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 » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 21
Commentary on Psalms 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 21
As the foregoing psalm was a prayer for the king that God would protect and prosper him, so this is a thanksgiving for the success God had blessed him with. Those whom we have prayed for we ought to give thanks for, and particularly for kings, in whose prosperity we share. They are here taught,
In this there is an eye to Messiah the Prince, and the glory of his kingdom; for to him divers passages in this psalm are more applicable than to David himself.
To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Psa 21:1-6
David here speaks for himself in the first place, professing that his joy was in God's strength and in his salvation, and not in the strength or success of his armies. He also directs his subjects herein to rejoice with him, and to give God all the glory of the victories he had obtained; and all with an eye to Christ, of whose triumphs over the powers of darkness David's victories were but shadows.
In singing this we should rejoice in his joy and triumph in his exaltation.
Psa 21:7-13
The psalmist, having taught his people to look back with joy and praise on what God had done for him and them, here teaches them to look forward with faith, and hope, and prayer, upon what God would further do for them: The king rejoices in God (v. 1), and therefore we will be thankful; the king trusteth in God (v. 7), therefore will we be encouraged. The joy and confidence of Christ our King is the ground of all our joy and confidence.