Psalms 11:4
in Psalms 11The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on His heavenly throne. His eyes are watching closely; they examine the sons of men.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Jehovah is in his holy temple; Jehovah, his throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
KJV
The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
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This verse in Psalms 11
Commentary
5 notes on this verseWhence in what follows it is written: The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven. By the seat — that is, the throne of God — let us, according to the custom of the Scriptures, understand the kingdom, as in that place: "God shall give him the throne of David his father." And elsewhere: "With justice is the throne of dominion prepared." And: "When a just king shall sit upon the throne." The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven.
This site's exposition
The LORD is in His holy temple
on Psalms 11:4-5
The LORD is in His holy temple and on His heavenly throne, above the ground verse 3 calls destroyed. His eyes examine the sons of men, the same testing falls on the righteous and the wicked, and His soul hates the lover of violence. John Gill reads that watching as a King's inspection.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The Lord is in his holy temple,.... Not in the temple at Jerusalem, which as yet was not built; nor in the temple of Christ's human nature; but rather in the church, where he dwells, which is an holy temple to the Lord; and which is an argument for trust in him, and a reason against the fears of men in the worst of times; see Psa 46:
Or, He is in his holy temple, that is, in his church; he is a God in covenant and communion with his people, through a Mediator, of whom the temple was a type. We need not say, "Who shall go up to heaven, to fetch us thence a God to trust to?" No, the word is nigh us, and God in the word; his Spirit is in his saints, those living temples, and the Lord is that Spirit.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The Lord is in his holy temple - He is still to be sought and found in the place vhere he has registered his name. Though the priests be destroyed, the God in whose worship they were employed still lives, and is to be found in his temple by his upright worshippers. And he tries the heart and the reins of both sinners and saints. Nothing can pass without his notice. I may expect his presence in the temple; he has not promised to meet me in the mountain.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The Lord is in His Holy Temple Who sees and tests their deeds, and although His throne is in Heaven and is lofty, His eyes see you on the earth.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
For the foundations were destroyed Because of you the righteous priests of the Lord, who are the foundation of the world, were slain.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְהוָ֤ה׀ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל | beheikhal | [is] in [the] temple of | H1964 → | 80 times |
| קָדְשׁ֗וֹ | kadesho | holiness his | H6944 → | 469 times |
| יְהוָה֮ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם | bashamayim | [is] in the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ | kiso | throne his | H3678 → | 135 times |
| עֵינָ֥יו | ʾeinav | eyes his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| יֶחֱז֑וּ | yechezu | they see | H2372 → | 55 times |
| עַפְעַפָּ֥יו | ʾafapav | eyelids his | H6079 → | |
| יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ | yivchanu | they test | H974 → | 29 times |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] children of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָֽם׃ | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
יְהוָ֤ה׀Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל[is] in [the] temple of
beheikhalH1964 →80 times
קָדְשׁ֗וֹholiness his
kadeshoH6944 →469 times
יְהוָה֮Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם[is] in the heavens
bashamayimH8064 →421 times
כִּ֫סְא֥וֹthrone his
kisoH3678 →135 times
עֵינָ֥יוeyes his
ʾeinavH5869 →887 times
יֶחֱז֑וּthey see
yechezuH2372 →55 times
עַפְעַפָּ֥יוeyelids his
ʾafapavH6079 →
יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּthey test
yivchanuH974 →29 times
בְּנֵ֣י[the] children of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
אָדָֽם׃humankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Habakkuk 2:20But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.
it leads to
- Zechariah 2:13
Be silent before the LORD, all people, for He has roused Himself from His holy dwelling.”
- Zephaniah 1:7
Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.
- Psalms 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
- Zechariah 2:13
Through
Psalms 2:4The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:13
but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.
- Psalms 59:8
But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.
- Psalms 37:13
Through
Psalms 18:6In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
it leads to
- Psalms 50:15
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”
- 2 Samuel 22:7
In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried out to my God. And from His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for help reached His ears.
- Psalms 50:15
Through
Psalms 103:19The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.
it leads to
- Psalms 47:2
How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!
- Psalms 47:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jerome, Homily 60, on Psalm 10 (Alternate Series); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.