Psalm 99

Jews taught that God’s footrest was the lid on the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-covered chest that held the Ten Commandments (1 Chronicles 28:2). Two winged beings called cherubim rested at each end of the lid.

Literally “Zion,” a term of endearment, and another name for Jerusalem. It’s a bit like “The Big Apple” for New York City, “The City of Love” for Paris, and “Sin City” for Las Vegas, though some wouldn’t call that a term of endearment.

“Holy” is a word that means “separated” from others and “devoted” to one thing. A holy bowl in the Temple was not kept in some kitchen cupboard and used to serve supper. It was kept away from other bowls. It was devoted to one purpose, to worship rituals in the Temple. God is uniquely perfect and pure and good as kids on Christmas Eve; maybe better. That separates him from everyone else. “Holy” is a word that attempts to express that.

Literally, it’s “worship at his footstool.” The “footstool” was King David’s nickname for the Ark of the Covenant, the gold-plated box that held the Ten Commandments (1 Chronicles 28:2). This was Israel’s most revered object, which they kept in the most sacred room in the Temple.