Psalms 24:3

3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And 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 earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.