Bible Strands
Psalms 43:4
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the harp, O God, my God.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly while transitioning from a plea for divine guidance in verse 3 to a declaration of future worship. This moment occurs during a period of distress, as the speaker moves from asking for light and truth to committing to a specific act of praise.
The words — The Hebrew מִזְבַּח (mizbeach) literally denotes the altar, the designated place for sacrifice and encounter. The phrase אֵל שִׂמְחַת גִּיל (el simchat gil) translates to "God of my joy of rejoicing," identifying the altar not merely as a ritual site but as the locus of divine gladness.
The thread — The movement toward a sacred place for worship echoes the vow to enter God’s house with offerings in Psalms 66:13. The theme of rejoicing in the Lord despite hardship parallels the declarations in Isaiah 61:10 and Habakkuk 3:17.
Why it lands — The text demands that a reader commit to approaching God’s presence through deliberate praise, regardless of current circumstances. It requires the reader to anchor their hope in God’s character rather than in favorable external conditions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 61:10 I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
- Habakkuk 3:17 Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the sheep are cut off from the fold and no cattle are in the stalls,
- Psalms 66:13 I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—
- Psalms 57:8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn.
- Psalms 71:22 So I will praise You with the harp for Your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praise to You with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
- Psalms 116:12 How can I repay the LORD for all His goodness to me?
- Psalms 33:2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to Him with ten strings.
- Psalms 42:6 O my God, my soul despairs within me. Therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon—even from Mount Mizar.
- Psalms 81:2 Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
- 2 Samuel 6:5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of wood instruments, harps, stringed instruments, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.