The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
What does Psalms 24:1 mean?
We ourselves are not our own; our bodies, our souls, are not. Even those of the children of men are God's, who know him not, nor own their relation to him.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside its immediate passage and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Psalms 24:1
A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. The earth is the Lord's - The whole world belongs to God. He is the Creator of the earth, and therefore, its Proprietor; or, in other words, "the property vests in him." It belongs to Him in a sense somewhat similar to our right of property in anything that is the production of our hands, or of our labor or skill. We claim that as our own. We feel that we have a right to use it, or to dispose of it, as we choose.
Key words
- earth
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The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
- fulness
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The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
- thereof
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The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Context in Psalms 24
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Psalms 24 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as Book I. Psalms is the Bible’s great book of sung prayer, teaching the full range of faithful speech from anguish and repentance to jubilation and doxology. Read this chapter with the wider themes of prayer, praise, and lament in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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