Dwell
This post was written by Cherie Hurt. To read more from Cherie, visit her blog Waiting on Wildflowers.
“One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. -Psalm 27:4
If you take a look at the meaning of dwell in a Biblical sense it means to direct attention to or to abide in. In Psalm 27:4, it refers to dwell as living in the house of the Lord and directing your attention to the beauty of the most high king! Rather than dwell in the Lord as He commands, too often I find myself dwelling on something that pulls me away from His house. Goodness, I don’t know about you, but I think it’s time we redefine what ‘to dwell’ means in our own lives.
If you were to ask my husband to define my habits of worrying, he would most certainly refer to me as a dweller. I have this less than desirable quality of reflecting on a moment or situation of distaste for days, if not weeks. It shows in the wrinkles under my eyes, it invites sleeplessness at night, and it wrecks my heart to its core. I can be sitting in the middle of a movie and before I know it, my mind has wandered to last week’s unfavorable conversation with a friend. And just like that, I’ve lost time with my sweet husband because I was reflecting on something of the past – something that has passed.
What if we as women decided to reflect on the here and now of today, to no longer sink back into the mistakes of yesterday but to run towards the freedom of the present− right where God is waiting for us. What freedom would we find when we decide that dwelling on something just wasn’t worth the time we could be spending dwelling in the Lord.
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” -Psalm 91:1
This week, I pray that we will abide in the Lord and His mighty presence. That we will let the fullness of the true definition of dwelling take place, and that we would learn to let go of the things that have long passed.
Dwell in the Bible
The words behind it
- Hebrew: yashab (יָשַׁב)
- To sit, to remain, to live in a place. Psalm 27:4, "that I may dwell in the house of the LORD", and Psalm 91:1, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High".
- Hebrew: shakan (שָׁכַן)
- To settle, to make a home. Exodus 25:8, where God asks for a sanctuary "that I may dwell in their midst". The tabernacle, mishkan, is named from it: the dwelling place.
- Greek: skēnoō (σκηνόω)
- To pitch a tent, to tabernacle. John 1:14: the Word became flesh and "dwelt among us", pitching his tent among his people.
- Greek: katoikeō (κατοικέω)
- To settle down and live permanently. Ephesians 3:17, "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith".
- Greek: enoikeō (ἐνοικέω)
- To live in, to indwell. Colossians 3:16, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly".
The Bible is a story about God dwelling with his people
In the wilderness God told Moses, "let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (Exodus 25:8). In Jesus he came closer still: "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). Now his Spirit dwells in those who belong to him (1 Corinthians 3:16), and the Bible ends with the promise, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them" (Revelation 21:3).
What David asked for in Psalm 27:4
David asks for one thing: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of his life, to gaze upon his beauty and to inquire in his temple. He is not asking for a building. He wants to live near God, all the time, and not only to visit. That prayer is the heart of this devotional and of the three-part Women of Warren meditation on the verse: Dwell, Gaze and Inquire.
Dwell and abide
Both words mean to stay. In the Old Testament, "dwell" usually translates words for living in a place. In the New Testament, Jesus' word "abide" (Greek menō) means to remain, to keep on living in him. Psalm 91:1 puts the two side by side: "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty."
What we dwell on
In everyday English, to dwell on something is to keep thinking about it, and this devotional is honest about that kind of dwelling: the worry we replay for days. Scripture gives our minds a better place to live: "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely... think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). And through Isaiah God says, "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing" (Isaiah 43:18-19). The NIV puts verse 18 as "do not dwell on the past."
Key verses about dwelling
- Psalm 27:4“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”
- Psalm 23:6“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
- Psalm 91:1“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”
- Psalm 84:1-2“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
- Exodus 25:8“And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst.”
- John 1:14“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
- John 14:23“Jesus answered him, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."”
- 1 Corinthians 3:16“Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?”
- Ephesians 3:17“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”
- Colossians 3:16“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
- Revelation 21:3“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
- Philippians 4:8“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Questions people ask
What does dwell mean in the Bible?
To live somewhere and stay. The Hebrew yashab means to sit, remain or live in a place, and shakan means to settle or make a home. In the New Testament, Jesus "dwelt among us" (John 1:14), and Christ dwells in the hearts of believers through faith (Ephesians 3:17).
What does it mean to dwell in the house of the Lord?
To live in God's presence for all of life, not only to visit it. David asks for this in Psalm 27:4 and trusts it in Psalm 23:6. Jesus promises the same nearness to everyone who loves him: "we will come to him and make our home with him" (John 14:23).
What is the difference between dwell and abide?
Both mean to stay or remain. English Bibles use "dwell" most often for living in a place, and "abide" for Jesus' word menō, to remain in him (John 15:4). Psalm 91:1 uses both: whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
What does it mean to dwell on something?
To keep thinking about it, often about something that troubles us. Philippians 4:8 points our thoughts to whatever is true, honorable, just, pure and lovely: "think about these things."
What does "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly" mean?
Colossians 3:16 asks us to let Jesus' words make their home in us and fill our lives, so that they shape how we teach and encourage one another and how we sing to God with thankful hearts.
Keep reading
A Meditation on Psalm 27:4: Dwell
Women of Warren, part 1 of 3
A Meditation on Psalm 27:4: Gaze
Part 2 of 3
A Meditation on Psalm 27:4: Inquire
Part 3 of 3
That I May Dwell
Women of Warren
A Lovely Dwelling Place
Psalm 84
God's Presence, My Reality
Women of Warren
Finding Peace in God's Presence
Message, January 2026
Abide: what Jesus meant by "Abide in me"
Bible word study
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.