Psalms

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Psalm 24

1 A psalm of David. The Lord owns the earth and all it contains, the world and all who live in it. 2 For he set its foundation upon the seas, and established it upon the ocean currents.⁠ 3 Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place? 4 The one whose deeds are blameless who has clean hands and a pure heart^*, who does not lie,⁠ or make promises with no intention of keeping them.⁠ 5 Such godly people are rewarded by the Lord, and vindicated by the God who delivers them. 6 Such purity characterizes the people who seek his favor, Jacob’s descendants, who pray to him. (Selah) 7 Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors.⁠ Then the majestic king will enter.⁠ 8 Who is this majestic king? The Lord who is strong and mighty. The Lord a mighty man in battle.⁠ 9 Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors. Then the majestic king will enter. 10 Who is this majestic king? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He is the majestic king. (Selah)

Texts in conversation

Compare Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 2:17 and Psalm 24:7

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Hebrew Bible

Summary

In the Egyptian daily temple ritual, the priest opens the doors of the god's shrine each morning, announcing that the doors of heaven are open. Psalm 24 speaks to the temple gates as eternal doors and tells them to rise so God, the great king, can enter.

Passages

Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 2:17

Ancient Near East, Egyptian · Ritual of the Divine Cult

The Ninth Ceremony. The Chapter of Opening the Face of the God. The following shall be said: “The two doors of heaven open, the two doors of earth unclose. Seb makes obeisance to the gods who are seated upon their thrones, saying, ‘The two doors of heaven open, the Company of the Gods send forth light. “‘Amen-Ra, Lord of the Throne of the Two Lands, is exalted upon his great seat, the Great Company of the Gods are exalted upon their seat. Your beauties are to you, Amen-Ra, Lord of the Throne of the Two Lands. Naked one, clothe yourself, tie on the bandlet.’”

945–715 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Daily Temple Ritual of Amun

Psalm 24:7

Hebrew Bible

7 Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors. Then the majestic king will enter. 8 Who is this majestic king? The Lord who is strong and mighty. The Lord a mighty man in battle. 9 Look up, you gates. Rise up, you eternal doors. Then the majestic king will enter. 10 Who is this majestic king? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies. He is the majestic king. (Selah)

600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... The immensity of Yahweh is also in mind when the temple gates are summoned to "lift up their heads" (Ps 24:7, 9), so that King Yahweh can enter in. In Ps 24:7, the temple gates are designated pthy 'wlm, "gates of eternity" [...] Because the psalm itself is very ancient, the term could hardly apply to the actual temple gates. Rather it might imply that the gates (of heaven), to which the temple gates give visible form, have been located at this place from time immemorial (as at Bethel). [...] In Egyptian temples, a sun flanked by hooded cobras or the winged sun mounted on the lintel (221-22) were often used to identify the temple gates as the gates of heaven. [...] In Egypt, the following formula was uttered at the daily opening of the naos: "The gates of heaven are opened." The pertinent chapter bears the heading: "Utterance upon revealing the countenance of the god." A variant reads: "Utterance upon mounting the stairs" (which lead up to the naos). When entering the naos, the officiant says: "I enter into heaven to behold N (name of the god)." The temple of Heliopolis is called "the heaven of Egypt"; the temple of Karnak is "heaven on earth"; that at Dendera is "the heaven of Hathor." [...] The temple, as the locus of the presence of God, is identical to heaven. ...”

Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 171–172.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Psalms150 psalms

Compare Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 2:17 and Psalm 24:7

Summary

Passages

Daily Temple Ritual of Amun 2:17

Psalm 24:7

References

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