Psalms 27:4 - Exposition

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after . A most emphatic introduction of the new topic! Amid all my joy and jubilation, there is still one thing which I need, which I entreat Jehovah to grant —that thing I shall continue to seek after until I obtain it, viz. that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. The psalmist is evidently debarred access to the sanctuary; he feels his exclusion from it a terrible privation; he longs to be there—to "dwell" there (comp. Psalms 26:8 ); to offer there "sacrifices of joy" ( Psalms 27:6 ); to sing there psalms of thanksgiving. He would fain also behold the beauty of the Lord — τὴν τερηνότητα , LXX .—" all that is engaging and gracious in his revelation of himself" (Kay); "not the outward beauty of the sanctuary, but the gracious attributes which its ritual symbolized" ('Speaker's Commentary'). And to inquire in his temple. It has already appeared, from Psalms 5:7 , that the word "temple" or "palace" ( heykal ) was applied in David's time to the tabernacle.