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Psalm 24

Psalm 24 declares YHWH’s ownership of the world, describes those who may approach him, and announces his entrance as King.

A psalm attributed to David begins by declaring that the earth and everyone in it belong to YHWH, who established it. It then asks who may enter his holy place and describes people whose conduct and hearts are clean. The closing lines address gates and doors, commanding them to rise for the King of glory. The repeated questions and answers suggest a worship procession, though the psalm names no specific occasion.

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1A Psalm by David. The earth is the LORD’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell in it.
2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
3Who may ascend to the LORD’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?
4He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully.
5He shall receive a blessing from the LORD, righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob. Selah.
7Lift up your heads, you gates! Be lifted up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
8Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
10Who is this King of glory? The LORD of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.
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Key verses
Psalm 24:1The opening claim places the whole earth and every person under YHWH’s ownership before describing worship in his holy place.
Psalm 24:4Clean hands and a pure heart join outward conduct with inward integrity as the psalm answers who may approach God.
Psalm 24:7The command to the gates shifts attention from those approaching God to the glorious King whose arrival demands welcome.
Where this chapter reaches

1 Corinthians quotes Psalm 24’s declaration that the earth belongs to the Lord, a claim of divine ownership also found in Exodus. Matthew shares the link between purity of heart and access to God, connecting the psalm’s worship language with Jesus’ teaching.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

How does YHWH’s ownership of the earth shape your view of what you call yours?

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What connection do you see between clean hands, a pure heart, and seeking God’s face?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 24

Who is the King of glory in Psalm 24?

The psalm identifies the King of glory as YHWH, strong in battle and called YHWH of Armies. The gates are addressed as though they can rise to welcome him. This language suggests a royal entrance or worship procession, but the psalm does not identify a specific event.

What do clean hands and a pure heart mean in Psalm 24?

Clean hands describe conduct, while a pure heart concerns the inner person. Verse 4 connects these images with rejecting falsehood and deceitful oaths. They answer who may stand in God’s holy place. Verse 5 then describes blessing and righteousness as things received from the God who saves.

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Psalms · 150 chapters
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What the Bible says about worship →What the Bible says about guilt →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).