Psalm 84:3

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 84:1-7

The psalmist here, being by force restrained from waiting upon God in public ordinances, by the want of them is brought under a more sensible conviction than ever of the worth of them. Observe, I. The wonderful beauty he saw in holy institutions (Ps. 84:1): How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! Some think that he here calls God the Lord of hosts (that is, in a special manner of the angels, the heavenly hosts) because of the presence of the angels in God's sanctuary; they attended... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 84:3

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house ,.... One or other of the houses of men, where to build its nest; or its nest itself is called an house, as it seems to be explained in the next clause: the word here used signifies any bird; we translate it a "sparrow", and so Kimchi; the Targum renders it the "dove"; but the Midrash is, "it is not said as a dove, but as a sparrow: the dove takes its young, and returns to its place; not so the sparrow:' and the swallow a nest for herself, where she... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 84:3

Yea, the sparrow hath found a house - It is very unlikely that sparrows and swallows, or birds of any kind, should be permitted to build their nests, and hatch their young, in or about altars which were kept in a state of the greatest purity; and where perpetual fires were kept up for the purpose of sacrifice, burning incense, etc. Without altering the text, if the clause be read in a parenthesis, the absurdity will be avoided, and the sense be good. "My heart crieth out for the living God,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 84:3

Verse 3 3The sparrow also hath found a house for herself, and the swallow a nest for herself. Some read this verse as one continuous sentence, conveying the idea that the birds made their nests near the altars; (459) from which it might the more evidently appear how hard and distressing his condition was in being kept at a distance from them. This opinion seems to be supported from the circumstance, that immediately before the Hebrew word for altars, there is the particle את, eth, which is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:1-7

The glory of worship. I. HELPS US TO REALIZE OUR NEARNESS TO GOD . ( Psalms 84:1 .) "How lovely are thy dwellings!" or "the house where thou dwellest." II. IT IS THE EXPRESSION OF THE DEEPEST LONGING OF THE HEART AND SOUL . ( Psalms 84:2 .) III. IT GIVES THE SENSE OF BEING AT HOME WITH GOD . ( Psalms 84:3 .) He is at a distance from the sanctuary; and the birds of the air seem nearer God than he is. IV. IT ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:1-12

The psalm falls into three equal stanzas or strophes, each of four verses, the ends of the first and second stanzas being shown by the pause mark, "selah." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:1-12

The soul's sweet home. This is one of the Korahite psalms, like Psalms 42:1-11 ; Psalms 43:1-5 ; and some eight others. The late Dean Plumptre, in his 'Biblical Studies,' pp. 163-166, gives reasons for concluding that they all belong to the reign of Hezekiah, and were written by members of the Levitical family of Korah. One or more of them, it may be, hindered by the presence of the army of Sennacherib from going up to the temple, as they had been wont to do, pours out his grief in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:3

Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young . Both sparrows and swallows abound in Palestine. Canon Tristram found the nest of a sparrow "so closely allied to our own that it is difficult to distinguish it," in a chink of the Haram wall at Jerusalem, near the Golden Gate. An anecdote related by Herodotus shows that sparrows built about the Greek temples. The general meaning of the figure in this place seems to be, "If even birds love... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:3

Sanctuary birds. The sparrow and the swallow told of here are apt types of those servants of God who find in him what these birds found in the temple. The comparison of the soul of one of God's people to a bird is not unusual (see Psalms 11:1-7 .). Note— I. SOME OF THEIR CHARACTERISTICS . 1 . Such as are negative. They are not distinguished, like the eagle and many others, but of a very humble and lowly sort; nor powerful and strong; nor beautiful; nor valuable—"Are not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 84:3

Envy at the birds. The man prevented from sharing in the public worship of the temple thinks enviously of the very sparrows and swallows that flit through its courts and build their nests under its eaves. Sparrows are very abundant in the East. Swallows make their nests, not only in the verandahs, but even in the rooms, within the mosques, and in the sacred tombs. Josephus tells us that the outer courts of the temple were planted with trees. "It is a singularly natural and beautiful... read more

Group of Brands