Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
Parallel translations
- WEB Who may ascend to Yahweh’s hill? Who may stand in his holy place?
- BSB Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place?
- NKJV Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
- NASB Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?
- NLT Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Who may ascend God's holy hill and stand in his presence? The question probes who is fit to approach a holy God.
Overview
Having declared God's ownership of all, the psalm asks who may draw near to worship him on his holy mountain. The question exposes the gap between a holy God and sinful humanity, setting up the answer that follows. Ultimately only Christ perfectly meets the requirement and, through him, opens the way for his people to approach God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Ps 15:1Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
- Heb 12:28Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
- Ps 65:4Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
- Ps 2:6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
- Mal 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
- Heb 12:22–24But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
- Ps 132:13–14For the LORD hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation.
- Ps 68:18Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
- 2 Sam 6:12–17And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.
- Lev 10:3Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.
- Ps 68:15–16The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.
- 1 Chr 15:1And David made him houses in the city of David, and prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent.
- Ps 78:68–69But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
- John 20:17Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
- John 13:36Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
- 1 Chr 15:25–28So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obededom with joy.
- Eph 4:8–10Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 24:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.