Lift Up Your Heads
Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts— He is the King of Glory. Psalm 24:10 · Berean Standard Bible
The final answer to 'Who is this King of Glory?' is the fullest one: it's the LORD of Hosts—God commanding all the heavenly armies, ruling everything, the ultimate King. There's no one higher.
'LORD of Hosts' is one of Scripture's most powerful titles—it means God commanding the cosmic armies, the angelic forces, everything that exists. By the end of this psalm, you've moved from general acknowledgment (God owns everything) to specific invitation (come to His presence) to climactic recognition (this is the Lord of the entire cosmos). The ancient doors open, and you're facing the One who rules absolutely.
The full community now, united in answering the question with the most complete, awestruck response possible.
This takes you all the way back to Creation and forward to the end of time—God as the Lord of everything visible and invisible. Every psalm, every prayer, every moment of seeking God leads to this recognition: you're not approaching a regional deity or a helpful force, but the Lord of the entire cosmos who happens to invite you into His presence.
The final identification: the King of Glory is the LORD of Hosts, the commander of the heavenly armies, whose sovereignty encompasses all powers.
*Tsbā'ôt* (Hosts/armies) appears here for the first time and for the last time in the psalm, creating emphasis through its unique placement. This divine title (*YHWH Tsbā'ôt*) emerged prominently during the period of the ark's custody at Shiloh (1 Samuel 1:3, 4:4) and carried meanings of both military might and cosmic lordship—God commanding both earthly armies and the heavenly host (the *tsəbā'** of heaven). The triple identification—'Who is He? The LORD of Hosts—He is the King of Glory'—creates powerful tautology: the question is answered by recognizing that the King of Glory *is* the supreme military commander, *is* the LORD of Hosts. The emphatic pronoun 'He' (*hû'*) drives home the identification. This final verse achieves theological closure: the God who owns all creation (verse 1), who established the cosmos (verse 2), who demands moral integrity (verse 4), now enters his temple as triumphant sovereign.
The liturgical voice concludes the antiphonal exchange with authoritative, climactic affirmation.
In the New Testament, this title is absorbed into Christology most directly in 1 Corinthians 2:8 and James 5:4, where Christ is identified with '*kyrios tōn dynameōn*'—the Lord of Powers. Revelation 19:16 encodes this identification: 'King of Kings and Lord of Lords.' Yet crucially, the Christ revealed in the Gospels is the humble *melek tsbā'ôt* who enters Jerusalem not on a warship but a donkey (Matthew 21:5, citing Zechariah 9:9). The psalm's language remains true but is radically reinterpreted through the cross—the victory is internal, the kingdom spiritual, the power perfected in weakness.
8Who is this King of Glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
9Lift up your heads, O gates! Be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of Glory may enter!
10Who is He, this King of Glory? The LORD of Hosts— He is the King of Glory.
Read all of Psalm 24 — The ancient gates swing open for the King of Glory. Who is He? The Lord, strong and mighty in battle.
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