Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 5:7

"But as for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house: In thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple." — Psalms 5:7 (ASV)

But as for me - While it is their characteristic that they are wicked and have no desire to serve God; and while with such characteristics they can have no hope of access to God and no reason to suppose that He will hear their cry, I am inclined to enter His house, and I feel the assurance that He will listen to my prayer. In character and ill feelings he was wholly unlike them.

I will come into thy house - This indicates his expectation and his hope that he would still be permitted to enter the courts of the Lord, from which he was now driven away (see the introduction to the psalm), and his purpose in this way to acknowledge God. The word “house” here refers to the tabernacle, which was regarded as the house or dwelling place of God. The word was applied to the entire structure, embracing all the courts as being sacred to God, just as it subsequently was to the whole of the temple. It was the holy of holies, however, which was regarded as the special dwelling-place of God, and which no one was permitted to enter except the high priest, and he only once a year. (See the notes at Hebrews 9:1-7).

In the multitude of thy mercy - In Your abundant mercy. He expected to be delivered from his present troubles, and he felt assured that God would permit him again to enter His earthly courts and to offer his vows and thanksgivings there.

And in thy fear - In profound reverence for You. Fear, or reverence, is often employed to denote devotion or worship.

Will I worship toward thy holy temple - The worshippers were not permitted to enter the temple but worshipped toward it; that is, looking toward it, or prostrating themselves toward it as the special dwelling-place of God. If they were in the courts around the temple, they worshipped with their faces toward the place where God was supposed to reside; if they were far away, even in distant lands, they still directed their faces toward Jerusalem and the temple, as the Muslims now do toward Mecca. (See the notes at Daniel 6:10).

It has been objected, from the use of the word “temple” here, that this psalm could not have been written by David, as the temple was not built until the time of Solomon. But in reply to this, it may be observed that the word here used - היכל hêykâl - is a word of large signification and might be applied to any place of worship.

It means, properly, a large and magnificent building, a palace (Proverbs 30:28; Isaiah 39:7; Daniel 1:4); and then, the place where Yahweh was supposed to reside, or the place of His worship; and might be applied to the tabernacle as well as to the temple. In fact, it is often applied to the tabernacle that was in use before the building of the temple (1 Samuel 1:9; 1 Samuel 3:3; 2 Samuel 22:7). Compare Gesenius’ Lexicon.