Psalms · Chapter 21

Verse 1. The king shall joy] ajyvm Ëlm melech Meshicha, “the King Messiah.”—Targum. What a difference between ancient and modern heroes! The former acknowledged all to be of God, because they took care to have their quarrel rightly founded; the latter sing a Te Deum, pro forma, because they well know that their battle is not of the Lord. Their own vicious conduct sufficiently proves that they looked no higher than the arm of human strength. God suffers such for a time, but in the end he confounds and brings them to naught.

Verse 1. The king shall joy in thy strength — Conferred upon him, and put forth, by thee, on his behalf, against his enemies. Though by the king here we may understand King David, who composed this Psalm, yet it may be much better explained of the King Messiah; understood of whom, the words thy strength mean the divine power, which was manifested in the resurrection of Christ, and in the establishment of his gospel.

Verse 1. The king shall joy. The Targum here, and in other places, expressly names, “The King Messiah.”

1. The king shall joy—Chaldee, the king Messiah. In thy strength— Because through the strength of Jehovah alone he had triumphed.

Verse 2. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire] This seems to refer to the prayers offered in the preceding Psalm; see especially Psalm 21:1-4.

Verse 2. Thou hast given him his heart’s desire — Thou hast granted all that he desired in his heart, as well as that which he openly requested with his lips. “The desire of Christ’s heart was his own resurrection and exaltation, for the benefit of his church; and now he ever liveth to make request with his lips, for the conversion and salvation of sinners. Such desires will be granted, and such requests will never be withholden. Let us be careful to frame ours after that all-perfect model of divine love.” — Horne.

2. His heart’s desire—Comp. Psalm 20:4. The cause of this answer is given in verse 7. As applied to Messiah, see John 11:41, 42: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.”

V. 3. Prevent-Crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he expected. With-With excellent blessings.

Verse 3. Thou preventest him] To prevent, from prævenio, literally signifies to go before. Hence that prayer in the communion service of our public Liturgy, “Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour!” That is, “Go before us in thy mercy, make our way plain, and enable us to perform what is right in thy sight!” And this sense of prevent is a literal version of the original word wnmdqt tekademennu. “For thou shalt go before him with the blessings of goodness.” Our ancestors used God before in this sense. So in Henry V.’s speech to the French herald previously to the battle of Agincourt:— “Go therefore; tell thy master, here I am.

My ransom is this frail and worthless trunk;

My army, but a weak and sickly guard:

Yet, God before, tell him we will come on,

Though France himself, and such another neighbour,

Stand in our way.”

A crown of pure gold] Probably alluding to the crown of the king of Rabbah, which, on the taking of the city, David took and put on his own head. See the history, 2 Samuel 12:26-30.

Verse 3. Thou preventest him — Or, didst prevent him, namely, David; crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner than he desired or expected, surprising him with the gift of the kingdom, and with many happy successes. With the blessings of goodness — That is, with excellent blessings, or with abundance of good. Applying this to Christ, we must say, The Son of God could not be more ready to ask for the blessings of the divine goodness than the Father was to give them, and his disposition is the same toward all his adopted sons. By the crown of pure gold, may be meant, in general, an illustrious crown, which is here represented as being set upon our Lord’s head at his exaltation into heaven, in token of his being then advanced to this chief exercise of his regal authority. Thus he is said, Psalm 8:5, to be crowned with glory and honour; and St. John says, with respect to his deified humanity, in which he was made King of kings, and Lord of lords, that on his head were many crowns, Revelation 19:12, 16.

Ver. 3. A crown of pure gold. Here again, as in 19:10, the LXX read, and they are followed by the Latin versions, A crown of precious stones. The gems were inconceivably more valuable than the gold.

3. Thou preventest him—Thou anticipatest him. God had provided for David’s want before he had finished his prayer. A crown of pure gold— Probably an allusion to 2 Samuel 12:30. The ancients were not unused to such. Pliny (b. 30, c. 3) says Claudius Cesar, (A.D. 54,) at his triumph after his subjugation of Britain, exhibited crowns of beaten gold, one of which weighed seven pounds and another nine pounds—a barbaric way of asserting royalty. The throne of David was now established more firmly than ever.

V. 4. For ever-Thou gavest him a long life and reign here, and after that didst translate him to live with thee for ever. But this was more eminently fulfilled in Christ, who asked of his father, life, or to be saved from death, Hebrews 5:7, though with submission to his will: but his father, though he saw it necessary to take away his temporal life, yet instantly gave him another, far more noble, even the perfect possession of an everlasting life both in his soul and body, at his right hand.

Verse 4. He asked life of thee] This verse has caused some interpreters to understand the Psalm of Hezekiah’s sickness, recovery, and the promised addition to his life of fifteen years; but it may be more literally understood of the Messiah, of whom David was the type, and in several respects the representative.

Verse 4. He asked life of thee — Applied to David it means, He asked only the preservation of his short and mortal life, which was often exposed to the utmost perils. And thou gavest him length of days for ever and ever — Thou gavest him a long life and reign here, and after that didst translate him to live with thee for ever. But this was far more eminently fulfilled in Christ, who asked of his Father life, or to be saved from death, (Hebrews 5:7,) though with submission to his will: but his Father, though he saw it necessary to take away his temporal life, yet instantly gave him another, and that far more noble, instead of it, even the perfect possession of an everlasting and most glorious life, both in his soul and body, at his right hand.

4. He asked life—A reference to David’s sickness after his great sin. See Psalm 6:38, 39, 41. He had repented, (Psalm li,) and had been forgiven. Psalm 32, 40, 103. All this had transpired during the two years that Joab was with the army besieging Rabbah. 2 Samuel 11:1; 12:26. David was now again restored to national peace and divine favour. Length of days for ever and ever—Literally, to eternal and perpetual age—realized only in “David’s seed,” Messiah. See Isaiah 53:10; Romans 6:9; and “Behold, I am alive for evermore,” Revelation 1:18.

V. 5. Glory-His fame or renown. Salvation-By reason of those great and glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him, and by him.

Verse 5. His glory is great] But great as his glory was, it had its greatness from God’s salvation. There is no true nobility but of the soul, and the soul has none but what it receives from the grace and salvation of God.

Verse 5. His glory — His fame or renown, is great in thy salvation — By reason of those great and glorious deliverances which thou hast wrought both for him and by him. Honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him — Or, fitted to him, or upon him, or made adequate to him, as the word hwvt, teshav-veh, signifies. Thou hast given him honour and power suitable to his glorious person and high endowments. “What tongue,” says Dr. Horne, “can express the ‘glory, honour, and majesty,’ with which the King of righteousness and peace was invested upon his ascension, when he took possession of the throne prepared for him, and received the homage of heaven and earth! The sacred imagery in St. John’s Revelation sets them before our eyes in such a manner, that no one can read the description whose heart will not burn within him, through impatient desire to behold them.” See Revelation, chapters 4., 7., 19., 21., 22.

V. 6. Countenance-Smiling upon him, by thy grace and favour.

Verse 6. Thou hast made him most blessed for ever] Literally, “Thou hast set him for blessings for ever.” Thou hast made the Messiah the Source whence all blessings for time and for eternity shall be derived. He is the Mediator between God and man.

Thou hast made him exceeding glad] Jesus, as Messiah, for the joy that was set before him, of redeeming a lost world by his death, endured the cross, and despised the shame, and is for ever set down on the right hand of God.

Verse 6. Thou hast made him blessed for ever — Hebrew, twkrb whtyvt, teshitheehu berachoth, Thou hast set him to be blessings for ever; that is, to be the author of all felicity to his subjects and servants: see Galatians 3:8, where we learn, that Christ, by his death and passion, having removed the curse, became the fountain of all blessedness to his people, in time and in eternity; being himself the blessing promised to Abraham, and the chief subject of the patriarchal benedictions. Thou hast made him exceeding glad — Thus Christ says of himself, Psalm 16:9- 11, My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; in thy presence is fulness of joy, &c., and the psalmist says of him, Psalm 45:7, Thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

6. Thou hast made him most blessed for ever—Thou hast constituted him blessings for ever. Compare “And thou shalt be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2; 28:4; Galatians 3:3-14. Exceeding glad with thy countenance—The parallel passage, almost verbatim, is Psalm 16:11, where “fulness of joy” is said to be in the divine presence: quoted by Peter, (Acts 2:28,) and applied to Christ.

Verse 7. The king trusteth in the Lord] It was not by my skill or valour that I have gained this victory, but by faith in the strong, protecting, and conquering arm of JEHOVAH.

He shall not be moved.] Perhaps this may be best understood of him who was David’s prototype. His throne, kingdom, and government, shall remain for ever.

Verse 7. For the king trusteth in the Lord — Confides in him, who never fails to perform his promises; and through the mercy of the Most High, &c. — Through his kindness who is superior to all other beings, and has all events in his hands and under his control; he shall not be moved — The throne of David, and of his seed the Messiah, shall stand fast, though all the powers on earth should combine to overturn it. “The throne of Christ, as man,” says Dr. Horne, “was erected and established by his trust and confidence in the Father during his humiliation and passion. Faith in God, therefore, is the way that leadeth to honour and stability.”

7. The king trusteth in the Lord—The son of Sirach repeats an inspired truth: (Ecclus. 2:10;) “Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, and was confounded?” See Hebrews 10:35.

Verse 8. Thine hand shall find out] Thy uncontrollable power shall find out all thine enemies, wheresoever hidden or howsoever secret. God knows the secret sinner, and where the workers of iniquity hide themselves.

Verses 8, 9. Thy hand shall find out all thine enemies — When they seek to hide themselves, or flee away from thee, thy hand shall discover, overtake, and destroy them. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven — Hebrew, va rwntk wmtyvt, teshithemo chetannur esh, thou shalt put them, as it were, into an oven of fire. The Lord shall swallow them up — Destroy them. Thus, Psalm 2:9, Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron, &c., which prediction, and those contained in these verses, particularly relate to the unbelieving Jews. Compare Malachi 4:1; Psalm 2:2-4, and 109:13-15.

8. Thine hand shall find out—Shall take hold of, as the word often signifies, and as it is employed in Psalm 116:3; 119:143. The idea is, that God infallibly knows who and where his enemies are, and his justice shall arrest them.

V. 9. Oven-Like wood, which when it is cast in there, is quickly consumed.

Verse 9. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven] By thy wrath they shall be burnt up, and they shall be the means of consuming others. One class of sinners shall, in God’s judgments, be the means of destroying another class; and at last themselves shall be destroyed.

Verses 8, 9. Thy hand shall find out all thine enemies — When they seek to hide themselves, or flee away from thee, thy hand shall discover, overtake, and destroy them. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven — Hebrew, va rwntk wmtyvt, teshithemo chetannur esh, thou shalt put them, as it were, into an oven of fire. The Lord shall swallow them up — Destroy them. Thus, Psalm 2:9, Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron, &c., which prediction, and those contained in these verses, particularly relate to the unbelieving Jews. Compare Malachi 4:1; Psalm 2:2-4, and 109:13-15.

9. As a fiery oven—See Malachi 4:1. The ovens of the Hebrews were heated mostly with dry thorns and grass, (Matthew 6:30,) material the most inflammable and destructible, which is the point of the figure. Swallow them up—As the oven receives and quickly devours the light fuel thrown into it. See Psalm 18:8.

V. 10. Fruit-Their children. God will take away both root and branch, the parents and all that wicked race.

Verse 10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy] Even their posterity shall be cut off, and thus their memorial shall perish.

Verses 10, 11. Their fruit shalt thou destroy — Their children. God will take away both root and branch; the parents and all that wicked race. For they intended evil against thee — That is, against God; not directly, but by consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, or against the Messiah, of whom he was a type, and against the Lord’s people, injuries done to whom, God takes to be done to himself, Zechariah 2:8. They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform — This clause seems to be added to teach us this great and necessary lesson, that men are justly punished by God for their wicked intentions, although they be hindered from the execution of them, contrary to what some Jewish doctors, and others, have taught. “Vengeance came upon the Jews to the uttermost, because of their intended malice against Christ. They, like Joseph’s brethren, thought evil against him, but they were not able to perform it, for God meant it unto good, to bring it to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive, Genesis 50:20. So let all the designs of ungodly men against thy church, O Lord, through thy power of bringing good out of evil, turn to her advantage; and let all men be convinced that no weapon formed against thee can prosper.”

10. Fruit… seed—The words may be taken as synonymous for posterity; or, the first for the products of the earth, and the second for children. The idea is that of utter desolation.

V. 11. Thee-Against God, not directly, but by consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, and against the Lord’s people, whose injuries God takes as done to himself.

Verse 11. For they intended evil] Sinners shall not be permitted to do all that is in their power against the godly; much less shall they be able to perform all that they wish.

Verses 10, 11. Their fruit shalt thou destroy — Their children. God will take away both root and branch; the parents and all that wicked race. For they intended evil against thee — That is, against God; not directly, but by consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, or against the Messiah, of whom he was a type, and against the Lord’s people, injuries done to whom, God takes to be done to himself, Zechariah 2:8. They imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform — This clause seems to be added to teach us this great and necessary lesson, that men are justly punished by God for their wicked intentions, although they be hindered from the execution of them, contrary to what some Jewish doctors, and others, have taught. “Vengeance came upon the Jews to the uttermost, because of their intended malice against Christ. They, like Joseph’s brethren, thought evil against him, but they were not able to perform it, for God meant it unto good, to bring it to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive, Genesis 50:20. So let all the designs of ungodly men against thy church, O Lord, through thy power of bringing good out of evil, turn to her advantage; and let all men be convinced that no weapon formed against thee can prosper.”

11. They intended—Rather, they extended, in a hostile sense, as the word more commonly means. They “extended,” or directed, their evil designs against God. Job 15:15; Jeremiah 21:5. So, also, the second hemistich.

Verse 12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back] God can in a moment strike the most powerful and numerous army, even in the moment of victory, with panic; and then even the lame, the army which they had nearly routed, shall take the prey, and divide the spoil. Against the face of them.] Thou shalt cause them to turn their backs and fly, as if a volley of arrows had been discharged in their faces. This seems to be the sense of this difficult verse.

Verse 12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back — That is, flee away at the first sight of thee. Or, thou shalt set them as a butt to shoot at, as the like phrase is used Job 7:20, and 16:12. When thou shalt make ready thine arrows, &c., against the face of them — Or, against them, the word face being often redundant. “The judgments of God are called his arrows, being sharp, swift, sure, and deadly. What a dreadful situation, to be set as a mark and butt, at which these arrows are directed! View Jerusalem compassed by the Roman armies without, and torn to pieces by the animosity of desperate and bloody factions within. No further commentary is requisite upon this verse. Tremble and repent, is the inference to be drawn by every Christian community under heaven, in which appear the symptoms of degeneracy and apostacy.” — Horne.

Ver. 12. Turn their backs—thine arrows against their faces. The Latin, ut clibanus, “as an oven,” alluding to the anger of God, reconciles the opposite ideas of wounding their faces when their backs were turned. The reading of the LXX, Thou hast set them as a butt, &c. is preferable.

12. Shalt thou make them turn their back—Literally, Thou shalt set them the shoulder. This may mean, thou shalt set or place them in solid ranks, shoulder to shoulder, as if to call forth their utmost strength, and to show them how little they avail against God; or, thou shalt set them as a target, when “thou shalt fit thine arrows to the string,” etc. The phrase is military, and the idea seems to be the consolidation of their troops, as if to do their utmost.

V. 13. Exalted-By thy own power, or by the manifestation thereof.

Verse 13. Be thou exalted] Exalt thyself, O Lord-thy creatures cannot exalt thee. Lift thyself up, and discomfit thy foes by thine own strength! Thou canst give a victory to thy people over the most formidable enemies, though they strike not one blow in their own defence. God’s right hand has often given the victory to his followers, while they stood still to see the salvation of God. How little can the strength of man avail when the Lord raiseth up himself to the battle! His children, therefore, may safely trust in him, for the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous flee into it, and are safe.

Praise thy power.] God is to receive praise in reference to that attribute which he has exhibited most in the defence or salvation of his followers. Sometimes he manifests his power, his mercy, his wisdom, his longsuffering, his fatherly care, his good providence, his holiness, his justice, his truth, &c. Whatever attribute or perfection he exhibits most, that should be the chief subject of his children’s praise. One wants teaching, prays for it, and is deeply instructed: he will naturally celebrate the wisdom of God. Another feels himself beset with the most powerful adversaries, with the weakest of whom he is not able to cope: he cries to the Almighty God for strength; he is heard, and strengthened with strength in his soul. He therefore will naturally magnify the all-conquering power of the Lord. Another feels himself lost, condemned, on the brink of hell; he calls for mercy, is heard and saved: mercy, therefore, will be the chief subject of his praise, and the burden of his song.

The old Anglo-Scottish Psalter says, We sal make knowen thi wordes in gude wil and gude werk, for he synges well that wirkes well. For thi, sais he twise, we sal syng; ane tyme for the luf of hert; another, for the schewyng of ryghtwisness, til ensampil.

13. Exalted… in thine own strength—The closing verse is a call upon Jehovah to exalt himself by a manifestation of his own strength in the overthrow of his enemies and the deliverance of his Church. On this, compare Revelation 11:17.