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!
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 21
Commentary on Psalms 21 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 21
Ps 21:1-13. The pious are led by the Psalmist to celebrate God's favor to the king in the already conferred and in prospective victories. The doxology added may relate to both Psalms; the preceding of petition, chiefly this of thanksgiving, ascribing honor to God for His display of grace and power to His Church in all ages, not only under David, but also under his last greatest successor, "the King of the Jews."
1. thy strength … thy salvation—as supplied by Thee.
2. The sentiment affirmed in the first clause is reaffirmed by the negation of its opposite in the second.
3. preventest—literally, "to meet here in good sense," or "friendship" (Ps 59:10; compare opposite, Ps 17:13).
blessings of goodness—which confer happiness.
crown of pure gold—a figure for the highest royal prosperity.
4-6. (Compare 2Sa 7:13-16). The glory and blessedness of the king as head of his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's specially selected servant, exceeded that of all others.
6. made him most blessed—or set him "to be blessings," as Abraham (Ge 12:2).
with thy countenance—by sight of thee (Ps 16:11), or by Thy favor expressed by the light of Thy countenance (Nu 6:25), or both.
7. The mediate cause is the king's faith, the efficient, God's mercy.
8. The address is now made to the king.
hand—denotes power, and
right hand—a more active and efficient degree of its exercise.
find out—reach, lay hold of, indicating success in pursuit of his enemies.
9. The king is only God's agent.
anger—literally, "face," as appearing against them.
as a fiery oven—as in it.
10. fruit—children (Ps 37:25; Ho 9:16).
11. This terrible overthrow, reaching to posterity, is due to their crimes (Ex 20:5, 6).
12. turn their back—literally, "place them [as to the] shoulder."
against the face of them—The shooting against their faces would cause them to turn their backs in flight.
13. The glory of all is ascribable to God alone.