The phrase in line a, the habitation of thy house (that is, “the house where you live”) can be understood to mean “(I love) to live in your house” (so Dahood). But most translations understand the Hebrew text as do Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. In place of the Masoretic text “habitation,” New English Bible, Bible de Jérusalem, and New Jerusalem Bible prefer “beauty,” agreeing with the Septuagint.

The habitation of thy house, that is, the Temple, is further defined in line b as the place where thy glory dwells. Yahweh’s glory is the manifestation of his presence and power, usually described in terms of a dazzling light (see Exo 33.18, 22; 40.34; 1 Kgs 8.10-11). The place where thy glory dwells is sometimes difficult to translate, because glory is normally an attributive of God and not an animate being which can be said to perform the act of dwelling. However, by recasting this expression it is possible to say something like “the place where you are gloriously present,” or “the place where your power and light are seen,” or “the place where people can see how great you are.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .