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Answer
The expression “lift up your heads” in Psalm 24:7 describes Israel’s praise at a specific historical moment: “Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.”
It is probable that David composed Psalm 24 after the ark of the covenant was brought back to Jerusalem. The Philistines had taken the ark more than 20 years earlier, resulting in the deaths of many Israelites, including Eli’s two sons, who was the high priest. Upon hearing this news, Eli was so shocked that he died. In her grief over the loss of her father-in-law and husband, Eli’s daughter-in-law named her newborn son Ichabod, meaning “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured” «And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.», (1 Samuel 4:22). King David’s celebration in Psalm 24 marks the return of the ark, symbolizing God’s presence coming back to Israel.
David starts the psalm by declaring God’s sovereignty over the entire earth. God is the creator and sustainer of all things, deserving all glory. David urges the Israelites to repent of their idolatry and return to God to restore their relationship with Him. During this covenantal period, these actions were essential to access the tabernacle and receive God’s blessings.
Then David writes, “Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in” «Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of glory shall come in. », (Psalm 24:7, ESV). In this verse, David vividly portrays a king’s triumphant entrance, personifying Jerusalem’s gates. The gates symbolize the inhabitants’ anticipation of welcoming the glorious King.
ts of Jerusalem. With this in mind, David invites the entire city to celebrate the ark’s return and the arrival of the King of glory: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:8).
David’s command for the gates to “lift up their heads” also paints an image of a portcullis—a heavy gate lifted vertically by a pulley system. David indicates that the gates were too low for such a magnificent and glorious King, so they needed to be lifted high out of reverence for Him. When the ark approached the gates, the people lifted the portcullis, which caused the top of the gate to protrude above the walls. This caused the gates to, in a sense, “lift their heads.” Even the gates assumed a posture of praise to the King! Furthermore, in ancient Eastern culture, people would sometimes remove the doors from their hinges to welcome guests (Spurgeon, C. H., Treasury of David, Exposition of Psalm 24). Thus, lifting the city gates in Psalm 24:7 is consistent with cultural practices and a way of showing sincere hospitality.
Psalm 24:7 also foreshadows the coming of the King of glory, Jesus Christ, into Jerusalem centuries later. Jesus, called “the Lord of glory” in 1 Corinthians 2:8, came to Jerusalem as “one who has clean hands and a pure heart”: “He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully” (Psalm 24:4) and could rightly be called “the Lord Almighty . . . the King of glory”: “Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:10).
Throughout Psalm 24, David focuses both on heart posture before God and on the physical posture of the gates as the ark of the Lord approaches.
The covenant enters the city. Both the gates of the city and the posture of people’s hearts needed to be open to welcome the King of glory. Just as the Israelites in Psalm 24 welcomed the presence of God via the ark’s return to Jerusalem, we can welcome God into our lives through faith in Christ’s death and resurrection. May we all lift up our heads in praise to our eternal King!
