Psalms 118:20

Psa 118:20 This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter.

Ver. 20. This gate of the Lord] Some make the former verse the request of the people, and this to be God’s answer thereunto. Others make that to be David’s speech to the Levites, and this their answer: q.d. This beautiful gate is fit to be opened to the Lord alone; if others enter, they must be righteous ones only, and that to praise him.

Into which the righteous shall enter] sc. With God’s good leave and liking. Others may haply thrust into the Church, but then God will say, Friend, how camest thou in hither? who required these things at your hands? who sent for you? O generation of vipers, who hath forewarned you to flee from the wrath to come? "The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?" Pro 21:27.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa 118:20. This is the gate of the Lord — These may be considered as the words of the Levites, the porters, returning this answer to the foregoing demand. This is the gate of the Lord, which thou seekest, and which shall be opened to thee, according to thy desire and thy just privilege; for thou art one of those righteous ones to whom this of right belongs.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

20. (Psa 118:20) This (is) the gate (that belongs) to Jehovah; the righteous shall come in by it. Or the meaning may be, since this is the Lord's gate, let the righteous (and no others) enter at it. Many interpreters find obvious indications here of double or responsive choirs, by which the psalm was to be sung. But this, though possible, is not a necessary supposition, nor is there any certain trace of such a usage or arrangement elsewhere in the book of Psalms.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 20. This gate of the Lord] Supposed to be the answer of the Levites to the request of the king.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20. This is the gate that belongs to Jehovah;

The righteous may enter into it.

The emphasis is on righteous. Those who would enter must be righteous like Him Who dwells there. Cp. Psa_15:1 ff.; Psa_24:3 ff.; Isa_26:2.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This is the Lord's doing,.... This stone is from the Lord, Gen 49:24; it is of his choosing, appointing, and laying: the rejection of it by the builders is through his permission and will; they did no other things than what his hand and counsel determined should be done, Act 2:23; and the exaltation of it, or the making it the head of the corner, was of him; he highly exalted him at his right hand, above every name, creature, and thing;

it is marvellous in our eyes; the stone itself is wonderful to look at, for its beauty, strength, and usefulness; the wisdom, love, care, and power of God, in laying it, are astonishing; the distinguishing grace of God in selecting some stones out of the common quarry, making them lively stones, and building them on this foundation stone, is exceeding marvellous: and so are both the rejection and exaltation of it; that so precious a stone should be refused, and, when treated with so much neglect and contempt, should be exalted. The Targum is,

"from the Lord was this, said the builders; this is marvellous in our sight, said the sons of Jesse.''

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

This gate of the Lord - This gate dedicated to the service of the Lord; that belongs to the house of the Lord.

Into which the righteous shall enter - Through which the righteous pass. That is, It is for such persons, and all who come with a purpose to serve and worship God should be permitted to pass through them; I claim the privilege, therefore, of so passing through these gates into the house of God, for I come to praise him. All who are truly righteous, all who desire to worship God, all who wish and purpose to be holy, have a right thus to enter the house of God - to be recognized as his friends - to be permitted to join in all the devotions of his people; all such will have a right to enter the temple above. None have a right to exclude them here; none in heaven will be disposed to exclude them there.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These may be the words either,

1. Of the Levites, the porters returning this answer to the foregoing question: This is the gate of the Lord which thou seekest, and which shall be opened to thee according to thy desire, and thy just privilege, for then art one of those righteous ones to whom this of right belongs. Or,

2. Of David himself, who stands as it were pausing and contemplating before he makes his entrance: This, this is that holy and blessed gate, which I so long and earnestly thirsted for in my banishment, and which is now very beautiful in my sight, into which I will enter, and all other righteous persons by my example and encouragement. But as David was a type of Christ and the temple of heaven, so this place hath a further prospect than David, and relates to Christ’s ascending into heaven, and opening the gates of that blessed temple, both for himself, and for all righteous men or believers.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 20. This gate of the LORD, into which the righteous shall enter. Psalmist loves the house of God so well that he admires the very gate thereof, and pauses beneath its arch to express his affection for it. He loved it because it was the gate of the Lord, he loved it because it was the gate of righteousness, because so many godly people had already entered it, and because in all future ages such persons will continue to pass through its portals. If the gate of the Lord's house on earth is so pleasant to us, how greatly shall we rejoice when we pass that gate of pearl, to which none but the righteous shall ever approach, but through which all the just shall in due time enter to eternal felicity. The Lord Jesus has passed that way, and not only set the gate wide open, but secured an entrance for all those who are made righteous in his righteousness: all the righteous must and shall enter there, whoever may oppose them. Under another aspect our Lord is himself that gate, and through him, as the new and living Way, all the righteous delight to approach unto the Lord. Whenever we draw near to praise the Lord we must come by this gate; acceptable praise never climbs over the wall, or enters by any other way, but comes to God in Christ Jesus; as it is written, "no man cometh unto the Father but by me." Blessed, for ever blessed, be this wondrous gate of the person of our Lord.

Psalms 118:21*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

20-27. These verses contain the response (Delitzsch) of the singers within the court, who receive the festal procession.

The stone—A proverbial expression, denoting that that which was despised and cast away as worthless has become the symbol of honour and strength. It may point to the dispirited ones, (Ezr_3:12,) or, more certainly, to the contempt with which the nations had regarded Israel, who had now risen to honour; but, most of all, to Christ. See Mat_21:42; Act_4:11; 1Pe_2:4; 1Pe_2:7; Isa_28:16. Psa_118:22; Psa_118:25-26, are Messianic prophecies, to which the Holy Spirit had exalted the perceptions of the poet through the typical light of Israel’s history.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter; rather, this is the gate of the Lord: the righteous and they alone shall enter by it. "This verse seems to stand apart a solo, chanted by a voice out of the temple gate" (Kay). Though sinners doubtless sometimes entered, (2Ki_11:13 2Ch_26:16-20 Joh_2:14) none but the righteous had any right to enter.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The righteous - As David was a type of Christ and the temple of heaven, so this place hath a farther prospect than David, and relates to Christ's ascending into heaven, and opening the gates of that blessed temple, both for himself and for all believers.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

This is the...gate of the Temple, which is the Lord’s, and the righteous will enter therein and there... I shall thank You because You answered me from the exile.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.