one” here and with “our king” in Ps 89:18.]

Show concern for your chosen king!

¹⁰Certainly spending just one day in your temple courts is better[#tn Or “for.”]

than spending a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather stand at the entrance to the temple of my God

than live in the tents of the wicked.

¹¹For the Lord God is our sovereign protector.[#tn Heb “[is] a sun and a shield.” The epithet “sun,” though rarely used of Israel’s God in the OT, was a well-attested royal title in the ancient Near East. For several examples from Ugaritic texts, the Amarna letters, and Assyrian royal inscriptions, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 131, n. 2.]

The Lord bestows favor and honor;

he withholds no good thing from those who have integrity.

¹²O Lord who rules over all ,[#tn Traditionally “Lord of hosts.”]

how blessed are those who trust in you!