Psalms 84:2

My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist, identified in the context as a son of Korah, addresses the assembly or the Lord regarding the pilgrimage to the temple.

The words — The text uses נִכְסְפָה (nikh.se.Fah, "it has longed") and כָּלְתָה (kal.Tah, "it is exhausted") to describe the soul's intense desire, followed by לִבִּי (li.Bi, "my heart") and בְשָׂרִי (ve.sa.Ri, "my flesh") crying out.

The thread — This language of soul-longing and physical yearning for God's presence appears in Isaiah 26:9, Psalm 42:1, and Psalm 63:1.

Why it lands — The verse demands acknowledgment that devotion involves both spiritual desire and physical exhaustion, directing the reader to pursue God's presence rather than settle for comfort.

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

נִכְסְפָ֬הnikh.se.Fahit has longed וְגַם־ve./gam-and/ also כָּלְתָ֨ה׀kal.Tahit is exhausted נַפְשִׁי֮naf.Sh/ibeing/ my לְחַצְר֪וֹתle./chatz.Rotfor/ [the] courts of יְה֫וָ֥הYah.wehYahweh לִבִּ֥יli.B/iheart/ my וּבְשָׂרִ֑יu./ve.sa.R/iand/ flesh/ my יְ֝רַנְּנ֗וּye.ra.ne.Nuthey shout for joy אֶ֣ל'elto אֵֽל־'el-God חָֽי׃Chailiving

King James Version

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.

Cross-references

Isaiah 26:9 My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
Psalms 42:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God.
Psalms 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.
Psalms 73:26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalms 119:81 My soul faints for Your salvation; I wait for Your word.
Psalms 143:6 I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land. Selah
Psalms 119:20 My soul is consumed with longing for Your judgments at all times.
Song of Solomon 5:8 O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you, if you find my beloved, tell him I am sick with love.
Job 23:3 If only I knew where to find Him, so that I could go to His seat.
Song of Solomon 2:4 He has brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me is love.