Psalms Chapter 84 (KJV)
Psalms 84
Longing for God's presenceBlessedness of dwelling near GodGod as protector and providerValue of time in God's presenceTrust in God as strength
[To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm for the sons of Korah.] How amiable {are} thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts! {for the sons: or, of the sons}
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, {even} thine altars, O LORD of hosts, my King, and my God.
Blessed {are} they that dwell in thy house: they will be still praising thee. Selah.
Blessed {is} the man whose strength {is} in thee; in whose heart {are} the ways {of them}.
{Who} passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. {Baca...: or, mulberry trees make him a well, etc} {filleth: Heb. covereth}
They go from strength to strength, {every one of them} in Zion appeareth before God. {strength to...: or, company to company}
O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah.
Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed.
For 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. {I had...: Heb. I would choose rather to sit at the threshold}
For the LORD God {is} a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good {thing} will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts, blessed {is} the man that trusteth in thee.
Context & Meaning
Psalm 84 expresses the psalmist's deep longing for God's presence and celebrates the blessedness of those who dwell near Him. The psalmist compares the value of even a single day in God's presence to a thousand elsewhere and affirms God as a sun and shield to those who trust in Him.