Christianity

Psalms 84How Amiable Are Thy Tabernacles

Summary

Psalm 84, attributed to the sons of Korah, is a pilgrim's song of longing for the courts of the LORD. The psalmist envies the sparrow and swallow that nest near God's altars and blesses those who dwell in his house and those who travel toward Zion, turning the dry valley of Baca into a place of springs. Its best-known line prefers one day in God's courts to a thousand elsewhere, and the doorway of God's house to the tents of wickedness.

Key verse

“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.”

Psalms 84:10

Themes

Longing for God's House
Pilgrimage
Strength for the Journey
Blessedness of Trust

How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!

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.

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

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.

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.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Judaism
Psalm 84 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
The verse blessing those who dwell in God's house, 84:5 in the JPS numbering and 84:4 in the KJV, is the opening line of Ashrei, recited in Jewish prayer before Psalm 145.
Christianity
Psalm 42: As the Hart Panteth
Psalm 42, also attributed to the sons of Korah, expresses a similar thirst for God's presence, but from a place of distance and exile, whereas Psalm 84 rejoices on the road toward the temple.
Islam
Surah Al-Hajj (22): The Call to Pilgrimage
Quran 22:27 tells Abraham to proclaim the pilgrimage so that people come on foot and on camels from every deep ravine. It shares Psalm 84's devotion to a sacred house and the journey toward it, though the house in view is the Kaaba in Mecca.

Questions about Psalms 84

What is the valley of Baca in Psalm 84?

Psalm 84:6 describes pilgrims passing through the valley of Baca and making it a well. The name may mean balsam trees or weeping, and its location is unknown, so many read it as any dry or sorrowful stretch made fruitful by faith.

What does 'a doorkeeper in the house of my God' mean?

In Psalm 84:10 the psalmist says he would rather stand at the threshold of God's house than live comfortably among the wicked. The point is that the humblest place near God is better than the best place away from him.