1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
7 For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
1 [[To the chief Musician, H5329 A Psalm H4210 of David.]] H1732 The king H4428 shall joy H8055 in thy strength, H5797 O LORD; H3068 and in thy salvation H3444 how greatly H3966 shall he rejoice! H1523
2 Thou hast given H5414 him his heart's H3820 desire, H8378 and hast not withholden H4513 the request H782 of his lips. H8193 Selah. H5542
3 For thou preventest H6923 him with the blessings H1293 of goodness: H2896 thou settest H7896 a crown H5850 of pure gold H6337 on his head. H7218
4 He asked H7592 life H2416 of thee, and thou gavest H5414 it him, even length H753 of days H3117 for ever H5769 and ever. H5703
5 His glory H3519 is great H1419 in thy salvation: H3444 honour H1935 and majesty H1926 hast thou laid H7737 upon him.
6 For thou hast made H7896 him most blessed H1293 for ever: H5703 thou hast made H2302 him exceeding glad H8057 with thy countenance. H6440
7 For the king H4428 trusteth H982 in the LORD, H3068 and through the mercy H2617 of the most High H5945 he shall not be moved. H4131
8 Thine hand H3027 shall find out H4672 all thine enemies: H341 thy right hand H3225 shall find out H4672 those that hate H8130 thee.
9 Thou shalt make H7896 them as a fiery H784 oven H8574 in the time H6256 of thine anger: H6440 the LORD H3068 shall swallow them up H1104 in his wrath, H639 and the fire H784 shall devour H398 them.
10 Their fruit H6529 shalt thou destroy H6 from the earth, H776 and their seed H2233 from among the children H1121 of men. H120
11 For they intended H5186 evil H7451 against thee: they imagined H2803 a mischievous device, H4209 which they are not able H3201 to perform.
12 Therefore shalt thou make H7896 them turn their back, H7926 when thou shalt make ready H3559 thine arrows upon thy strings H4340 against the face H6440 of them.
13 Be thou exalted, H7311 LORD, H3068 in thine own strength: H5797 so will we sing H7891 and praise H2167 thy power. H1369
1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Jehovah; And in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, And hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah
3 For thou meetest him with the blessings of goodness: Thou settest a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee, thou gavest it him, Even length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: Honor and majesty dost thou lay upon him.
6 For thou makest him most blessed for ever: Thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence.
7 For the king trusteth in Jehovah; And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thy hand will find out all thine enemies; Thy right hand will find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou wilt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thine anger: Jehovah will swallow them up in his wrath, And the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit wilt thou destroy from the earth, And their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee; They conceived a device which they are not able to perform.
12 For thou wilt make them turn their back; Thou wilt make ready with thy bowstrings against their face.
13 Be thou exalted, O Jehovah, in thy strength: So will we sing and praise thy power. Psalm 22 For the Chief Musician; set to Aijaleth hash-Shahar. A Psalm of David.
1 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Jehovah, in Thy strength is the king joyful, In Thy salvation how greatly he rejoiceth.
2 The desire of his heart Thou gavest to him, And the request of his lips Thou hast not withheld. Selah.
3 For Thou puttest before him blessings of goodness, Thou settest on his head a crown of fine gold.
4 Life he hath asked from Thee, Thou hast given to him -- length of days, Age-during -- and for ever.
5 Great `is' his honour in Thy salvation, Honour and majesty Thou placest on him.
6 For Thou makest him blessings for ever, Thou dost cause him to rejoice with joy, By Thy countenance.
7 For the king is trusting in Jehovah, And in the kindness of the Most High He is not moved.
8 Thy hand cometh to all Thine enemies, Thy right hand doth find Thy haters.
9 Thou makest them as a furnace of fire, At the time of Thy presence. Jehovah in His anger doth swallow them, And fire doth devour them.
10 Their fruit from earth Thou destroyest, And their seed from the sons of men.
11 For they stretched out against Thee evil, They devised a wicked device, they prevail not,
12 For Thou makest them a butt, When Thy strings Thou preparest against their faces.
13 Be Thou exalted, O Jehovah in, Thy strength, We sing and we praise Thy might!
1 {To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} The king shall joy in thy strength, Jehovah; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice.
2 Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou hast met him with the blessings of goodness; thou hast set a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked life of thee; thou gavest [it] him, length of days for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great through thy salvation; majesty and splendour hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast made him to be blessings for ever; thou hast filled him with joy by thy countenance.
7 For the king confideth in Jehovah: and through the loving-kindness of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Thy hand shall find out all thine enemies; thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery furnace in the time of thy presence; Jehovah shall swallow them up in his anger, and the fire shall devour them:
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against thee; they imagined a mischievous device, which they could not execute.
12 For thou wilt make them turn their back; thou wilt make ready thy bowstring against their face.
13 Be thou exalted, Jehovah, in thine own strength: we will sing and celebrate thy power.
1 > The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!
2 You have given him his heart's desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For you meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked life of you, you gave it to him, Even length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great in your salvation. You lay honor and majesty on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever. You make him glad with joy in your presence.
7 For the king trusts in Yahweh. Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all of your enemies. Your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. Yahweh will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, Their posterity from among the children of men.
11 For they intended evil against you. They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.
12 For you will make them turn their back, When you aim drawn bows at their face.
13 Be exalted, Yahweh, in your strength, So we will sing and praise your power.
1 <To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David.> The king will be glad in your strength, O Lord; how great will be his delight in your salvation!
2 You have given him his heart's desire, and have not kept back the request of his lips. (Selah.)
3 For you go before him with the blessings of good things: you put a crown of fair gold on his head.
4 He made request to you for life, and you gave it to him, long life for ever and ever.
5 His glory is great in your salvation: honour and authority have you put on him.
6 For you have made him a blessing for ever: you have given him joy in the light of your face.
7 For the king has faith in the Lord, and through the mercy of the Most High he will not be moved.
8 Your hand will make a search for all your haters; your right hand will be hard on all those who are against you.
9 You will make them like a flaming oven before you; the Lord in his wrath will put an end to them, and they will be burned up in the fire.
10 Their fruit will be cut off from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
11 For their thoughts were bitter against you: they had an evil design in their minds, which they were not able to put into effect.
12 Their backs will be turned when you make ready the cords of your bow against their faces.
13 Be lifted up, O Lord, in your strength; so will we make songs in praise of your power.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 21
Commentary on Psalms 21 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Thanksgiving for the King in Time of War
“Jahve fulfil all thy desires” cried the people in the preceding Psalm, as they interceded on behalf of their king; and in this Psalm they are able thankfully to say to God “the desire of his heart hast Thou granted.” In both Psalms the people come before God with matters that concern the welfare of their king; in the former, with their wishes and prayers, in the latter, their thanksgivings and hopes in the latter as in the former when in the midst of war, but in the latter after the recovery of the king, in the certainty of a victorious termination of the war.
The Targum and the Talmud, B. Succa 52 a , understand this Psalms 21:1 of the king Messiah. Rashi remarks that this Messianic interpretation ought rather to be given up for the sake of the Christians. But even the Christian exposition cannot surely mean to hold fast this interpretation so directly and rigidly as formerly. This pair of Psalm treats of David; David's cause, however, in its course towards a triumphant issue - a course leading through suffering - is certainly figuratively the cause of Christ.
(Heb.: 21:2-3) The Psalm begins with thanksgiving for the bodily and spiritual blessings which Jahve has bestowed and still continues to bestow upon the king, in answer to his prayer. This occupies the three opening tetrastichs, of which these verses form the first. עז (whence עזּך , as in Psalms 74:13, together with עזּך , Psalms 63:3, and frequently) is the power that has been made manifest in the king, which has turned away his affliction; ישׁוּעה is the help from above which has freed him out of his distress. The יגיל , which follows the מה of the exclamation, is naturally shortened by the Kerî into יגל (with the retreat of the tone); cf. on the contrary Proverbs 20:24, where מה is interrogative and, according to the sense, negative). The ἁπ. λεγ . ארשׁת has the signification eager desire, according to the connection, the lxx δέηεσιν , and the perhaps also cognate רוּשׁ , to be poor; the Arabic Arab. wrš , avidum esse , must be left out of consideration according to the laws of the interchange of consonants, whereas ירשׁ , Arab. wrṯ , capere, captare (cf. Arab. irṯ = wirṯ an inheritance), but not רוּשׁ (vid., Psalms 34:11), belongs apparently to the same root. Observe the strong negation בּל : no, thou hast not denied, but done the very opposite. The fact of the music having to strike up here favours the supposition, that the occasion of the Psalm is the fulfilment of some public, well-known prayer.
(Heb.: 21:4-5) “Blessings of good” (Proverbs 24:25) are those which consist of good, i.e., true good fortune. The verb קדּם , because used of the favour which meets and presents one with some blessing, is construed with a double accusative, after the manner of verbs of putting on and bestowing (Ges. §139). Since Psalms 21:4 cannot be intended to refer to David's first coronation, but to the preservation and increase of the honour of his kingship, this particularisation of Psalms 21:4 sounds like a prediction of what is recorded in 2 Samuel 22:30 : after the conquest of the Ammonitish royal city Rabbah David set the Ammonitish crown ( עטרת ) , which is renowned for the weight of its gold and its ornamentation with precious stones, upon his head. David was then advanced in years, and in consequence of heavy guilt, which, however, he had overcome by penitence and laying hold on the mercy of God, was come to the brink of the grave. He, worthy of death, still lived; and the victory over the Syro-Ammonitish power was a pledge to him of God's faithfulness in fulfilling his promises. It is contrary to the tenour of the words to say that Psalms 21:5 does not refer to length of life, but to hereditary succession to the throne. To wish any one that he may live לעולם , and especially a king, is a usual thing, 1 Kings 1:31, and frequently. The meaning is, may the life of the king be prolonged to an indefinitely distant day. What the people have desired elsewhere, they here acknowledge as bestowed upon the king.
(Heb.: 21:6-7) The help of God turns to his honour, and paves the way for him to honour, it enables him-this is the meaning of. Psalms 21:6 - to maintain and strengthen his kingship with fame and glory. שׁוּה על used, as in Psalms 89:20, of divine investiture and endowment. To make blessings, or a fulness of blessing, is a stronger form of expressing God's words to Abram, Genesis 12:2 : thou shalt be a blessing i.e., a possessor of blessing thyself, and a medium of blessing to others. Joy in connection with ( את as in Psalms 16:11) the countenance of God, is joy in delightful and most intimate fellowship with Him. חדּה , from חדה , which occurs once in Exodus 18:9, has in Arabic, with reference to nomad life, the meaning “to cheer the beasts of burden with a song and urge them on to a quicker pace,” and in Hebrew, as in Aramaic, the general signification “to cheer, enliven.”
(Heb.: 21:8-9) With this strophe the second half of the Psalm commences. The address to God is now changed into an address to the king; not, however, expressive of the wishes, but of the confident expectation, of the speakers. Hengstenberg rightly regards Psalms 21:8 as the transition to the second half; for by its objective utterance concerning the king and God, it separates the language hitherto addressed to God, from the address to the king, which follows. We do not render Psalms 21:8 : and trusting in the favour of the Most High - he shall not be moved; the mercy is the response of the trust, which (trust) does not suffer him to be moved; on the expression, cf. Proverbs 10:30. This inference is now expanded in respect to the enemies who desire to cause him to totter and fall. So far from any tottering, he, on the contrary, makes a victorious assault upon his foes. If the words had been addressed to Jahve, it ought, in order to keep up the connection between Psalms 21:9 and Psalms 21:8, at least to have been איביו and שׁנאיו (his, i.e., the king's, enemies). What the people now hope on behalf of their king, they here express beforehand in the form of a prophecy. מצא ל (as in Isaiah 10:10) and מצא seq. acc . (as in 1 Samuel 23:17) are distinguished as: to reach towards, or up to anything, and to reach anything, attain it. Supposing ל to represent the accusative, as e.g., in Psalms 69:6, Psalms 21:9 would be a useless repetition.
(Heb.: 21:10-11) Hitherto the Psalm has moved uniformly in synonymous dipodia, now it becomes agitated; and one feels from its excitement that the foes of the king are also the people's foes. True as it is, as Hupfeld takes it, that לעת פּניך sounds like a direct address to Jahve, Psalms 21:10 nevertheless as truly teaches us quite another rendering. The destructive effect, which in other passages is said to proceed from the face of Jahve, Psalms 34:17; Leviticus 20:6; Lamentations 4:16 (cf. ἔχει θεὸς ἔκδικον ὄμμα ), is here ascribed to the face, i.e., the personal appearing (2 Samuel 17:11) of the king. David's arrival did actually decide the fall of Rabbath Ammon, of whose inhabitants some died under instruments of torture and others were cast into brick-kilns, 2 Samuel 12:26. The prospect here moulds itself according to this fate of the Ammonites. כּתנּוּר אשׁ is a second accusative to תּשׁיתנו , thou wilt make them like a furnace of fire, i.e., a burning furnace, so that like its contents they shall entirely consume by fire ( synecdoche continentis pro contento ). The figure is only hinted at, and is differently applied to what it is in Lamentations 5:10, Malachi 4:1. Psalms 21:10 and Psalms 21:10 are intentionally two long rising and falling wave-like lines, to which succeed, in Psalms 21:11, two short lines; the latter describe the peaceful gleaning after the fiery judgment of God that has been executed by the hand of David. פּרימו , as in Lamentations 2:20; Hosea 9:16, is to be understood after the analogy of the expression פּרי הבּטן . It is the fate of the Amalekites (cf. Psalms 9:6.), which is here predicted of the enemies of the king.
(Heb.: 21:12-13) And this fate is the merited frustration of their evil project. The construction of the sentences in Psalms 21:12 is like Psalms 27:10; Psalms 119:83; Ew. §362, b . נטה רעה is not to be understood according to the phrase נטה רשׁת (= פּרשׁ ) , for this phrase is not actually found; we have rather, with Hitzig, to compare Psalms 55:4, 2 Samuel 15:14 : to incline evil down upon any one is equivalent to: to put it over him, so that it may fall in upon him. נטה signifies “to extend lengthwise,” to unfold, but also to bend by drawing tight. שׁית שׁכם to make into a back, i.e., to make them into such as turn the back to you, is a more choice expression than נתן ערף , Psalms 18:41, cf. 1 Samuel 10:9; the half segolate form שׁכם , (= שׁכם ) becomes here, in pause, the full segolate form שׁכם . חצּים must be supplied as the object to תּכונן , as it is in other instances after הורה , השׁליך , ידה ; כּונן חץ , Psalms 11:2, cf. Psalms 7:14, signifies to set the swift arrow upon the bow-string ( מיתר = יתר ) = to aim. The arrows hit the front of the enemy, as the pursuer overtakes them.
(Heb.: 21:14) After the song has spread abroad its wings in twice three tetrastichs, it closes by, as it were, soaring aloft and thus losing itself in a distich. It is a cry to God for victory in battle, on behalf of the king. “Be Thou exalted,” i.e., manifest Thyself in Thy supernal (Psalms 57:6, 12) and judicial (Psalms 7:7.) sovereignty. What these closing words long to see realised is that Jahve should reveal for world-wide conquest this גּבוּרה , to which everything that opposes Him must yield, and it is for this they promise beforehand a joyous gratitude.