Why read Psalm 84?
Psalm 84 is a prayer for forgiveness, reconciliation and a new beginning. The meeting of mercy, truth, righteousness and peace expresses hope for the restoration of both personal and communal life.
You can read this psalm when its themes speak to your circumstances, or as part of your regular reading of the Psalter. This explanation draws on the text itself; the psalm is not reserved for one particular need.
In the Eleventh Kathisma of the Psalter, Psalm 84 awaits its reader with 14 verses of prayer rising out of a real experience. It begins with "Thou hast been gracious, O Lord, unto Thy land..." — and from there on, everything is dialogue between man and God.
The text of Psalm 84
1. Thou hast been gracious, O Lord, unto Thy land; Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.
2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquities of Thy people; Thou hast covered all their sins.
3. Thou hast made all Thy wrath to cease; Thou hast turned Thyself from the wrath of Thine anger.
4. Turn us, O God of our salvation, and turn away Thy wrath from us.
5. Wilt Thou be wroth with us for ever? Or wilt Thou stretch out Thy wrath from generation to generation?
6. Thou, O God, wilt turn and quicken us, and Thy people shall be glad in Thee.
7. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us Thy salvation.
8. I will hear what the Lord God will speak in me; for He shall speak peace unto His people,
9. And unto His saints, and unto them that turn their heart unto Him.
10. But surely His salvation is nigh unto them that fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land.
11. Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
12. Truth is sprung up out of the earth, and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
13. For the Lord shall give goodness, and our land shall yield her increase;
14. Righteousness shall go before Him, and He shall set His footsteps in the way.
When Psalm 84 is read
- It belongs to the Eleventh Kathisma and is read in the course of the Psalter at the services; the faithful read it during fasts and in times of need.
- At the end of each psalm, the tradition adds: "Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen."
Neighbouring psalms
The numbering follows the Orthodox Psalter (Septuagint). The same psalm may have a different number in other Bible editions.
