Psalm 24 — Who Is This King of Glory?
A psalm built for a specific moment: it reads like a liturgy for a procession bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, alternating between statements about God's ownership of creation (vv. 1-2), a question about who may approach him (vv. 3-6, echoing Psalm 15), and a call-and-response at the city gates asking who this "King of glory" is, answered twice with escalating description (vv. 7-10).
- Verses 3-6 repeat the same question Psalm 15 asks ("who may ascend... who may stand in his holy place?") with a similar answer centered on "clean hands and a pure heart" — worth reading the two side by side.
- Verses 7-10's repeated command to the "gates" and "everlasting doors" to lift up their heads is addressed to the city's physical gates as if they were persons capable of response — a poetic device (apostrophe) used to dramatize God's arrival, not a claim that gates are alive.
- The double question-and-answer structure in verses 8 and 10 ("who is this King of glory?") intensifies the second time — from "Yahweh strong and mighty" to "Yahweh of Armies" — building rather than simply repeating.
Psalms 24 (WEB)
1The earth is Yahweh’s, with its fullness; the world, and those who dwell therein.
2For he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the floods.
3Who may ascend to Yahweh’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 Yahweh, 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? Yahweh strong and mighty, Yahweh mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, you gates; yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in.
10Who is this King of glory? Yahweh of Armies is the King of glory! Selah.