Bible Commentaries

"To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah." How amiable [are] thy tabernacles, O ^a LORD of hosts!

(a) David complains that he cannot have access to the Church of God to make profession of his faith, and to profit in religion.

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the ^b courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

(b) For only the priests could enter the sanctuary and the rest of the people into the courts.

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, [even] thine ^c altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.

(c) So that the poor birds have more freedom than I.

Blessed [is] the man whose ^d strength [is] in thee; in whose heart [are] the ways [of them].

(d) Who trusts nothing in himself but in you only, and learns from you to rule his life.

[Who] passing through the valley of ^c Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

(c) So that the poor birds have more freedom than I.

They go from ^f strength to strength, [every one of them] in Zion appeareth before God.

(f) They are never weary but increase in strength and courage till they come to God's house.

Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine ^g anointed.

(g) That is, for Christ's sake, whose figure I represent.

For ^h a day in thy courts [is] better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.

(h) He would rather live one day in God's Church than a thousand in the world.

For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no ⁱ good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

(i) But will from time to time increase his blessings toward his more and more.