What Does Psalm 65:4 Mean in the King James?
Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Flourishing begins with being chosen and brought near, then becomes a settled home in God’s goodness.
THE MEANING
You are drawn near and given a place to dwell; closeness is more than a moment at the threshold. In God’s house, you are filled with its goodness, and the set-apart place becomes a home of wholeness.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that you must force your way into God’s presence dissolves: the verse places the choosing and bringing near with God.
THE ROOT
וּתְקָרֵב
u-teqarev
GROWS FROM
קרב
To draw near, come close, or bring near.
The same root gives the word for what is brought near and a word for the midst or inner part. The verse’s approach opens toward intimate presence, not merely arrival at a threshold.
ALSO GROWS
qarav: Draw near; approach.
קָרַב
Here the verb has God bringing the chosen person near, making closeness something received.
qorbān: Offering; something brought near.
קָרְבָּן
The offering’s name carries the motion of being brought near, joining approach with presentation before God.
qerev: The midst; the inward part.
קֶרֶב
The shared root can name what is within or among, hinting that nearness opens into inward presence.
יִשְׁכֹּן
yishkon
GROWS FROM
שכן
To settle or dwell.
“dwell” in this verse is yishkon. The word for dwelling shares its root with the word for the tabernacle, a dwelling place. The person brought near does not merely visit the courts; the verse imagines a place to remain.
ALSO GROWS
mishkan: Dwelling place; tabernacle.
מִשְׁכָּן
It uses the same root as dwell, linking the person’s settled presence with the place set apart for dwelling.
shakhen: Neighbor; one who dwells nearby.
שָׁכֵן
The shared root joins dwelling with nearness: a neighbor is someone who lives close.
נִשְׂבְּעָה
nisbeʿah
GROWS FROM
שׂבע
To be full or sated.
“satisfied” in this verse is nisbeʿah. The root describes fullness, not just a moment of approval or relief. Here the fullness comes from the goodness of God’s house.
ALSO GROWS
saveaʿ: Full; satisfied; sated.
שָׂבֵעַ
This form makes satisfaction concrete as fullness, the state named in the verse.
sovaʿ: Fullness; satiety.
שֹׂבַע
The noun names the condition the verse describes: being filled with the house’s goodness.
THE PATTERN
Being drawn near to God leads into settled presence and fullness.
For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.THE THREAD
And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.Both verses use שׂבע (savaʿ, to be full or sated) for satisfaction. Jeremiah echoes the same image as this psalm: God’s own goodness is what fills.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
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