Psalms · Chapter 24

Verse 1. The earth is the Lord’s] He is the Creator and Governor of it; it is his own property. Men may claim districts and kingdoms of it as their property, but God is Lord of the soil.

The fullness thereof] “All its creatures.”—Targum. Every tree, plant, and shrub; the silver and the gold, and the cattle on a thousand hills. They that dwell therein.] All human beings.

1, 2, The sovereignty of Jehovah over all the earth; describing, 3-6, What the character ought to be of that people whom he had more peculiarly selected to serve him in the house where his glory was to dwell; and of which, 7-10, it was now about to take possession. All this is by us to be applied to the Christian Church, and the ascension of our Lord into heaven; for which reason this Psalm is one of those appointed to be used on Ascension Day. NOTES ON PSALM 24.

Verse 1. The earth is the Lord’s — The psalmist begins with a representation of God’s dominion over this world in general, and his providential presence in every part of it. After which follows a declaration of his special presence in his tabernacle. And the fulness thereof — All the creatures are the Lord’s, and especially the inhabitants wherewith the earth is replenished. God’s general dominion over, and interest in, all persons and places, seem to be here premised and asserted, 1st, To show his right to choose any nation that he pleased to be his peculiar people: 2d, To set forth his singular kindness and mercy to Israel, whom he chose out of all the nations of the world to be near to him, and to have a special acquaintance with him, although, otherwise, he had no other relation to them than what he had to all mankind, namely, that of Creator and Governor: and, 3d, To demonstrate the excellence of the Jewish religion above all others, because the God whom they served was the God and Maker of the world, whereas the gods of the Gentiles were but dumb and deaf idols, and esteemed even by themselves to be but local and confined deities.

Verse 1. The fulness thereof. Targum, all its creatures; all that the earth contains and supports.

1. The earth—As an orb or planet. Fulness—That which it contains, whether plants, animals, people, or its minerals and precious metals, but especially the inhabitants, as the next line specifies.

V. 2. Seas-The whole collection of waters, as well as the sea and the rivers running into it, as that great abyss of waters which is contained in the bowels of the earth.

Verse 2. He hath founded it upon the seas] He not only created the vast mass, but separated the land from the waters, so that the mountains, &c., being elevated above the waters, appear to be founded on them, and notwithstanding all the tossings and ragings of the ocean, these waters cannot prevail. It is established upon the floods, and cannot be shaken.

Verse 2. For he hath founded it — Justly have I said, that the earth is the Lord’s, for he made it, and laid the foundation of it, and that in a wonderful manner; upon the seas — By the seas and floods he means the whole collection of waters, as well the sea and rivers running into it as that great abyss of waters which is contained in the bowels of the earth. This is here mentioned as an evidence of God’s wise and gracious providence, that he hath erected so vast a building upon so weak a foundation as the waters are: for “the waters which, at the creation, and again at the deluge, overspread all things, being, by the power of God, driven down into the great deep, and there confined, the earth was, in a wonderful manner, constructed and established as a kind of circular arch upon, or over them.” — Horne.

2. Founded it upon the seas—In appearance, the dry land being surrounded by water, and having emerged from the water, as stated Genesis 1:9. Hence, the phrase “waters under the earth,” for ocean. Exodus 20:4. See note on Psalm 104:5, 9. Elsewhere the true science of the subject is declared, (Job 26:7;) “He hangeth the earth upon nothing.” The argument is, God, who has founded and who owns the world, sways the destiny of nations.

V. 3. The hill-Zion or Moriah, the place of God’s sanctuary and special presence. Having asserted God’s dominion over all mankind, he now proposes an important question, by whom God will be served, and his blessing enjoyed? Stand-To minister before him. Standing is the posture of ministers or servants. Who shall serve God, with God’s acceptation. Holy place-In the place which he hath sanctified for his service.

Verse 3. Who shall ascend] Who is sufficiently holy to wait in his temple? Who is fit to minister in the holy place?

Verse 3. Who shall ascend, &c. — Dr. Hammond infers from the composition of this Psalm, that it was intended to be sung by two companies or choirs, the one answering the other. To strengthen his conjecture that it was actually performed so, he observes, that upon very solemn occasions (and such this was) it was usual with the Jews to separate themselves, to divide into two companies, one standing on one side, and the other on the other. Thus, so long ago as Moses’s time, six tribes stood on mount Gerizim, and the other six on the opposite mount, Ebel. And Nehemiah mentions two companies of them that gave thanks, Nehemiah 12:31, whereof one went to the right hand, verse 38, and the other over against them, verse 40. In like manner he thinks, at the solemn placing of the ark in Zion, the two choirs of singers might stand, one on one side of the tabernacle, and the other on the other, and repeat this Psalm. Dr. Delaney, improving on this idea, imagines that the king began the concert “with a solemn and sonorous recitative” of the first verse. The chorus, he thinks, was then divided, and each sung in their turns, both joining in the close, For he hath founded it upon the seas, &c. This part of the music, he supposes, lasted till the procession reached the foot of the hill of Sion, and that then the king stepped forth, and began in a solemn tone, Who shall ascend, &c. Then the first chorus of singers answered, Even he that hath clean hands, &c. The second chorus, That hath not lift up, &c., to the end of the 6th verse. “Let this part of the music,” says he, “be supposed to have lasted till they reached the gates of the city. Then the king began again in that most sublime and heavenly strain, Lift up your heads, O ye gates, &c., which all repeated in chorus. The persons appointed to keep the gates (or, perhaps, the matrons of Jerusalem, meeting David there, as they did Saul, upon his return from the conquest of the Philistines, 1 Samuel 18.) are supposed next to have sung, Who is the king of glory? and the first and second chorus to have answered, It is the Lord, strong and mighty, &c. And now let us suppose the instruments to take up the same airs, (the king, the princes, and the matrons moving to the measure,) and to continue them to the gates of the court of the tabernacle: then let the king again begin: Lift up your heads, O ye gates, &c., and be followed and answered as before: all closing — instruments sounding, chorus singing, people shouting — He is the King of glory. How others may think upon the point,” adds he, “I cannot say, (nor pretend to describe,) but for my own part I have no notion of hearing, or of any man’s having seen or heard, any thing so great, so solemn, so celestial, on this side the gates of heaven.” Leaving the reader to judge of this hypothesis as it shall appear to him, we return to the consideration of some of the expressions occurring in the verses thus referred to. The hill of the Lord, mentioned in this verse, (verse 3,) was Sion, or Moriah, the place of God’s sanctuary and special presence. The psalmist, having asserted and proved God’s dominion over all mankind, and consequently their obligation to worship and serve him, now proposes a most necessary and important question, especially in those times, when all nations, except Israel, were in a state of deep ignorance and error respecting it, namely, where, and how, and by whom, God would be served, and his favour and blessing might be enjoyed. The place is here mentioned, and the qualification of the persons described in the following verses. Who shall stand — To minister before him. Standing is the posture of ministers or servants. Who shall serve God with acceptance? In his holy place? — The place he hath sanctified for his service.

3. Who shall ascend, etc.—See on Psalm 15:1, which is parallel.

V. 4. He-Whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. Pure heart-Careful to approve itself to God, as well as to men; ordering a man’s very thoughts and affections according to God’s word. Vanity-Who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honours, riches, pleasures; but makes God his portion.

Verse 4. He that hath clean hands] He whose conscience is irreproachable; whose heart is without deceit and uninfluenced by unholy passions.

Who hath not lifted up his soul] Who has no idolatrous inclination; whose faith is pure, and who conscientiously fulfils his promises and engagements.

Verse 4. He that hath clean hands — Whose actions and conversation are holy and unblameable. It is here very observable that the character of a right and acceptable worshipper of God is not taken from his nation and relation to Abraham; nor from any or all of those costly and laborious rites and ceremonies of the law in which the generality of the Israelites placed their confidence, but from moral and spiritual duties, which most of them grossly neglected. And a pure heart — Purged from hypocrisy, and corrupt desires and designs, and careful to approve itself to God, as well as men, ordering a man’s very thoughts, intentions, and affections, according to God’s word. This is fitly added, because a man may keep his hands clean, in a good measure, from mere worldly motives, and without any respect to God, and even with an evil design. Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity — Who doth not worship idols, often called vanities in Scripture, and who doth not value or desire the vain things of this life, such as honour, riches, pleasures; but who makes God his portion. And this, also, is very fitly mentioned as essential to the character of a truly good man, because, hereby he is distinguished from all carnal and ungodly men whatsoever, whose inseparable property it is, according to both the Old and New Testament, to love vanity, and to set their hearts chiefly upon the things of this world. Whereas good men are everywhere described to be such as seek their happiness in God, and prize and desire his favour and service infinitely more than all the enjoyments or this life; yea, even than life itself. Nor sworn deceitfully — Hebrew, hmrml, lemirmah, unto, or with deceit, that is, falsely, or with a purpose of deceiving others thereby. Under this negative the contrary affirmative is included, namely, that he is one who, when he is called to swear, doth swear in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness, Jeremiah 4:2.

Ver. 4. Not lifted up his soul to vanity; that is, to an idol. So the LXX, mataia. Idols are often designated by vanity, lying vanities, &c.

4. Clean hands—An emblem of innocence from overt sin, as a pure heart, in the next sentence, is of purity of thought, purpose, and intention. See Job 17:9; Matthew 27:24; 1 Timothy 2:8. Lifted up his soul unto vanity—Offered prayer and sacrifice to idols. Sworn deceitfully—As in Psalm 15:4, where see note. But the text has a broader sense here. The Hebrews were commanded to swear only by “the God of truth,” (Isaiah 65:16; Deuteronomy 6:13;) which implied that they served him, and that their ultimate hope was in him. Hence, to swear by the true God while they served idols, or lived in violation of Jehovah’s laws, was the essence of false swearing. Jeremiah 5:1, 2; 7:9; 12:16. “Swearing deceitfully,” is parallel to “lifting up the soul unto vanity,” in previous hemistich.

V. 5. The blessing-Grace and glory, and all other good things.

Verse 5. He shall receive the blessing] Perhaps alluding to Obed-edom, at whose house the ark had been lodged, and on whom God had poured out especial blessings.

And righteousness] Mercy: every kind of necessary good. It is the mercy of God that crowns the obedience and fidelity of good men. For what made them good and faithful? God’s mercy. What crowns their fidelity? God’s mercy.

Verse 5. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord — That is, the blessings which God hath promised to his people, namely, grace and glory, and all other good things, Psalm 84:11. He, and only he, shall be truly blessed. And righteousness — The fruit or reward of his righteousness, the work being often put for the reward of it: or kindness, or mercy, and those benefits which flow therefrom.

5. Blessing—Refers especially to 2 Samuel 6:11, 12. Righteousness— “That moral perfection which is the restored and realized image of God.”—Delitzsch. Matthew 5:6.

V. 6. The generation-The true progeny which God regards. Face-His grace and favour, which is often called God’s face.

Verse 6. This is the generation] This is the description of people who are such as God can approve of, and delight in.

That seek thy face, O Jacob.] It is most certain that yhla Elohey, O God, has been lost out of the Hebrew text in most MSS., but it is preserved in two of Kennicott’s MSS., and also in the Syriac, Vulgate, Septuagint, Æthiopic, Arabic, and Anglo-Saxon. “Who seek thy face, O God of Jacob.”

Selah.] That is, It is confirmed; it is true. The persons who abstain from every appearance of evil, and seek the approbation of God, are those in whom God will delight.

Verse 6. This is the generation of them that seek him — The true progeny, which God regards, that make it their care and study to know him, and his mind and will, and to please and serve him. Whereby he reflects upon them who boasted of, and trusted in, their carnal descent from Abraham and the other patriarchs. That seek thy face, O Jacob — That is, O God of Jacob, that seek thy grace and favour, often called God’s face. Such ought the people to be who seek the presence of God, and approach to worship him in the sanctuary. And such ought they to be who celebrate the ascension of the Redeemer, and hope, one day, to follow him into those happy mansions which he is gone before to prepare for them.

Ver. 6. Thy face, oh Jacob. The LXX, “Oh God of Jacob.” The Hebrew is either deficient of the word, or the word did exist when the LXX translated it.

6. This is the generation—Such persons as have just been described; these constitute a peculiar race, generation, or kind, separated from the world. That seek thy face, O Jacob— “To seek the face” of any one is to seek his favour, to endeavour to secure those benefits which arise from an intimate relation to him, as 1 Kings 10:24: “And all the earth sought the face [margin] of Solomon, to hear his wisdom.” See Hosea 5:15. To “seek the face of Jacob” is to seek fellowship with the people called by his name—the Israelites—and, by implication, to seek God.

V. 7. Lift up-He speaks here of the gates and doors of the temple, which by faith and the spirit of prophecy, he beheld as already built, whose doors he calls Everlasting, not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, which may be let down or taken up. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ’s entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception: or of his ascension into heaven, where the saints or angels are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and king, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. The king-The Messiah, the king of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Corinthians 2:8 James 2:1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.

Verse 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates] The address of those who preceded the ark, the gates being addressed instead of the keepers of the gates. Allusion is here made to the triumphal entry of a victorious general into the imperial city.

In the hymn of Callimachus to Apollo, there are two lines very much like those in the text; they convey the very same sentiments. The poet represents the god coming into his temple, and calls upon the priests to open the doors, &c.

autoi nun katochev anaklinesqe pulawv,

autai de klhidev, o gar qeov ouk eti makranÈ

“Fall back, ye bolts; ye pond’rous doors, give way;

For not far distant is the god of day.”

Callim. Hymn in Apol., ver. 6, 7.

The whole of this hymn contains excellent sentiments even on the subject of the Psalms.

Everlasting doors] There seems to be a reference here to something like our portcullis, which hangs by pullies above the gate, and can be let down at any time so as to prevent the gate from being forced. In the case to which the psalmist refers, the portcullis is let down, and the persons preceding the ark order it to be raised. When it is lifted up, and appears above the head or top of the gate, then the folding doors are addressed: “Be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors;” let there be no obstruction; and the mighty Conqueror, the King of glory, whose presence is with the ark, and in which the symbol of his glory appears, shall enter. Make due preparations to admit so august and glorious a Personage.

Verse 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates — The questions, Who shall ascend God’s hill, namely, to worship? and, Who shall stand in his holy place, to minister before and serve him? being answered, the psalmist proceeds to speak next of the introduction of the presence of him into that place whom they were to worship, namely, the great and glorious Jehovah. For what would it signify that they were prepared to worship, if HE whom they were to worship were not present to accept and bless his worshippers? David speaks here of the gates and doors, either, 1st, Of his royal city Zion, through which the ark was now to pass to the tabernacle which he had built for it. And he calls these doors everlasting, either on account of the durableness of the matter of which they were made; or from his desires and hopes that God would make them everlasting, or of long continuance, because he loved the gates of Zion, Psalm 87:2. Or, he speaks, 2d, Of the gates of the court of the tabernacle, or of the tabernacle itself, into which the ark, the emblem of the divine presence, was now to be brought. Or, 3d, When composing this Psalm, he might look forward in a spirit of prophecy to the temple, beholding it as already built, and accordingly might address his speech to the gates and doors of it, terming them everlasting, not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition to those of the tabernacle, which were removed from place to place; whereas the temple and its doors were constantly fixed in one place; and, if the sins of Israel had not hindered, would have abode there for ever, that is, as long as the Mosaic dispensation lasted, or until the coming of the Messiah, as the phrase, for ever, is very commonly taken in the Old Testament. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis, the head of which, when it is lifted up, rises conspicuous above the gates, and accordingly makes the entrance higher, and more magnificent. But though this be the literal sense of the place, yet it has also a mystical sense, and that too designed by the Holy Ghost. And as the temple was a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itself; so this place may also contain a representation, either of Christ’s entrance into his church, or into the hearts of his faithful people, who are here commanded to set open their hearts and souls for his reception: or, of his ascension into heaven, where the saints, or angels, are poetically introduced as preparing the way, and opening the heavenly gates to receive their Lord and King, returning to his royal habitation with triumph and glory. The King of glory — The glorious King Jehovah, who resided in the Shechinah, or glory, over the ark, the symbol of his presence, and between the cherubim. Or, the Messiah, the King of Israel, and of his church, called the King, or Lord of glory, 1 Corinthians 2:8; James 2:1, both for that glory which is inherent in him, and that which is purchased by him for his members.

Ver. 7. Lift up your heads, oh ye gates of Zion, to receive the ark. For reflections on the characters that shall enter, see Psalm 15.; and on the ascension of Christ, Acts 1.

7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates—Here is a sudden transition, a new scene introduced. We may suppose the procession to have now reached the foot of Mount Zion, and to have begun the ascent to that part of the hill where the ark was to be deposited. For the responsive parts of verses 7-10, see the introduction. The call upon the gates to open, is a call upon the guards to perform this service. See Psalm 118:19, 20; Isaiah 26:2. Everlasting doors—Doors of eternity. “Gates of old,” is not an adequate rendering. The language transcends historic limit, and becomes typically prophetic. The historic day and occasion were eventful; not inferior to any in the history of the nation next to the passover and the exodus. The “King of glory” cannot mean King David, nor “everlasting doors” the city gates. The “King of glory” is “Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle,” “Jehovah of hosts;” and the “everlasting doors” can fitly apply to none other than those of the heavenly Zion, the “Jerusalem which is above.” Galatians 4:26. The passage is Messianic, and parallel to Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:8; and prophetically belongs to the events after the crucifixion, when Christ, having expiated sin, and by his resurrection conquered death and finished “love’s redeeming work,” triumphantly entered “not into the holy places made with hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.” Hebrews 9:24. The Church of England properly appoints this psalm as one to be read on Ascension Day. “This psalm is no doubt prophetic, or rather, typical in itscharacter, and most fitly in its application celebrates the return of Christ as the King of glory to his heavenly throne.”—Perowne. According to a common rule of Messianic prophecy, what in the Old Testament is applied to Jehovah, in the New is applied to Christ. So the title, “King of glory.” here. Compare, on the principle, Jeremiah 17:10; Revelation 2:23.

V. 8. The Lord-He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.

Verse 8. Who is this King of glory?] This is the answer of those who are within. Who is this glorious King, for whom ye demand entrance? To which they reply:—

The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.] It is Jehovah, who is come to set up his abode in his imperial city: He who has conquered his enemies, and brought salvation to Israel. To make the matter still more solemn, and give those without an opportunity of describing more particularly this glorious Personage, those within hesitate to obey the first summons: and then it is repeated, Psalm 24:9.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.] To which a more particular question is proposed:—Who is HE, THIS King of glory? To which an answer is given that admitted of no reply. The Lord of hosts-he who is coming with innumerable armies, He is this King of glory. On which, we may suppose, the portcullis was lifted up, the gates thrown open, and the whole cavalcade admitted. This verse seems to have been spoken before the ark appeared: Who is this (hz zeh) King of glory? when its coming was merely announced. In the tenth verse the form is a little altered, because the ark, the symbol of the Divine Presence, had then arrived. Who is He, (awh ym mi hu,) this King of glory? Here He is, to answer for himself. “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” Though this Psalm has all the appearance of being an unfinished piece, yet there is a vast deal of dignity and majesty in it; and the demands from without, the questions from those within, and the answers to those questions, partake of the true sublime; where nature, dignity, and simplicity, are very judiciously mingled together. The whole procedure is natural, the language dignified, and the questions and answers full of simplicity and elevated sentiments.

Several, both among ancients and moderns, have thought this Psalm speaks of the resurrection of our Lord, and is thus to be understood. It is easy to apply it in this way: Jesus has conquered sin, Satan, and death, by dying. He now rises from the dead; and, as a mighty Conqueror, claims an entrance into the realms of glory, the kingdom which he has purchased by his blood; there to appear ever in the presence of God for us, to which he purposes to raise finally the innumerable hosts of his followers; for in reference to these, He is the Lord of hosts; and, in reference to his victory, He is the Lord mighty in battle.

Verse 8. Who is the King of glory? — What is the cause of this imperious call? And why? Or, for whom must those gates be opened in so solemn and extraordinary a manner? The answer is, The Lord strong and mighty, &c. — As if he had said, He is no ordinary person, no other than Jehovah, who hath given so many proofs of his almightiness, who hath subdued all his enemies, and is now returned in triumph.

V. 9. Lift up-The same verse is repeated again, to awaken the dulness of mankind, who are so hardly brought to a serious preparation for such solemnities; and to signify the great importance of the matter, contained under these expressions.

Verses 9, 10. Lift up your heads, &c. — The same verse is repeated again, to awaken the dulness of mankind, who are so hardly brought to a serious preparation for such solemnities; and to signify the great importance of the matter contained under these expressions. The Lord of hosts — Under whose command are all the hosts of heaven and earth, angels and men, and all other creatures. The reader will be pleased to see Dr. Horne’s application of these verses to the ascension of our Lord. “We must now,” says he, “form to ourselves an idea of the Lord of glory, after his resurrection from the dead, making his entry into the eternal temple in heaven; as of old, by the symbol of his presence, he took possession of that figurative and temporary structure which once stood upon the hill of Sion. We are to conceive him gradually rising from mount Olivet into the air, taking the clouds for his chariot, and ascending up on high; while some of the angels, like the Levites in procession, attendant on the triumphant Messiah, in the day of his power, demand that those everlasting gates and doors, hitherto shut and barred against the race of Adam, should be thrown open, for his admission into the realms of bliss. Lift up your heads, &c. — On hearing this voice of jubilee and exultation from the earth, the abode of misery and sorrow, the rest of the angels, astonished at the thought of a man claiming a right of entrance into their happy regions, ask, from within, like the Levites in the temple, Who is this King of glory? To which question the attendant angels answer, in a strain of joy and triumph — and let the church of the redeemed answer with them — The Lord strong and mighty, &c. — The LORD JESUS, victorious over sin, death, and hell. Therefore we say, and with holy transport we repeat it, Lift up your heads, &c. And if any ask, Who is the King of glory? to heaven and earth we proclaim aloud, THE LORD OF HOSTS, the all-conquering MESSIAH, head over every creature, the leader of the armies of JEHOVAH, he is the King of glory. Even so, glory be to thee, O Lord most high! Amen. Hallelujah.”

V. 10. Of hosts-Under whose command are all the hosts of heaven and earth, angels and men, and all other creatures.

Verses 9, 10. Lift up your heads, &c. — The same verse is repeated again, to awaken the dulness of mankind, who are so hardly brought to a serious preparation for such solemnities; and to signify the great importance of the matter contained under these expressions. The Lord of hosts — Under whose command are all the hosts of heaven and earth, angels and men, and all other creatures. The reader will be pleased to see Dr. Horne’s application of these verses to the ascension of our Lord. “We must now,” says he, “form to ourselves an idea of the Lord of glory, after his resurrection from the dead, making his entry into the eternal temple in heaven; as of old, by the symbol of his presence, he took possession of that figurative and temporary structure which once stood upon the hill of Sion. We are to conceive him gradually rising from mount Olivet into the air, taking the clouds for his chariot, and ascending up on high; while some of the angels, like the Levites in procession, attendant on the triumphant Messiah, in the day of his power, demand that those everlasting gates and doors, hitherto shut and barred against the race of Adam, should be thrown open, for his admission into the realms of bliss. Lift up your heads, &c. — On hearing this voice of jubilee and exultation from the earth, the abode of misery and sorrow, the rest of the angels, astonished at the thought of a man claiming a right of entrance into their happy regions, ask, from within, like the Levites in the temple, Who is this King of glory? To which question the attendant angels answer, in a strain of joy and triumph — and let the church of the redeemed answer with them — The Lord strong and mighty, &c. — The LORD JESUS, victorious over sin, death, and hell. Therefore we say, and with holy transport we repeat it, Lift up your heads, &c. And if any ask, Who is the King of glory? to heaven and earth we proclaim aloud, THE LORD OF HOSTS, the all-conquering MESSIAH, head over every creature, the leader of the armies of JEHOVAH, he is the King of glory. Even so, glory be to thee, O Lord most high! Amen. Hallelujah.”

10. Lord of hosts— “Hosts” designates angels, celestial beings, or armies, when used in this connexion, as in Psalm 103:21. See Psalm 68:17. Not the idea of multitude only, but of a marshalled army.