Verse 7
"They go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appears before God"
From strength to strength — each step gives strength to the next; in Zion — the place of the Temple. That is: the pilgrims do not weaken on the road but grow stronger.
In one line: the road does not exhaust — it strengthens.
Verse 8
"O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, O God of Jacob. Selah"
LORD God of hosts — the full invocation, as when opening a great request; Selah — a word of pause in the Temple song. That is: a short prayer at the gate, before entering.
In one line: a pause to pray, before going in.
Verse 9
"Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of your anointed"
Our shield — God himself, and also the king who protects the people; your anointed — the king of Israel, anointed with oil. That is: look kindly on the king you anointed.
In one line: a prayer for the king, the shield of the people.
Verse 10
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness"
Better than a thousand — than a thousand days anywhere else; a doorkeeper — the one who stands at the threshold; the tents of wickedness — the homes of the wicked. That is: one day in the courts is worth more than a thousand anywhere else.
In one line: better the threshold of the house than the palace of the wicked.
Verse 11
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly"
A sun and shield — light and shelter at once; grace and glory — favor and honor; walk uprightly — those who go a straight and whole way. That is: God gives light and protection, and withholds no good thing from whoever walks uprightly.
In one line: sun, shield, grace and glory — for whoever walks uprightly.
Verse 12
"O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusts in you"
Blessed — how happy; that trusts in you — who leans on you with a whole heart. That is: the psalm's third blessing, after the one who dwells in the house and the one who carries the road in his heart, comes the one who trusts.
In one line: the last blessing — for the one who simply trusts.
The psalm opens with longing from afar and closes with trust from up close. This is the psalm's teaching: one day under the light and the shield is worth more than a thousand anywhere else.