Psalms 45
Praise for the King's Glory and Power 1–9
Counsel to the Royal Bride 10–15
Prophecy of the King's Enduring Legacy 16–17
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Psalm 45
Verse 1
a good matter — The psalm is introduced as Maschil, a psalm of instruction, and ‘A Song of loves’ (yedidot, from yadid, beloved). ‘Inditing’ is rachash, to well up; the ‘ready writer’ is a skilful scribe (mahir). The ‘things … touching the king’ are quoted of the Son in Heb 1:8–9.
Verse 2
Thou art fairer than the children of men — ‘Fairer’ comes from yaphah, to be bright, fair, set against the bene adam, ‘sons of Adam’. ‘Grace’ is chen, favour, and it is ‘poured’ (yatsaq) into his lips, as when ‘all … wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth’ (Luke 4:22).
Verse 3
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh — Chagar is to gird on. ‘O most mighty’ is gibbor, the word in ‘The mighty God’ of Isa 9:6. The sword in Rev 19:15 belongs to the same king: ‘out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations.’
Verse 6
Thy throne, O God — Hebrews 1:8 quotes the verse with ‘But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever’, and adds ‘a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom’. The king is addressed as Elohim, and the next verse distinguishes him from ‘God, thy God’. ‘Right’ is mishor, level or straight.
Verse 7
the oil of gladness — Mashach, to anoint, is the verb behind ‘Messiah’. Hebrews 1:9 gives the verse in full: ‘Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.’ ‘Fellows’ is chaber, companions, so the anointing sets him above them.
Verse 9
in gold of Ophir — ‘Queen’ is shegal, found elsewhere in the KJV only at Neh 2:6, ‘the queen also sitting by him’. Ophir is the land from which gold was fetched for Solomon (1 Kgs 9:28). To stand on the ‘right hand’ is the place of honour, where Bathsheba sat beside her son the king (1 Kgs 2:19).
Verse 10
forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house — The bride is told to ‘Hearken… and incline thine ear’, and to leave her father’s house, which echoes the LORD’s word to Abram, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house’ (Gen 12:1). Rev 21:9 speaks of ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife’.
Verse 11
he is thy Lord — ‘Lord’ is adon, master, and ‘worship’ is shachah, to bow down, the verb of Ps 95:6, ‘O come, let us worship and bow down’. The bride’s bowing to the king goes with his desire for her yophi, beauty. Isa 54:5 speaks of the covenant in the same terms: ‘thy Maker is thine husband’.
Verse 12
the daughter of Tyre — Tsor, Tyre, whose king Hiram ‘sent messengers to David, and cedar trees’ (2 Sam 5:11), so the city is named among those who bring a minchah, a gift. To ‘intreat thy favour’ is chalah panim, an idiom for entreating. The rich among the people come with it.
Verse 16
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children — The king’s sons take the place of his fathers, and he sets them (shith) as ‘princes’ (sar, rulers) ‘in all the earth’. The New Testament says of those redeemed by Christ, ‘hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth’ (Rev 5:10).
Verse 17
I will make thy name to be remembered — ‘Remembered’ is zakar, and ‘in all generations’ is literally ‘in generation and generation’. ‘Praise’ is yadah, to give thanks, the verb of Ps 44:8. The people’s praise lasts ‘for ever and ever’ (olam va’ed), the words of v.6, matched by Ps 72:17, ‘His name shall endure for ever’.