Psalms 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
The Jerusalem Temple featured multiple courts and gates: the Court of the Gentiles (outermost), Court of Women, Court of Israel (Israelite men), and Court of Priests (innermost, where sacrifices occurred). Worshipers processed through these spaces, with access limited by gender, status, and ritual purity. Levitical choirs and musicians likely stationed at gates to lead processions.
Psalm 100 may have been sung during festal processions, particularly the Feast of Tabernacles when pilgrims from across Israel converged on Jerusalem. The psalm's structure—call to worship, theological foundation, entrance liturgy—suggests liturgical use in Temple services.
Thanksgiving offerings (todah) were voluntary sacrifices accompanying public testimony of God's deliverance (Leviticus 7:12-15). Unlike sin or guilt offerings (required for atonement), thanksgiving offerings celebrated answered prayer, healing, rescue, or provision. The worshiper would testify to God's goodness before the community while offering sacrifice.
After the Temple's destruction in 70 AD, synagogue worship replaced Temple ritual. Early Christians adapted Temple worship patterns—entrance songs, scriptural readings, prayers, and teaching—while recognizing Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice who fulfilled Temple symbolism. The church became God's temple (1 Corinthians 3:16), and believers became priests offering spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5).
Questions for Reflection
- How can contemporary worship spaces and liturgies cultivate the progressive movement from thanksgiving to praise that this verse describes?
- What is the relationship between gratitude for specific blessings (thanksgiving) and worship for God's character independent of circumstances (praise)?
- What does it mean practically to 'bless God's name' when we can neither add to nor diminish His essential glory?
Analysis & Commentary
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. This verse describes the procession into Temple worship, moving from outer gates toward inner courts. "Enter...gates" (bo'u sh'arav, בֹּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו) likely refers to the Temple gates through which worshipers passed from Jerusalem's streets into sacred space. "Courts" (chatzrotav, חֲצֵרֹתָיו) were the open areas within Temple precincts where worshipers assembled.
"Thanksgiving" (todah, תּוֹדָה) and "praise" (t'hillah, תְּהִלָּה) are paired throughout Scripture but carry distinct nuances. Todah specifically denotes thanksgiving for concrete acts of deliverance or provision, while t'hillah praises God's character and inherent worthiness. Both belong to worship—gratitude for what God has done and adoration for who God is.
"Be thankful unto him" (hodu lo, הוֹדוּ לוֹ) uses the Hebrew yadah (יָדָה), meaning to praise, give thanks, or confess. The same root appears in "Judah" (praised) and in confessional contexts. True worship involves acknowledging God's goodness, both corporately and personally.
"Bless his name" (barchu sh'mo, בָּרְכוּ שְׁמוֹ) reverses the expected direction—humans blessing God rather than God blessing humans. While we cannot add to God's blessedness, we can acknowledge, declare, and celebrate it. "His name" represents God's revealed character and reputation. To bless His name is to honor, magnify, and proclaim His worth.