Psalms 24:1 Meaning and Explanation
“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Everything that exists belongs to God, the ground and all that fills it, including us.
The Context of Psalms 24:1
Psalm 24 is a song David likely composed for bringing the ark up to Jerusalem, a procession of worship climbing toward the holy hill. It opens with the widest possible claim, reaching past the city or the temple. Before any talk of who may ascend God's hill, the psalm establishes whose world this is in the first place.
What Does Psalms 24:1 Mean?
The sweep of this verse is total. The earth and its fulness means the soil and the seas and everything they hold, the harvests and the herds and the mountains. The world and they that dwell therein means every living person, every nation, every one of us. None of it made itself, and all of it belongs finally to the One who made it. It is the LORD's because He made it and sustains it. We are dwellers here, living in a house that belongs to God.
The first Christians read this verse as a banner over the whole earth. Paul quoted it to settle a dispute about food, reminding believers that the earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof (1 Corinthians 10:26), so every good thing comes from His hand. And the One who made it all stepped into it: through Christ all things were made, and He upholds them still (Colossians 1:16 to 17). The world belongs to its Maker, who loved it enough to enter it.
Psalms 24:1 in the Original Language
melo' (מְלֹא), 'fulness' -- all that fills a thing, the entire contents, everything the earth holds.
How to Apply Psalms 24:1 Today
It is easy to live as though the world, and our own lives, belonged to us. This verse gently corrects that, reminding us we are dwellers in a house God owns and sustains. Everything we have is on loan from a generous Maker who loves what He made.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psalms 24:1
What does Psalms 24:1 mean?
Everything that exists belongs to God, the ground and all that fills it, including us.
What is the context of Psalms 24:1?
Psalm 24 is a song David likely composed for bringing the ark up to Jerusalem, a procession of worship climbing toward the holy hill. It opens with the widest possible claim, reaching past the city or the temple. Before any talk of who may ascend God's hill, the psalm establishes whose world this is in the first place.
How can I apply Psalms 24:1 today?
It is easy to live as though the world, and our own lives, belonged to us. This verse gently corrects that, reminding us we are dwellers in a house God owns and sustains. Everything we have is on loan from a generous Maker who loves what He made.