1Senhor, quem habitará no teu tabernaculo? quem morará no teu sancto monte?
2Aquelle que anda sinceramente, e obra a justiça, e falla a verdade do seu coração.
3Aquelle que não murmura com a sua lingua, nem faz mal ao seu proximo, nem acceita nenhum opprobrio contra o seu proximo.
4Em cujos olhos o reprobo é desprezado; mas honra aos que temem ao Senhor. Aquelle que jura com damno seu, e comtudo não muda.
5Aquelle que não dá o seu dinheiro á usura. nem recebe peitas contra o innocente: quem faz isto nunca será abalado.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
David asks who may dwell in God's tabernacle and answers with a list of qualities: integrity, truth, justice in dealing with one's neighbor, and financial honesty.
Explanation
This short psalm functions as an 'entrance liturgy' — likely recited by pilgrims as they arrived at the temple, asking what is required to draw near to God. The answer speaks not of rituals or sacrifices, but of character: truthfulness, integrity in speech, care for one's neighbor, and refusal to exploit others financially (usury). It is a reminder that true worship is bound up with everyday ethics, not separate from it — seeking God's presence is pointless while harming one's neighbor in business or in words.
Fun facts
- Psalms like this one (called 'entrance liturgies') had a parallel in ancient Egypt, where lists of virtues required to enter temples also existed — but here the emphasis is on social ethics, not magical rituals.
- The prohibition of 'usury' (lending at exploitative interest to one's own people) appears repeatedly in the Law of Moses (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:36) as protection for the poorest members of the community.