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.
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.