Psalms 24:7

Lift up your heads, O ye gates,.... By which the gates of hell are not meant; nor are the words to be understood of the descent of Christ thither, to fetch the souls of Old Testament saints from

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. As the ark in the procession draws near the gates of Zion, David calls on them to open to receive the King of Glory.

The question was put, Who shall ascend into God’ s hill and holy place? ; to which answer hath been given, and the persons described, . But because there still were impediments in the way, and there were gates and doors to this holy place, to shut out those who would ascend thither, therefore he poetically speaks to those gates to open and let in the King of glory, who would make way for his subjects and followers. Here is a representation of a triumphant entrance of a king into his royal city and palace; for which the gates use to be enlarged, or at least wide opened. He speaks here of the gates and doors, either, 1. Of his royal city of Zion, through which the ark was at this time to be brought to the tabernacle, which David had built for it, called everlasting, either from the solidity and durableness of the matter, or from David’ s desires and hopes that God would make them such in some sort, because he loved the gates of Zion, . Or rather, 2. Of the temple, which by faith and the Spirit of prophecy he beheld as already built, and accordingly addresseth his speech to it, whose doors he calls everlasting, not so much because they were made of strong and durable materials, as in opposition of 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 did not hinder, were to abide there for ever, i.e.: as long as the Mosaical dispensation was to last, or until the coming of the Messias, as that phrase is very commonly taken in the Old Testament. These gates he bids lift up their heads, or tops, either by allusion to those gates which have a portcullis at the top of them, which may be let down or taken up, and accordingly makes the entrance either higher or lower; or that by this figurative address to the gates he might signify the duty of the people to make their gates higher and wider, to give their king a more magnificent entrance. But though this be the literal sense of the place, yet there is also a mystical sense of it, and that too designed by the Holy Ghost. And as the temple was undoubtedly a type of Christ, and of his church, and of heaven itsself; 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, which are not unfitly called everlasting doors, 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. Compare 68:25 .

Psalms 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.Ver. 7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, &c.] Here he calleth unto hell gates, say the Papists; to the heavens, say others, to give way to Christ’ s ascension thereinto, as the firstfruits, and the opener of the way to all his members; and he doubleth the same speech, Psalms 24:9, for the joy that he had in the contemplation thereof; bidding them again and again lift up and be lifted up; a phrase or term taken from triumphal arches, or great porticoes, set up or beautified and adorned for the coming in of great victorious and triumphant captains. Justin. p. 55. Recipite Christum in portas novae Hierosol. (Cyril). There are at this day to be seen at Rome the ruins of Constantine’ s triumphal arch erected at that time when he entered the city triumphing over the tyrant Maxentius, quem vicit signo crucis, who conquored by the sign of the cross, as Eusebius reporteth; making Christ to triumph at Rome, after those ten bloody persecutions; with which triumph this psalm may fitly be compared, saith a learned interpreter. Our late annotators tell us of a fashion in ancient times, that when they would solemnize the entrance of any prince, or others that had well deserved of the public, they would break down the walls, and pull off the gates of the city; partly for more flee entrance, and partly to show that their city needed no wall nor gates as long as they had such a guardian and protector within it. It is likely, say they, that David by these words doth allude to some such custom. Or, as Calvin and others will have it, to the temple to be set up by Solomon; which he wisheth were done, that so he might bring in the ark of the covenant, hitherto transportative, into the place of its rest, Psalms 132:14. Certain it is, that the saints, those living temples of the Lord, are here called upon to lift up their hearts in the use of holy ordinances; yea, therein to be abundantly lifted up through faith, with a joyful and assured welcome of the King of glory, who will thereupon come in to them, by the ravishing operation of his love, benefits, and graces.

(7) Gates.—The LXX. and Vulgate miss this fine personification, by rendering “princes” instead of “heads.” “Lift up your gates, O princes.” The sacrifice of the poetry to antiquarianism, by introducing the idea of a “portcullis,” is little less excusable. The poet deems the ancient gateways of the conquered castle far too low for the dignity of the approaching Monarch, and calls on them to open wide and high to give room for His passage. Everlasting doors.—Better, ancient doors, “gates of old;” an appropriate description of the gates of the grim old Jebusite fortress, “so venerable with unconquered age.” For ôlam in this sense comp. the giants “of old” (Genesis 6:4), the “everlasting hills” (Genesis 49:26, &c.), and see Note to Psalms 89:1.The King of glory shall come in.—This name, in which the claim for admission is made, connects the psalm immediately with the ark; that glory, which had fled with the sad cry Ichabod, has returned; the symbol of the Divine presence and of victory comes to seek a lasting resting-place.

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. Αυτοινυνκατοχηεςανακλινεσθεπυλαως, Αυταιδεκληιδες·ὁγαρΘεοςουκετιμακραν; "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.

7–10. The procession has reached the ancient gates of Zion. They are summoned to open high and wide to admit their true King.

Lift up your heads, O ye gates - Either the gates of the city, or of the house erected for the worship of God; most probably, as has been remarked, the former.

7. Lift up your heads, O ye gates—Here is a sudden transition, a new scene introduced.