Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of Glory shall enter in.

“Solomon was not the Lord of hosts. But, when our Christ arose from the dead and ascended into heaven, the heavenly princes chosen by God were ordered to open the gates of heaven that the King of glory might enter and sit at the right hand of the Father until he makes his enemies his footstool. Now, when these heavenly princes saw that he was in appearance without beauty, honor or glory, and not recognizing him, they asked, "Who is this King of glory?" And the Holy Spirit, either in his own name or in the Father's, answered, "The Lord of hosts. He is the King of glory." But I am sure that everyone will admit that none of the gatekeepers of the temple at Jerusalem ever said of Solomon (though he was ever so glorious a king) or of the ark of testimony, "Who is this King of glory?"”

“God spared not his own Son for you, letting him become a curse for us; for "cursed is he who hangs on a tree"; … that he might redeem us from our sins. The sun was darkened on the day of our redemption; hell lost its right to us, and we were enrolled for heaven. The eternal gates were lifted up that the King of glory, the Lord of might, might enter in, and humankind, born of the earth, destined for hell, was purchased for heaven.”

“He comes to the heavenly gates: angels accompany Him: and the gates of heaven were closed. For He has not yet ascended into heaven. Now first does He appear to the powers of heaven as flesh ascending. Therefore to these powers it is said by the angels, who are the couriers of the Saviour and Lord: "Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be lifted up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of glory shall come in.”

“If he ascend up into heaven, ascend with him. Be one of those angels who escort him or one of those who receive him. Bid the gates be lifted up, or be made higher, that they may receive him, exalted after his passion. Answer to those who are in doubt because he bears up with him his body and the tokens of his passion, which he did not have when he came down, and who therefore, inquire, "Who is the King of glory?" that it is the Lord strong and mighty, as in all things that he has done from time to time and does, so now in his battle and triumph for the sake of humankind. And give to the those who doubt the question the twofold answer. And if they marvel and say as in Isaiah's drama who is this that comes from Edom and from the things of earth? Or how are the garments red of him that is without blood or body, as of one that treads in the full winepress? Set forth the beauty of the array of the body that suffered, adorned by the passion and made splendid by the Godhead, than which nothing can be more lovely or more beautiful.”

“Learn what our temple is, if you would know; It is one that no artisan has built, A structure not of riven fir or pine, Nor reared with blocks of quarried marble fair. Its massive weight no columns high support Beneath the arches of a gilded vault. By God's Word it was formed, not by his voice, But by the everlasting Word, the Word made flesh. This temple is eternal, without end, This you attacked with scourge and cross and gall. This temple was destroyed by bitter pains. Its form was fragile from the Mother's womb, But when brief death the Mother's part dissolved, The Father's might restored it in three days. You have beheld my saving temple rise On high, surrounded by an angel throng. The everlasting gates uphold its roof; Through lofty towers the glorious stairs arise, And at the top appears a shining path.”

“"Take away your gates, ye princes" (ver. 7). All ye, that seek rule among men, remove, that they hinder not, the entrances which ye have made, of desire and fear. "And be ye lift up, ye everlasting gates." And be ye lift up, ye entrances of eternal life, of renunciation of the world, and conversion to God. "And the King of glory shall come in." And the King, in whom we may glory without pride, shall come in: who having overcome the gates of death, and having opened for Himself the heavenly places, fulfilled that which He said, "Be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."”

“[You] gates, lift your heads In the days of Solomon his son, when he comes to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies and the gates cling to each other, he [Solomon] recited twenty-four praises, but he was not answered until he said (II Chron. 6:42): “Do not turn back the face of Your anointed; remember the kind deeds of David, Your servant.””

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates! – In the Haggadic interpretation (Shoher Tob; Babli, Shabbath 30a; Moed Katon 9a; Sanhedrin 107 b, and in other places): “it is clear that the gates were fastened together when Solomon sought to bring in the ark into the house of the Holy of Holies.” According to the literal interpretation he seems to speak metaphorically, as (in Ps. xcvi. 2:12), “Let the sea roar and the fulness thereof; let the field exult and all that is in it.” And so he says, Lift tip your heads, O ye gates! And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; that the King of Glory may come in: – For great glory shall ye receive on the day when the King of Glory comes into you. And because the Glory rested on the ark, between the two cherubim, he calls it by the name of the Lord, the King of Glory. And so (2 Sam. 6:2), “Whereupon is called the Name, even the name of the Lord of Hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim.” And so it (the ark) is called (in Josh. 3:11) “The Lord of all the earth”; and so it is said of it (Num. 10:35) “Rise up, O Lord” (and ibid. 36) “Return, O Lord” And so he says of it (in Ps. 47:6) “God is gone up with a shout” And he says everlasting doors because hitherto the ark travelled from place to place. It came from the desert to Gilgal, and from Gilgal to Shiloh, and from Shiloh to the land of the Philistines, and from the land of the Philistines to Bethshemesh, and from Bethshemesh to Kirjath Je'arim, and from Kirjath Je'arim to the house of Obed Edom, and from the house of Obed to the City of David. And now they brought it into a place where it might remain for ever, and therefore he says everlasting doors. And so he says (in the verse) (i Kings 8:13), “A place for thee to dwell in for ever” And Sha'ar (gate) is the name for the threshold with the doorpost as it is; and pethach (door, lit. opening) is the name for that which is left from the gate, from the doors and outwards. And so it is called pethach, because it is open continually.”

“Having set forth tribulation and the divine help, here the Psalmist commends the power of the one who helps. The title is not new in the Hebrew; but in the Latin there is added "on the first of the sabbath." Here it must be known that, as is said in Exodus 20: "Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day," etc., this is the third commandment. For in six days God made heaven and earth and all things that are in them, and on the seventh he rested; so we too ought, out of reverence, to rest on the seventh day. Hence all the days of the week are called "sabbath," just as the Lord's day is called "the first of the sabbath." Matthew, last chapter: "And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week." And thereafter the whole week is called "sabbath." Luke 18: "I fast twice in the sabbath"; hence this Psalm, "on the first of the sabbath," commemorates those things which pertain to the first day of the week, that is, to the Lord's day. On which three things were done: namely the creation of the world, the production of light, and the resurrection of Christ, as is found in the Gospel, Matthew 28. Of these, therefore, the Psalmist treats: namely of the power of the one creating, and the glory of the one rising again; and perhaps this Psalm used to be sung on the first of the sabbath, but it seems to be disjointed. Nevertheless it must be known that in the time of David, God was worshipped only in Judea; and David, considering that God is the God of the whole earth, and seeing in a prophetic spirit that it would come to pass that he would be worshipped in the whole world, made this Psalm; and of this he treats here. This Psalm, therefore, is divided into three parts. In the first he sets forth his universal dominion; in the second he sets forth, or shows, the manner in which men approach God, at the words "who shall ascend"; in the third he foretells the future worship of God through the whole world, at the words "lift up." Concerning the first he does two things. First he shows that God's dominion is universal; secondly he sets down a sign or cause, at "because he hath founded it upon the seas." Or thus: in this Psalm he treats of three things. First, of creation; secondly, of illumination, at "who shall ascend"; thirdly, of the resurrection, at "lift up," or of the glorification of the one rising again. Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets down the power of the Creator; secondly he adds the reason, at "because he hath founded it upon the seas." Now it must be known that "earth" can be considered in two ways: either as it is one element, or as it is the dwelling-place of men; and in both ways it is under the divine dominion. In the first way there were some who did not extend divine providence to corruptible things, but only to the heavens. Job 22: "The clouds are his covert; he walketh about the poles of heaven, and doth not consider our things." Ezekiel 9: "He hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord doth not see." The Psalm says, as it were, "you lie"; because "the earth is the Lord's," namely the very element over which he has dominion; or "earth," that is, the Church, which is the good earth that yields much fruit. Isaiah 40: "Who hath weighed with three fingers the bulk of the earth, and hath weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?" But he adds, "and the fullness thereof." Genesis 1: "the earth was void and empty," etc., because it was not full of trees and other things that pertain to the adornment of the earth, such as plants and grasses. Or, "the fullness of the earth," that is, the fullness of the graces of the Church. And this is Christ, who brought the whole fullness of graces in himself. Ecclesiasticus 15: "thy face is full of graces." 1 John 1: "of his fullness we have all received." In the second way also the world is said to be God's, that is, our habitable earth. "And all they that dwell therein," that is, all its inhabitants. Psalm 9: "he shall judge the world in equity, and the people in justice." Isaiah 45: "I have not created it (namely the earth) in vain: I formed it to be inhabited." The center is the lowest place in the world, toward which the earth tends by its own weight and all other things yield to it; and Psalm 103 says: "who hath founded the earth upon its own stability," because by weight it tends thither; "and upon nothing," because nothing underlies it; and Isaiah 40 says: "he weighed with three fingers the bulk of the earth," by coldness and the continuity of its parts. But because the earth is an element, and out of it together with the other elements a mixed body is made; and the earth is dry and cold, so that neither by motion nor by flow is one part continuous with another, it needs the moisture of water to contain and to hold it together, and thus it is founded, or made firm, upon the waters; and because in every part of the earth there is, as it were, a generation of waters, the whole earth can almost be said to be founded upon water; for which reason he says, "he hath founded it upon the seas." Or, just as a foundation holds together a building, so water holds together the earth, lest it fall apart. The discontinuity of the earth also causes the water, which is liquid and heavy, to flow as it were through the whole earth. Likewise by "the world" is signified the Church and all who dwell in it, namely the faithful; and we are all Christ's: and whether we live, or whether we die, we are the Lord's, as the Apostle says, Romans 14. Next he gives the reason for what was said above, namely, "because he hath founded it upon the seas"; as if he were to say: that belongs to the craftsman, which the craftsman himself makes. But God made the earth and the things that are in the earth. Therefore the earth and its fullness are his. But some say that there is no providence of God in earthly things. But against this, the arrangement of the waters in relation to the earth is a sign of great providence, because the lighter elements ought to be above the heavier. Likewise, therefore, as air surrounds water, so water ought to surround the earth. And the philosophers assign many causes for this. But the cause is divine providence, that there might be there a dwelling-place for men and animals; hence Moses, at the beginning, when he set down the creation of things, set down the earth first as formless; hence, "the earth was void," that is, formless, "and empty" of trees; and therefore he set it down as surrounded or covered by water, and "darkness," that is, the waters, "were upon the face of the deep," that is, upon the earth, and "the spirit of the Lord," that is, the air, "moved over the waters." Or "the earth was void," that is, invisible on account of the waters; hence it follows, "let the waters be gathered together," etc., "and let the dry land appear"; as if he were to say: because the earth is first according to the order of the elements, it was brought about by divine providence that it should be above the waters, so that men and animals might be able to live upon it, and that the waters might nonetheless occupy the earth as far as the seas extend; hence he says, "he hath founded it upon the seas," that is, "beside," as elsewhere. Psalm 136: "Upon the rivers of Babylon" (that is, beside the river of Babylon) "there we sat," etc. "He hath founded," that is, he made it firm, so that the sea might not occupy it: Job 38: "I set doors and bars to the sea, and said, hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt go no further, and here thou shalt break thy swelling waves": Jeremiah 5: "who hath set the sand a bound for the sea, an everlasting ordinance which it shall not pass." "And upon the rivers he hath prepared it," that is, beside the rivers; and he says "prepared," not "founded," because for a preparation it is required that it be watered by a river; Psalm 64: "the river of God is filled with water: thou hast prepared their food, for so is the preparation thereof: fill up plentifully the streams thereof," etc. Or the Church is "founded upon the seas," that is, upon tribulations: Psalm 92: "wonderful are the surges of the sea." And "upon the rivers," that is, the persecutions by which the Church has been prepared unto the crowns of the martyrs. Or "upon the seas," that is, bitternesses; and yet its consolation is prepared by the rivers of consolations: Psalm 45: "the stream of the river maketh joyful," etc. "Who shall ascend?" As if he were to say: he is great, and how shall one approach him? Ecclesiastes 2: "who is the man that can follow the king, his maker?" And therefore he teaches the manner of arriving; hence concerning this he does two things. First he sets down the question. Secondly the response, at "the innocent in hands." In the question he asks two things: namely concerning the way or the motion, "who shall ascend"; and concerning the terminus, "or who shall stand." "Mountain" here signifies the height of divine justice or majesty: Psalm 35: "thy justice is as the mountains of God." The mountain, therefore, is the height of the divine majesty, or the sublimity of Christ, who is called a mountain; Isaiah 2: "in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted," etc. Who then shall ascend so far as to arrive at Christ and God? Holy men, who dispose ascents in their heart, shall ascend, as the Psalmist says. Likewise: who will be able to stand there, where he himself is who is the holy place, the place of glory? Jeremiah 17: "the place of our sanctification, the expectation of Israel." Exodus 3: "the place whereon thou standest is holy ground"; as if he were to say: who shall be made stable there? But elsewhere, in Psalm 121, he says that it is so: "our feet were standing in thy courts, O Jerusalem." Hence the response follows next. "The innocent." And first he shows this in general. Secondly in particular, at "this is the generation." Concerning the first he does two things. First he sets forth the merit. Secondly the reward, at "he shall receive." In the merit there is one thing that pertains to the innocence of deed; hence he says, "innocent in hands": Job 22: "the innocent shall be saved; yea, he shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands." Psalm 25: "I have walked in my innocence." Another pertains to purity of heart: and as to this he sets down that the heart be kept pure from interior concupiscences; hence he says, "and clean of heart": Matthew 5: "blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God." Likewise, from all cupidity for temporal things: "who hath not taken his soul in vain," that is, who has not poured it out upon vain things, or who does not vainly glory over his virtues, or who does not allow his sensuality to arrive at consent to sin. Jerome has, "who do not lift themselves up in vain," because from cleanness of heart some grow proud: Psalm 130: "Lord, my heart is not exalted." Likewise it pertains to the truth of the mouth; hence it follows, "nor hath he sworn deceitfully to his neighbor": Zechariah 8: "love not a false oath." "He shall receive." Here he sets down the reward. Now the reward consists in two things: namely in the obtaining of goods: "he shall receive a blessing" here, that is, goods from God: Proverbs 10: "the blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the just." 1 Peter 3: "unto this you are called, that by inheritance you may possess a blessing." Likewise in liberation from evils: hence he says, "and mercy from God his saviour," who delivers from misery. Or otherwise: he who is innocent in hands can approach; because he can be innocent, on account of the fact that he will receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy, because he avoids sins; Romans 6: "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Next he shows this manner in general: "this is the generation of them that seek the Lord"; as if he were to say: in general there are many such; and these are the whole generation of those seeking God who are innocent, etc. Hence Scripture speaks of the good as of one generation: Matthew 24: "this generation shall not pass," namely of the good, etc. And he describes it by two things: namely by its pursuit, because it seeks nothing but God; hence he says, "of them that seek God," even in this life: Isaiah 55: "seek ye the Lord while he may be found." To what end? That it may arrive at the vision of him; hence it follows, "of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob": Genesis 32: "I have seen the Lord face to face, and my soul has been saved." "Lift up." This is the third part of the Psalm, in which he foretells how it would come to pass that God would be worshipped in the whole world, as the literal sense explains. God is said to dwell in man through faith: Ephesians 3: "that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts"; and through charity: John 4: "he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him." Likewise, he is said "to enter" who begins to be where before he was not. Then, therefore, God enters into us, when we begin to have faith concerning him. Formerly the whole world did not have faith in God; and this came about on account of a twofold impediment: namely on account of the statutes of princes, and on account of ancient custom. The first came about because individual cities set up for themselves laws concerning idolatry, and established special gods; and this worship was, as it were, inveterate; the demons also procured this. Likewise the angels were worshipped, whom they called "the host of heaven"; and these impediments were gates or doors which, being closed, prevent the entrance into a house. Now he does three things. First he foretells that which is to come. Secondly he sets forth the question. Thirdly he adds the response. He says therefore, "O princes" — that is, O evil men, or O demons — "lift up your gates," that is, remove the impediments which you set up so that men may not approach God. Jerome has "elevate," as if he were to say, "remove," etc. Psalm 9: "thou hast lifted me up from the gates of death, that I may declare all thy praises in the gates of the daughter of Sion." "And you, eternal gates," that is, the eternal and ancient impediment: "be lifted up," that is, be removed: Psalm 75: "thou enlightenest wonderfully from the everlasting mountains"; as if he were to say, you ancient impediments, remove yourselves from the hearts of men; and then he who is the king of glory will enter into the world through faith and charity and worship. Or it can be said that there are two kinds of gates: some which are evil, which close off the approach to life; others good, by which the way of life is opened. Psalm 117: "open ye the ways of life," that is, of justice, etc. The evil gates are sins; the good, however, are the virtues. He says therefore, "O princes, lift up your gates," that is, open them, and remove sins; and acquire "eternal ones," that is, eternal gifts from the eternal God: "be lifted up" in your hearts, and the king of glory will enter. He speaks prophetically, because from the beginning not all believed at once, but doubted; as if they were to say: whom do we wish to believe, and whom do we wish to obey? Is it perhaps the God of the Jews? Exodus 5: "I know not the Lord, and Israel I will not let go." And therefore he shows this when he says, "Who is this king of glory?" And he answers, "the Lord who is strong and mighty." Someone appears glorious as a king from three things. Because he acquires great things first through strength; hence he says, "strong": Proverbs 12: "the strongest hand shall bear rule." Job 9: "if strength be demanded, he is most strong." Secondly, on account of power; and this he shows when he says, "the Lord mighty," because he is most powerful to rule: Job 36: "God casteth not away the mighty." Daniel 7: "his power is an everlasting power," etc. Thirdly, that he be a good warrior; hence he says: "the Lord mighty in battle," by which against death and the devil he conquered in all things: Apocalypse 5: "the lion of the tribe of Juda hath overcome." Or, strong in his own nature, mighty in jurisdiction over his own, and mighty against adversaries. As to what he says a second time, "lift up," etc., it can be said that this is a repetition; and this so that the hearers should not be in doubt as to who this mighty one is. Or, the former refers to the princes, that is, to the demons; but what he says here refers to the good angels, who also, by their dignity — though not by their own pursuit — were formerly worshipped by men, who used to worship them: 4 Kings 17: "they worshipped all the host of heaven"; as if he were to say: remove the impediments on account of which men worship you. And therefore here he says, "the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory." In the Gloss, however, there is another exposition. Christ descended to the netherworld and ascended into heaven; and he foretells these two things here. And first he admonishes those in the netherworld to open; hence he says, "lift up," etc. "O infernal princes, open your gates: and be lifted up," etc. "And the king of glory shall enter in." But when the demons would ask, "Who is this king of glory?", he answers: he who was strong and mighty in battle, against you. Secondly he admonishes — speaking over us — the citizens: "open the gates" of Paradise. Hence Christ, answering as it were with the voice of a herald, and taking his part, directing his voice to heaven, says: O heavenly princes, "lift up" — that is, open — "your gates," etc. "And he shall enter in," etc. And to them asking, he says: "the Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory." Now it must be known, as Dionysius says, that this is not to be understood as though the angels were ignorant of the mystery of the Incarnation; but, marveling, they said, "Who is this king of glory?" because the glory of Christ surpasses all knowledge. For sometimes Christ himself teaches concerning himself through Scripture, as is said in Isaiah 63: "I, that speak justice," etc. Here, however, it is not he himself, but others concerning him, namely the angels, who answer, "the Lord of hosts," etc.; because some angels receive illumination immediately from God, as is said in Isaiah 6: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and elevated, and it was full," etc. Others receive it from those, as the middle and lowest ranks; and to these here the answer is given by the other angels.”

“What is spoken once is spoken a second time in these verses; such repetitions are usual in songs, and have much beauty in them. Here is, 1. Entrance once and again demanded for the King of glory; the doors and gates are to be thrown open, thrown wide open, to give him admission, for behold he stands at the door and knocks, ready to come in. 2. Enquiry once and again made concerning this mighty prince, in whose name entrance is demanded: Who is this King of glory? As, when any knock at our door, it is common to ask, Who is there? 3. Satisfaction once and again given concerning the royal person that makes the demand: It is the Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle, the Lord of hosts, Psa 24:8, Psa 24:10. Now, I. This splendid entry here described it is probable refers to the solemn bringing in of the ark into the tent David pitched for it or the temple Solomon built for it; for, when David prepared materials for the building of it, it was proper for him to prepare a psalm for the dedication of it. The porters are called upon to open the doors, and they are called everlasting doors, because much more durable than the door of the tabernacle, which was but a curtain. They are taught to ask, Who is this King of glory? And those that bore the ark are taught to answer in the language before us, and very fitly, because the ark was a symbol or token of God's presence, Jos 3:11. Or it may be taken as a poetical figure designed to represent the subject more affectingly. God, in his word and ordinances, is thus to be welcomed by us, 1. With great readiness: the doors and gates must be thrown open to him. Let the word of the Lord come into the innermost and uppermost place in our souls; and, if we had 600 necks, we should bow them all to the authority of it. 2. With all reverence, remembering how great a God he is with whom we have to do, in all our approaches to him. II. Doubtless it points at Christ, of whom the ark, with the mercy-seat, was a type. 1. We may apply it to the ascension of Christ into heaven and the welcome given to him there. When he had finished his work on earth he ascended in the clouds of heaven, Dan 7:13, Dan 7:14. The gates of heaven must then be opened to him, those doors that may be truly called everlasting, which had been shut against us, to keep the way of the tree of life, Gen 3:24. Our Redeemer found them shut, but, having by his blood made atonement for sin and gained a title to enter into the holy place (Heb 9:12), as one having authority, he demanded entrance, not for himself only, but for us; for, as the forerunner, he has for us entered and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. The keys not only of hell and death, but of heaven and life, must be put into his hand. His approach being very magnificent, the angels are brought in asking, Who is this King of glory? For angels keep the gates of the New Jerusalem, Rev 21:12. When the first-begotten was brought into the upper world the angels were to worship him (Heb 1:6); and accordingly, they here ask with wonder, "Who is he? - this that cometh with dyed garments from Bozrah? (Isa 63:1-3), for he appears in that world as a Lamb that had been slain." It is answered that he is strong and mighty, mighty in battle, to save his people and subdue his and their enemies. 2. We may apply it to Christ's entrance into the souls of men by his word and Spirit, that they may be his temples. Christ's presence in them is like that of the ark in the temple; it sanctifies them. Behold, he stands at the door and knocks, Rev 3:20. It is required that the gates and doors of the heart be opened to him, not only as admission is given to a guest, but as possession is delivered to the rightful owner, after the title has been contested. This is the gospel call and demand, that we let Jesus Christ, the King of glory, come into our souls, and welcome him with hosannas, Blessed is he that cometh. That we may do this aright we are concerned to ask, Who is this King of glory? - to acquaint ourselves with him, whom we are to believe in, and to love above all. And the answer is ready: He is Jehovah, and will be Jehovah our righteousness, an all-sufficient Saviour to us, if we give him entrance and entertainment. He is strong and mighty, and the Lord of hosts; and therefore it is at our peril if we deny him entrance; for he is able to avenge the affront; he can force his way, and can break those in pieces with his iron rod that will not submit to his golden sceptre. In singing this let our hearts cheerfully answer to this call, as it is in the first words of the next psalm, Unto thee, O Lord! do I lift up my soul.”

“Princes; or, “lift up your chief or highest gates:” portas principes. Hebrew, “gates, lift up your heads.” Here the gates themselves are addressed, while the Septuagint and Vulgate turn the discourse to the porters or princes. (Berthier) — The tops of the gates must be raised, to let the triumphal car pass through, Isaias vi. 4., and Amos viii. 3., and ix. 1. The Church has constantly understood this passage of Christ’s ascension. The saints in his train address the angels, who appear to be filled with astonishment. (Theodoret; Eusebius) (Calmet) — The gates of heaven are more properly styled eternal, than those of the temple, which were not yet erected; or of Jerusalem, which should be (Berthier) soon demolished. (Haydock) — This apostrophe to the gates is very striking, commanding them to allow more room for the crowd to pass in the train of the conqueror, who was usually seated on a lofty chariot. (Calmet) — The prophet contemplating the ascension of Christ, inviteth the angels to receive him; and by the figure, prosopopeia, speaketh also to the gates by which he is to enter. (Worthington) — Homer (Iliad 8.) represents the Hours as door-keepers of heaven removing a thick cloud, which obstructs the entrance. (Haydock) — These gates are supposed to open, by being lifted upwards. The Greeks style them cataracts, Genesis vii. 11. (Tournemine)”

“The festal procession has now arrived above at the gates of the citadel of Zion. These are called פּתחי עולם, doors of eternity (not "of the world" as Luther renders it contrary to the Old Testament usage of the language) either as doors which pious faith hopes will last for ever, as Hupfeld and Hitzig explain it, understanding them, in opposition to the inscription of the Psalm, to be the gates of Solomon's Temple; or, what seems to us much more appropriate in the mouth of those who are now standing before the gates, as the portals dating back into the hoary ages of the past (עולם as e.g., in Gen 49:26; Isa 58:12), the time of the Jebusites, and even of Melchizedek, though which the King of Glory, whose whole being and acts is glory, is now about to enter. It is the gates of the citadel of Zion, to which the cry is addressed, to expand themselves in a manner worthy of the Lord who is about to enter, for whom they are too low and too strait. Rejoicing at the great honour, thus conferred upon them, they are to raise their heads (Job 10:15; Zac 2:4), i.e., lift up their portals (lintels); the doors of antiquity are to open high and wide. (Note: On the Munach instead of Metheg in והנּשׂיאוּ, vid., Baer's Accentsystem vii. 2.) Then the question echoes back to the festal procession from Zion's gates which are wont only to admit mighty lords: who, then (זה giving vividness to the question, Ges. 122, 2), is this King of Glory; and they describe Him more minutely: it is the Hero-god, by whom Israel has wrested this Zion from the Jebusites with the sword, and by whom he has always been victorious in time past. The adjectival climactic form עזּוּז (like למּוּד, with ı̆ instead of the ă in חנּוּן, קשּׁוּב) is only found in one other passage, viz., Isa 43:17. גּבּור מלחמה refers back to Exo 15:3. Thus then shall the gates raise their heads and the ancient doors lift themselves, i.e., open high and wide; and this is expressed here by Kal instead of Niph. (נשׂא to lift one's self up, rise, as in Nah 1:5; Hos 13:1; Hab 1:3), according to the well-known order in which recurring verses and refrain-like repetitions move gently onwards. The gates of Zion ask once more, yet now no longer hesitatingly, but in order to hear more in praise of the great King. It is now the enquiry seeking fuller information; and the heaping up of the pronouns (as in Jer 30:21, cf. Psa 46:7; Est 7:5) expresses its urgency (quis tandem, ecquisnam). The answer runs, "Jahve Tsebaoth, He is the King of Glory (now making His entry)." צבאות ה is the proper name of Jahve as King, which had become His customary name in the time of the kings of Israel. צבאות is a genitive governed by ה and, while it is otherwise found only in reference to human hosts, in this combination it gains, of itself, the reference to the angels and the stars, which are called צבאיו in Psa 103:21; Psa 148:2 : Jahve's hosts consisting of celestial heroes, Joe 2:11, and of stars standing on the plain of the havens as it were in battle array, Isa 40:26 -a reference for which experiences and utterances like those recorded in Gen 32:2., Deu 33:2; Jdg 5:20, have prepared the way. It is, therefore, the Ruler commanding innumerable and invincible super-terrestrial powers, who desires admission. The gates are silent and open wide; and Jahve, sitting enthroned above the Cherubim of the sacred Ark, enters into Zion.”