the Fourth Week of Advent
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King James Version
Psalms 27:4
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The one thing I ask of the Lord — the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord 's perfections and meditating in his Temple.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after; That I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, To see the beauty of Yahweh, And to inquire in his temple.
I ask only one thing from the Lord . This is what I want: Let me live in the Lord 's house all my life. Let me see the Lord 's beauty and look with my own eyes at his Temple.
I have asked the Lord for one thing— this is what I desire! I want to live in the Lord 's house all the days of my life, so I can gaze at the splendor of the Lord and contemplate in his temple.
One [thing] have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
One thing have I asked of Yahweh, that will I seek after, That I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, To see the beauty of Yahweh, And to inquire in his temple.
One thing I have asked of the LORD, and that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD [in His presence] all the days of my life, To gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
One thing have I asked of the Lord , that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
I axide of the Lord o thing; Y schal seke this thing; that Y dwelle in the hows of the Lord alle the daies of my lijf. That Y se the wille of the Lord; and that Y visite his temple.
One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
I ask only one thing, Lord : Let me live in your house every day of my life to see how wonderful you are and to pray in your temple.
One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after: That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of Jehovah, And to inquire in his temple.
One prayer have I made to the Lord, and this is my heart's desire; that I may have a place in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, looking on his glory, and getting wisdom in his Temple.
Just one thing have I asked of Adonai ; only this will I seek: to live in the house of Adonai all the days of my life, to see the beauty of Adonai and visit in his temple.
One [thing] have I asked of Jehovah, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Jehovah, and to inquire [of him] in his temple.
I ask only one thing from the Lord . This is what I want most: Let me live in the Lord 's house all my life, enjoying the Lord 's beauty and spending time in his palace.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: {N}to behold the graciousness of the LORD, and to visit early in His temple.
One thing haue I desired of the Lord, that will I seeke after: that I may dwel in the house of the Lord, all the dayes of my life, to behold the beautie of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I will look for: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to look upon the beauty of the Lord, and to worship in His holy house.
One thing I asked of the Lord , that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord , and to inquire in his temple.
One thing haue I desired of the Lorde, that I will require, euen that I may dwell in the house of the Lorde all the dayes of my life, to beholde the beautie of the Lorde, and to visite his Temple.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the delight of the LORD, and to be in charge of his temple.
I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord 's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.
One thing, have I asked of Yahweh, That, will I seek to secure, - That I may dwell in the house of Yahweh, all the days of my life, To view the delightfulness of Yahweh, And to contemplate in his temple.
(26-4) One thing I have asked of the Lord, this will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. That I may see the delight of the Lord, and may visit his temple.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
I haue desired one thyng of God, whiche once agayne I wyll earnestly require: euen that I may dwell in the house of God all the dayes of my life, to beholde the beautifulnes of God, and to seeke [it] in his temple.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I earnestly seek: that I should dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and survey his temple.
I have asked one thing from the Lord;it is what I desire:to dwell in the house of the Lordall the days of my life,gazing on the beauty of the Lordand seeking him in his temple.
One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after, That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To see the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in his temple.
One thing I have asked from Yahweh; it I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of Yahweh, and to consider his temple.
One thing I have asked from Jehovah, it I will seek: my dwelling in the house of Jehovah all the days of my life, to behold the delight of Jehovah, and to inquire in His temple.
One [thing] I asked of Jehovah -- it I seek. My dwelling in the house of Jehovah, All the days of my life, To look on the pleasantness of Jehovah, And to inquire in His temple.
One thinge haue I desyred of the LORDE, which I wil requyre: namely, that I maye dwell in the house of the LORDE all the dayes of my life, to beholde the fayre beutie of the LORDE, and to vyset his temple.
I'm asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty; I'll study at his feet.
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple.
One thing I have asked from the Lord , that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord And to meditate in His temple.
One thing I have asked from Yahweh, that I shall seek:That I may dwell in the house of Yahweh all the days of my life,To behold the beauty of YahwehAnd to inquire in His temple.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
One: Psalms 26:8, Luke 10:42, Philippians 3:13
seek: Psalms 27:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Daniel 9:3, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 7:8, Luke 11:9, Luke 11:10, Luke 13:24, Luke 18:1, Hebrews 11:6
dwell: Psalms 23:6, Psalms 26:6, Psalms 65:4, Psalms 84:4, Psalms 84:10, 1 Samuel 1:11, Luke 2:37, 1 Timothy 5:5
behold: Psalms 50:2, Psalms 63:2, Psalms 90:17, Zechariah 9:9, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6
beauty: or, delight, Psalms 63:2-5
inquire: 1 Samuel 22:10, 1 Samuel 30:8, 2 Samuel 21:1, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 1 Chronicles 10:14
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 18:6 - and come with 1 Samuel 1:9 - General 1 Samuel 1:22 - and there 1 Samuel 3:3 - the temple 2 Samuel 2:1 - inquired 2 Samuel 15:25 - he will bring 2 Samuel 22:7 - out 2 Samuel 23:5 - desire 1 Chronicles 14:14 - inquired 1 Chronicles 16:27 - strength 1 Chronicles 22:19 - set your 1 Chronicles 29:3 - I have set 2 Chronicles 9:7 - General 2 Chronicles 18:4 - Inquire Psalms 15:1 - Lord Psalms 18:6 - heard Psalms 29:2 - worship Psalms 42:2 - when Psalms 61:4 - abide Psalms 73:17 - Until Psalms 77:13 - Thy way Psalms 80:19 - cause Psalms 96:6 - strength Proverbs 8:34 - watching Proverbs 11:23 - desire Proverbs 30:7 - have Song of Solomon 5:13 - as a Isaiah 58:13 - call Ezekiel 24:21 - the desire Luke 8:38 - besought Luke 9:33 - it is Luke 18:22 - one John 1:38 - where 2 Corinthians 5:6 - we are always
Cross-References
And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.
And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:
And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.
And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.
And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine and he drank.
And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:
Gill's Notes on the Bible
One [thing] have I desired of the Lord,.... Not to be returned to Saul's court; nor to his own house and family; nor to have an affluence of worldly riches and honours; but to have constant abode it, the house of the Lord; an opportunity of attending continually on the public worship of God; which is excused and neglected by many, and is a weariness to others, but was by the psalmist preferred to everything else; he being now deprived of it, as it seems;
that will I seek after; by incessant prayer, until obtained; importunity and perseverance in prayer are the way to succeed, as appears from the parable of the widow and unjust judge;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life: not in heaven, Christ's Father's house, where he dwells, and where the saints, will dwell to all eternity; though to be clothed upon with the house from heaven is very desirable; rather, in the church of the living God, which is the house of God, and pillar of truth, where true believers in Christ have a place and a name, and are pillars that will never go out; but here the place of divine worship seems to be meant, where the Lord granted his presence, and where to dwell the psalmist counted the greatest happiness on earth; he envied the very sparrows and swallows, that built their nests on the altars in it; and reckoned a day in it better than a thousand elsewhere; and to have the privilege of attending all opportunities in it, as long as he lived, is the singular request he here makes: the ends he had in view follow;
to behold the beauty of the Lord, or "the delight [and] pleasantness of the Lord" g; to see the priests in their robes, and doing their office, as typical of Christ the great High Priest; and the Levites and singers performing their work in melodious strains, prefiguring the churches in Gospel times, singing to the Lord with grace in their hearts, and the four and twenty elders, and one hundred and forty four thousand, with the Lamb on Mount Zion, singing the song of redeeming love; and all the tribes and people of Israel, assembled together to worship God, representing the church of Christ as a perfection of beauty, having the beauty of the Lord upon her, and made perfectly comely through his comeliness; as it is a most delightful sight to see a company of saints attending Gospel worship, meeting together to sing, and pray, and hear the word, and wait upon the Lord in all his appointments; to see them walking in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel, and according to the order of it; this is next to the desirable sight of the bride, the Lamb's wife, in the New Jerusalem state, having the glory of God upon her: moreover, it was a pleasant sight to a believer in those times to behold the sacrifices of slain beasts, which were figures of the better sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world; to which may be added other things that were to be seen by priests; as the ark of the Lord, which had the two tables in it, typical of Christ, the fulfilling end of the law for righteousness; and the table of shewbread, which pointed out Christ the bread of life, and his perpetual intercession for his people; and the golden candlestick, a type of the church, holding forth the word of life to others; with many other things, which, with an eye of faith, the saints of those times could look upon with delight and pleasure: also the presence of the Lord may be intended by his beauty, than which nothing is more desirable to the people of God, even to behold his smiling countenance, to see his face, and enjoy his favour, and to have fellowship with him, and with one another; and particularly the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ may be designed, represented by the Shechinah, or glory, which filled both the tabernacle and the temple; who being the brightness of his Father's glory, and fairer than the children of men, and altogether lovely and full of grace, is a very desirable object to be beheld by faith;
and to inquire in his temple; to seek the face of the Lord, to consult him in matters of difficulty and moment; to search after the knowledge of divine things, and to ask for blessings of grace, for which he will be inquired of by his people, to bestow them on them.
g בנעם יהוה "amaemotate, Jehovae", Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus so Ainsworth; "suavitatem Jehovae", Cocceius, Michaelis.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
One thing have I desired of the Lord - One main object; one thing that I have especially desired; one thing which has been the object of my constant wish. This ruling desire of his heart the psalmist has more than once adverted to in the previous psalms (compare Psalms 23:6; Psalms 26:8); and he frequently refers to it in the subsequent psalms.
That will I seek after - As the leading object of my life; as the thing which I most earnestly desire.
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord - See the notes at Psalms 23:6.
All the days of my life - Constantly; to the end. Though engaged in other things, and though there were other objects of interest in the world, yet he felt that it would be supreme felicity on earth to dwell always in the temple of God, and to be employed in its sacred services, preparatory to an eternal residence in the temple above. To him the service of God upon earth was not burdensome, nor did he anticipate that he would ever become weary of praising his Maker. How can a man be prepared for an eternal heaven who finds the worship of God on earth irksome and tedious?
To behold the beauty of the Lord - Margin, “the delight.” The word rendered “beauty” here - נעם nô‛am - means properly “pleasantness;” then, “beauty, splendor;” then, “grace, favor.” The reference here is to the beauty or loveliness of the divine character as it was particularly manifested in the public worship of God, or by those symbols which in the ancient worship were designed to make that character known. In the tabernacle and in the temple there was a manifestation of the character of God not seen elsewhere. The whole worship was adapted to set forth his greatness, his glory, and his grace. Great truths were brought before the mind, fitted to elevate, to comfort, and to sanctify the soul; and it was in the contemplation of those truths that the psalmist sought to elevate and purify his own mind, and to sustain himself in the troubles and perplexities of life. Compare Psalms 73:15-17.
And to inquire in his temple - Or tabernacle. The word used here would be applicable to either, considered as the “palace” or the residence of Yahweh. As the temple was not, however, built at this time, the word must here be understood to refer to the tabernacle. See the notes at Psalms 5:7. The meaning of the passage is, that he would wish to seek instruction, or to obtain light on the great questions pertaining to God, and that he looked for this light in the place where God was worshipped, and by means of the views which that worship was adapted to convey to the mind. In a manner still more direct and full may we now hope to obtain just views of God by attendance on his worship. The Christian sanctuary - the place of public worship - is the place where, if anywhere on earth, we may hope to have our minds enlightened; our perplexities removed; our hearts comforted and sanctifed, by right views of God.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Psalms 27:4. One thing have I desired — If I am grown too old, and from that circumstance unable to serve my country, I shall then prefer a retirement to the tabernacle, there to serve God the rest of my days. There I shall behold his glory, and there I may inquire and get important answers respecting Israel.
But though these words may be thus interpreted, on the above supposition, that David penned the Psalm on the occasion of his escape from the Philistine, and the desire expressed by his subjects that he should go no more out to war; yet it appears that they more naturally belong to the captivity, and that this verse especially shows the earnest longing of the captives to return to their own land, that they might enjoy the benefit of Divine worship.
