Psalms21
New International Version
1 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give!
2 You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.
3 You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever.
5 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
6 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken.
8 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
9 When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind.
11 Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
12 You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow.
13 Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.
Study
Psalms 21Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Psalms 21. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Thanksgiving for victory. (1–6). Confidence of further success. (7–13).
vv1-6
Happy the people whose king makes God's strength his confidence, and God's salvation his joy; who is pleased with all the advancements of God kingdom, and trusts God to support him in all he does for the service of it. All our blessings are blessings of goodness, and are owing, not to any merit of ours, but only to God's goodness. But when God's blessings come sooner, and prove richer than we imagine; when they are given before we prayed for them, before we were ready for them, nay, when we feared the contrary; then it may be truly said that he prevented, or went before us, with them. Nothing indeed prevented, or went before Christ, but to mankind never was any favour more preventing than our redemption by Christ. Thou hast made him to be a universal, everlasting blessing to the world, in whom the families of the earth are, and shall be blessed; and so thou hast made him exceeding glad with the countenance thou hast given to his undertaking, and to him in the prosecution of it. The Spirit of prophecy rises from what related to the king, to that which is peculiar to Christ; none other is blessed for ever, much less a blessing for ever.
vv7-13
The psalmist teaches to look forward with faith, and hope, and prayer upon what God would further do. The success with which God blessed David, was a type of the total overthrow of all Christ's enemies. Those who might have had Christ to rule and save them, but rejected him and fought against him, shall find the remembrance of it a worm that dies not. God makes sinners willing by his grace, receives them to his favour, and delivers them from the wrath to come. May he exalt himself, by his all-powerful grace, in our hearts, destroying all the strong-holds of sin and Satan. How great should be our joy and praise to behold our Brother and Friend upon the throne, and for all the blessings we may expect from him! yet he delights in his exalted state, as enabling him to confer happiness and glory on poor sinners, who are taught to love and trust in him.
Key Words
נָצַח: properly, to glitter from afar, i.e. to be eminent (as a superintendent, especially of the Temple services and its music); to be permanent
מִזְמוֹר: properly, instrumental music; by implication, a poem set to notes
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
עֹז: strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise)
מֶלֶךְ: a king
שָׂמַח: probably to brighten up, i.e. (figuratively) be (causatively, make) blithe or gleesome
יְשׁוּעָה: something saved, i.e. (abstractly) deliverance; hence, aid, victory, prosperity
מְאֹד: properly, vehemence, i.e. (with or without preposition) vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated)
גִּיל: properly, to spin round (under the influence of any violent emotion), i.e. usually rejoice, or (as cringing) fear
נָתַן: to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
Cross References
Psalms 21The Davidic covenant promise of an eternal kingdom, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
Christ asked for life in His agony and was answered with glorious resurrection life.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The king is made 'blessings' in the style of the Abrahamic covenant promise.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The petition of the preceding psalm is directly answered in the praise of this psalm.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Verbal link with 'prevent' (meet/anticipate), signifying God's initiating and spontaneous blessings of goodness.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The literal historical crowning of David with a heavy crown of gold at Rabbah.
Supported by John Calvin
Peter quotes Psalm 16:11, connecting the joy of God's countenance with Christ's resurrection.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The honor and majesty laid upon Christ at His exaltation to the Father's right hand.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Fullness of joy found in the presence and countenance of the Lord.
Supported by JFB
The wicked are made as a 'fiery oven' at the manifestation of the Lord's presence.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The enemies plot a mischievous device against Christ but are unable to perform it.
Supported by John Calvin
God granting His anointed King's request, giving Him the nations for His inheritance.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Believers are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, initiating from God's free grace.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The nations rage and imagine a vain thing against God and His Anointed.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The Aaronic blessing of making God's face/countenance shine upon His people.
Supported by JFB