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 » 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.