I reluctantly lift up the truce-flag of exegetical honesty. I desperately want it to say it. Many worship leaders (including myself) have quoted it as saying it. It would be a great proof-text-style summary verse for a very important aspect of the theology of worship. But the fact is that the translational evidence leans heavily against us being able to say that “God inhabits the praises of His people” is an accurate rendering of the Hebrew of Psalm 22:3. Now, it is certainly a possible translation, but it is not the one that makes the best sense of the poetry. Before we unpack this, let’s look at why it would be so valuable for it to say what it doesn’t say.
