The 24^th Psalm of David

תהילים 24 לדוד

A Commentary and Linguistic Examination

By Douglas Hamp

  The 24th psalm, a psalm of David is well known to many non-biblical-minded people due to George Handel.  However, before his beautiful rendition, this psalm is believed to have been used in conjunction with the temple cult in Jerusalem some 2500-3000 years ago.  Exactly how it was used in the cult will be examined below.

The psalm is divided into three parts: 1 and 2 declare the Lord's reign over creation and all living creatures.  3 through 6 establish who is worthy to come into the gates of the Lord, namely those pure in thought and in deed.  7 to 10 celebrate the Lord's entrance into the temple.

This psalm of David magnificently describes the splendor and might of the God of Israel.   The first verse immediately states that it is the Lord (YHWH) who owns the world and everything in it - a challenge to the gods of Canaan that surrounded Israel (who was quite often weaker than her neighbors).

Verse two states that it is the Lord who established the world on the waters and on the rivers.  This seems to be a remnant of ANE mythology which states that the world was formed on primordial waters.  We can also see this imagery in Genesis 1 where God conquers the waters and the chaos in the beginning.

 Elmer A. Leslie, in his book The Psalms, comments on the similarities between the Hebrew idea of creation and that with the primitive Canaanite traditions (pp. 189). The verse, however, is ascribing to Yahweh and none other, the mighty victory over the primordial forces of chaos and primeval waters before the beginning of time.

Three through six are describing just who may enter into the presence of the King.  Of course the first question is,' who may ascend the hill of the Lord?'  That one needed to ascend is obvious since the temple was built on a hill.  It is interesting when compared with other temples in the ANE.  Most temples were built either on a mountain or a mountain was made for it ( i.e. the ziggurat).  Thus the Hebrew tradition marks its affinities with the cultures which surrounded Israel.

Four through six, however, drastically distinguish Israel and her God from the rest.  The further stipulations call for one with a pure heart and clean hands.  Most of the cultures of the ANE did not think twice about having a pure heart.  They were content so long as no one robbed  of killed another (see Moshe Greenburg Some Postulates of Biblical Criminal Law, pp. 19-37). And of course not lifting up one's soul to an idol is completely not in accord with the other cultures of the day.

In Egyptian religion we discover that the Egyptians had a sense of purity in that the Pharaoh had to list 40 things which he did not do against the poor etc. when he arrived in the hereafter.  There would seem to have been no censure against those that did not, however.  Quite conversely, those that remain clean and pure from the Psalmist's point of view will receive a blessing from the Lord and the righteousness which flows comes from him.

Verse six then affirms that it is indeed the generation that seeks righteousness which shall enter into the Presence of YHWH.  The author then also seems to indicate that the children of Israel are the ones who have sought the Lord.  This makes sense since only Israel was called into relationship with YHWH.

When approaching the final section of this psalm it must be kept in mind that it was performed be a choir either inside or outside the gates and sometimes both.  Most commentators view the psalm as a dramatization.  A. Weiser points out that most expositors have "regarded it as a liturgy of the procession of YHWH, returning home from a war with the sacred Ark," (pp. 234).  He states that it seems more likely that it was a dramatization of the theophany in the temple rather than a return from war, (ibid.).  Though the other commentators, listed in the bibliography below, do not specifically mention the return from war, they do see this psalm as an entrance into the temple of the Ark borne on the shoulders of the priests.  Elmer Leslie sees this enactment as a ceremony celebrating YHWH as a God of war during the Hebrew New Year.  "It presents vividly a greatly beloved ritual that had a distinctive place in ceremonies connected with the annual enthronement of the Lord at the Hebrew New Year.  The ark was taken to the foot of Mount Zion, where the procession formed...The ark is borne by the priests, and the worshiping throngs folly in glad mood and in festal array, for in such a ceremony, as was the case in ancient Babylon, the populace participates with tremendous enthusiasm." (pp. 190).

Once the Ark or simply the representation there of ( in the case of A. Weiser), arrives at the gates, the choir outside then summons the gates to be opened.  They do not, however, address those inside to open but rather the gates themselves are personified and are thus called to lift themselves up.  Briggs suggests that the use of the niphal in this passage should be understood as reflexive rather than passive, (Int'l Critical Commentary, pp. 217).  In this case we should translate the verb exalt yourselves rather than be lifted up.   In any case, the gates are called upon for the King of Glory to come in.

Once the call is made the gate keepers and the others inside the gates play along in the drama by requesting the pass-word of the arriving King.  Briggs points out that there is not any need to think of the gates as responding.  The guards were required to challenge all those entering even if they knew what the answer would be.

The answer is quickly given that it is none other than YHWH, with the proper epithets included.  It is clear that stress was given to differentiate between David the chosen earthly representative and between YHWH the true King of Israel.  The name of the Lord is repeated twice to clarify that it is not the mighty David who is seeking entrance but the Lord YHWH himself.

Verses nine and ten closely mirror verses seven and eight with only a few minor variations which shall be addressed later in this study.

Grammatical Analysis

     ל Participle to, for, in regard to though here it specifically means of .  The use of  ל  in this case assumes the role of the genitive out of necessity or simply for brevity.  Jouon-Muraoka note that the general form of the possessive is that of the construct state. There exist, however, several cases in which the author has chosen to use ל in the stead of the construct in order to avoid the sequence of too many genitives. Consider some of the following examples: נביא  לה' (a prophet of the LORD, 1 Kings 18:22),  ספר דברי הימים למלכי ישראל (the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel, 1 Kings 14:19).  Thus we ought to translate the introduction to this psalm as a 'psalm' of David and not to David.

     dwId Proper n.m. beloved, love (pl.) uncle.,,,......:, Akk. dadu.  This root is also used for the personal name of David. 

     rAmz>m   [זמר] n.m.s. melody, psalm. This is a technical term for psalm.

     hw"hy n.m.   One of the names of God.  Traditionally thought to be   too sacred to speak.  The precise meaning is unclear.  Some scholars think that it may be Egyptian.  Moses is thought to have brought it out of Egypt with him.  Many English and some Romance language-based Bibles have rendered the name Jehovah (English) Jehova (Spanish) though French probably has the safest translation of the Eternal (L'Eternel).  It is also commonly thought that the name may have been derived from the combination of the three words:    היה , הווה יהיה Though this appears to be a rational case for the meaning, it remains shrouded due especially to the fact that the Massoretic text has inserted the vowels of the word Adonai under the letters of the tetragram, thereby masking the exact pronunciation for all time. Nor can we turn to the LXX for enlightenment of the pronunciation as we so often can do in moments such as these.  The LXX is silent regarding the true pronunciation and simply chose to translate it.

     #r,a'h' [ארץ] n.f. and occasionally m. earth, district, region piece of ground.      ה'' הידיעהWhen the definite article is not present the verb has two segols instead of a qamatz and segol.

     Ha'Alm.W [מלא] n.m.s. in construct state  fullness, that which fills.  suff. 3rd fem. sing. ה her, its (fem)    ו conjunction  and.

     lbeT n.f.sing. world synonymous with ארץ used in poetic texts.  Cf. Brown Driver Briggs (from here on BDB) may have a connection to בול  יבול though this is not clear.  See also the Akk etymology of tabalu.

     ybev.yOw [ישב]  verb: qal participle, 3rd m.pl.  construct.   dwellers from: to sit, dwell, remain.

     `Hb'  preposition 3rd f. sing.  in her, or in respect to place

     aWh-yKi  כיpreposition because

          הוא indef. pro. 3rd. m. sing. he.

     ~yMiy:-l[ על preposition main meaning on, upon etc.

       ימים [ים]  n.m.pl. seas.

     Hd's'y  verb: 3rd.m.sing. qal per.  he established, fixed with suff. 3rd.f.sing. ה her, it -probably referring to ארץ

     tArh'n>-l[;w>;  על ibid.

נהרות n.m.pl. stream, river.

     `h'n<n>Aky> [כון]verb: piel,3rd.m.sing. per. with suff. 3rd. f. sing. ה again, this is probably a mythological reference to the foundations of the earth on some fluvial source.

     hl,[]y:-ym  מי interrogative pronoun who.

          יעלה [עלה] verb: qal 3rd. m. sing. imper. will go up.

     hw"hy>-rh;b.  ב ibid. (prepositions and other minor words already cited will not be mentioned again unless there is some new development in its function.)  הר n.m.sing. mountain, hill.

     ~Wqy"-ymiW [קום] verb: qal 3rd. m.sing. imper. arise, stand.

     ~Aqm.B [מקם] n.m. sing. standing place.

     `Avd>q' i[קדש] n.m.sing. constr. with suffix 3rd. m.sing his holiness.

     yqin adj. clean.

     ~yIP;k  [כף] n.f.dual. palms, hands.

     bb'le-rb;W [בר] adj. m. sing.  pure, clean

     rv,a]  relative participle.  That, which, who.

     af'n"-al   [נשא]  verb: qal perf. 3rd, m. sing.  carry, bear, lift.

     aw>V'l;  [שוא] n.m. sing. emptiness, vanity.

     yvip.n: נפש]] n.f.sing. in construct.  my soul, life.

     al{w negative particle plus waw.

I>

     [B;v.nI>  verb:niph. perf. 3rd. m.sing.

     hmrml[מרם] ל  n.f.sing. deceit, treachery.

     aF'yI  [נשא]verb: qal. imper.3rd.sing. to lift, carry, bear.

     hk'r'b[ברך]  n.f.sing. blessing, prosperity.

     taeme.[מן]  את  prep. from, out of, etc.

     hw"hy> ibid.

     hq'd'c.W [צדק  n.f.sing. righteousness, justice.

     yhel{a/  [אל] [אלהים] proper name or sometimes general  gods, God.

     A[v.yIe [ישע] n.m.sing. with suff. 3rd m. sing. salvation, deliverance, rescue, safety.

     hz [זה] adj. m. sing.

     rAD[דור]  n.m. sing. period, generation.

     Îwyv'r>DoÐ ¿Avr>DoÀ [דרש] verb: qal, participle, m.sing. or pl., in construct with suff. 3rd m. pl. resort to, seek, inquire.

     yveq.b;m.[בקש]  verb: piel, part.m.pl. in construct. seek, require, desire, request.

     ^yn<p' [פנה] n.f. dual in constr. suff. 2nd m.sing. face, presence, person. Suff. your.

     bqo[]y:[עקב]  prop. name m.sing. Jacob, root=heel, supplanter.

     hl's,  [סלה]interjection to lift up, exalt. poss. technical term in music or [סלל] verb: to lift up, cast up.  Akk. sellu, sillu. Ar.سل draw out, forth.  Jerome classifies this word with amen and with shalom (BDB. pp.700).

     Waf.][נשא]  verb: qal imperative. lift up!

     ~yrI['v[שער]  n.m.pl. gates.

     ~k,yvear' [ראש] n.m.pl. in constr. with suff. 2nd masc. pl. heads.

     Waf.N"hiw[נשא]  verb: niph. imperative pl. be lifted up.

     yxet.P [פתח]  n.m.pl. in constr. doors.

     ~l'A[[עלם]  או [עלום]  n.m.sing. forever or of long duration.

     aAby"w[בוא]  verb: qal imper. 3rd m. sing. with waw  (and) he will come (in), enter though possibly he will go.

     %l,m,[מלך]  n.m.sing. king, pertaining to royalty.

     dAbK'h; [כבד] n.m. and f. abundance, honor, glory. root literally means: heavy, weighty, burdensome, honored.

     zWZ[i[עזז]  adj.m.sing. mighty, fierce, strong.

     rABgIw[גבר]  adj.m.sing. constr. strong, mighty, brave-man.

'

     hmx'l.mi[לחם]  n.f.sing. war, battle.  

     tAab',c[צבא]  n.m./f.pl.. that which goes forth, army, gang, host, warfare.

Syntactical Analysis

`Hb' ybev.yOw> lbeTe Ha'Alm.W #r,a'h' hw"hyl; rAmz>mi dwId'l.  

The use of ל as the introduction of an author poet and the like is called lamed auctoris.  According to Gesenius it is the customary idiom in Hebrew, other Semitic languages and especially Arabic, (pp. 420 c,).

This sentence is a predicate sentence due to the lack of a verb vis a vis ליהוה הארץ.  In English we need the auxiliary verb to be or is to connect these two words.  However, in Hebrew there is no present tense of to be therefore this is the only way that they may be joined.

`h'n<n>Aky> tArh'n>-l[;w> Hd's'y> ~yMiy:-l[; aWh-yKi 2

Gesenius suggests that the use of the plural of נהרות is to intensify the imagery.  Whether the author intended an intensification of the imagery or was simply going on what he understood the creation of the world to be is hard to determine.   River appears here in the plural due to Semitic mythology in which God or the gods conquer the seas and waters including rivers seems to be a rational possibility.

The author has used the imperfect implying that God did not establish the world at one fixed point in time but rather He established over a period of time or perhaps, that He is continually establishing it.  According to Gesenius (paragraph 107 h) the imperfect may be used to "express actions, &c., which although, strictly speaking, they are already finished, are regarded as still lasting on into the present time, or continuing to operate in it."

The author made use of the perfect in the previous verb יסד.  By  interweaving the perfect and imperfect vis a vis the world's creation he has demonstrated that while God's work is finished. It is by His continued power that everything is maintained.

`Avd>q' ~Aqm.Bi ~Wqy"-ymiW hw"hy>-rh;b. hl,[]y:-ymi 3

The imperfect may also be used in conjunction with a interrogative word.  In this verse there are two examples of who plus imper..  It may also be used to indicate actions which have been repeated in the past or actions which may be repeated at any time.   Thus we should understand the question not as 'who has... will go up only once' but rather 'who has been able to/will go up time and again'. 

True to its poetic form, the author has stated the question in two different forms yet with parallel meaning.  We have seen this same use of repetition in verses one and two. יעלה ויקום carry almost the same meaning whereas הר-יהוה ומקום כודשו are also identical.  The motif of repetition is also existent in verse four.

 aw>V'l; af'n"-al{ rv,a] bb'le-rb;W ~yIP;k; yqin> 4

`hm'r>mil. [B;v.nI al{w> yvip.n:

The genitive relation is demonstrated here by the use of the construct of נקי כפים.  Cf. Gesenius a common usage of the genitive relation is when a body part is affected by some physical or mental condition (para. 128 y).  This verse can be broken down into two sections after אשר since there is an obvious repetition of concepts.  The MT has put a athnah under נפשי, which is due probably to an attempt to make it fit with the trimeters of other verses.  The LXX has divided the verse after kardia.  

`A[v.yI yhel{a/me hq'd'c.W hw"hy> taeme hk'r'b. aF'yI 5

Once again the use of the imperfect denotes that whenever someone goes up to the hill of the Lord he/she has been and will be blessed (literally take up blessing... and righteousness).

`hl's, bqo[]y: ^yn<p' yveq.b;m. Îwyv'r>DoÐ ¿Avr>DoÀ rAD hz< 6

מבקשי is a participle or verbal-noun.  It acts both as a noun (thus it appears in the construct state) and as a verb.   It is correctly translated those who seek or the seekers.  פניך is thus the direct object of seek.  However, due to the participle verbal-noun, your face is in construct with the seekers and not truly the direct object of a verb -- object sentence.

 ~l'A[ yxet.Pi Waf.N"hiw> ~k,yvear' ~yrI['v. Waf. 7

`dAbK'h; %l,m, aAby"w>

Though the grammar is not one hundred percent lucid in this case, it would seem that the gates are being addressed in the vocative, oh (ye) gates.  The use of the 2nd person plural in ראשיכם further emphasizes the use of the vocative in this passage.

The second half of the verse is much more clear than the first.  As was already noted in the introduction to this verse, the use of the niphal should be interpreted in the reflexive rather than the passive.  Briggs suggests that the ו of ויבוא "might be subordinate with the subjunctive, that he may enter: better introducing apod. of imv., and he will enter" (pp. 219 Int'l Critical Commentary).  In any case the meaning is that of future--cause and effect.  

 hw"hy> rABgIw> zWZ[i hw"hy> dAbK'h; %l,m, hz< ymi 8

`hm'x'l.mi rABGI

The Massoretic accents have divided this verse into three sections.  The first is the question 'who is the king of glory?'.  Following the name YHWH is given twice followed each time by two adjectives.  The might and strength of the Lord are being stressed in this section since the author has first used two synonymous words and then even repeats גבור as if the hearer didn't understand the first time.  The use of זה serves the purpose of an enclitic to emphasize the interrogative מי.  זה  as compared with הוא introduces a new element into the poem.  הוא on the other hand follows once something is already known, (Gesenius).

 ~l'A[ yxet.Pi Waf.W ~k,yvear' ~yrI['v. Waf. 9

`dAbK'h; %l,m, aboy"w>

The changes here are subtle.  In fact, the LXX doesn't bother to retain them.  It simply harmonizes the parallel verses. The change from niphal of the verb to pa'al gives the repetition color but does not change much if anything semantically.  Though it could be translated as lift them up, instead of be lifted up or exalt yourselves. 

 tAab'c. hw"hy> dAbK'h; %l,m, hz< aWh ymi 10

`hl's, dAbK'h; %l,m, aWh

The use of הוא is now added due to the reason cited above in number 8.  Its addition, however, renders the verse too long rhythmically and therefore the customary יהוה אלהי צבאות is shortened to its currrent form, (Briggs pp.219).   יהוה צבאות is the final title given to the king of glory suggesting that a mighty warrior is de facto the head of a great army or host. 

The סלה ends the psalm with one final word of praise and exaltation to the King of glory, the Lord of Hosts מלך ישראל. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Briggs.  The International Critical Commentary: Psalms, New York, (1906).

Brown, Driver, Briggs.  Hebrew and English Lexicon, Massachusetts, (1906)-Third Publ. (1997).

Eaton, John H.  The Psalms Come Alive, Britain, (1984).

Gesenius/Kautzsch/Cowley. Hebrew Grammar, New York. (1910, 20th impression 1990).

Greenburg, Moshe.  Some Postulates of Biblical Criminal Law, in M.. Haran (ed.), The Jewish Expression, New Haven (1976), 19-37.

Jouon, Paul; Muraoka,T.  A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, Rome, (1996).

Leslie, Elmer A. The Psalms, Nashville, (1949).

Weiser, Aurtur.  The Psalms, Britain, (1962).