Psalms 84:5-7

Blessed is the man, &c.— These words may be rendered, Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; the highways are in the midst of them: Who, passing through the valley of Baca, turn it into a spring; even when the rain filleth the pools. They go from valley to valley: The God of gods shall appear in Sion. Mudge renders these verses in nearly the same manner; and so do the generality of interpreters, who all agree that the original is indeterminate, and attended with great difficulties. See particularly Houbigant's note. As they set out with an opinion that the verses contain a description of a person's going up to Jerusalem to worship; they appear on that account, in my humble judgment, greatly to have mistaken the original: to which if the learned reader will be pleased to refer, and will consult the ancient versions, he will be inclined to believe that the verses contain rather a description of pious persons trusting in God, as one might very well expect from the preceding part of the psalm: And of all the versions I have met with, the following of Mr. Fenwick's seems to me most agreeable to the original and the context.—"Ver. 5. He is also blest whose present hope thou art."—(Heb. In such hearts there are מסלות mesilloth, which the Vulgate renders ascensions; the LXX, αναβασεις, and which I would suppose here points at those elevations, aspirations, or breathings after the things above, which are wont to be in the hearts of truly good men.—Ver. 6. "Even now, while passing through the vale of tears, they find the living God their spring of joy:"—(Heb. ישׁיתוהו ieshithuhu; they make him, the living God, Psalms 84:2 a fountain, a perpetual spring of joy.—"And all around the rain its blessings spreads." Heb. The rain (the heavenly showers of divine grace) covers them with blessings. So the ancient versions render ברכות berakoth; by which enabled—ver. 7. "They go from strength to strength:"—in the improvements of holiness and virtue;—"And the God of gods is seen in Sion;"—As the power of his grace is appearing thus in their lives.