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Psalms 21

KJV · Chapter 21/150

1The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

2Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

3For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.

4He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

5His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

6For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

7For the king trusteth in the Lord, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

8Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

9Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

10Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

11For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.

12Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.

13Be thou exalted, Lord, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

In contrast with the previous psalm (a prayer before battle), this is a song of thanksgiving after victory, celebrating the blessings God granted the king and foreseeing the total defeat of his enemies.

Explanation

Forming a pair with Psalm 20, this text celebrates the fulfillment of the previous prayer: the king received long life, glory, and victory over his enemies. The mention of a 'crown of pure gold' and of 'length of days for ever and ever' suggests language that, over time, came to be read messianically — not only about an earthly king, but about an eternal reign that Christian tradition associates with Christ. The practical application: publicly celebrating God's answers is spiritually just as important as asking for them.

Fun facts

  • The phrase 'length of days for ever and ever' (v.4) is a common poetic exaggeration in ancient Near Eastern royal texts wishing long life to a monarch, similar to formulas used in Egyptian and Mesopotamian inscriptions.
  • This psalm, together with the previous one, likely formed part of a two-part ritual: a prayer before war (Psalm 20) and a thanksgiving after victory (Psalm 21).

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Psalms 21:1If Psalm 20 was a plea for the king's victory, this one opens already celebrating: the king is filled with joy over the strength and the salvation he received from God.
  2. Psalms 21:2It confirms that the earlier request was answered completely: neither his heart's deepest desire nor the request spoken aloud went unanswered.
  3. Psalms 21:3Placing a crown on the king's head was the very act of coronation; here it is God who performs this gesture, showing that the king's royalty comes directly from divine approval, not merely from a human ceremony.
  4. Psalms 21:4The king's request for life was answered in an extravagant way: not just life, but days extending forever, a hyperbole of praise typical of this kind of royal psalm.
  5. Psalms 21:5It attributes all the king's glory and majesty directly to God's salvation, making clear that the honor he received was not born of his own conquest.
  6. Psalms 21:6It describes the king's joy as something that comes straight from God's presence, the same "countenance" language used in other psalms to speak of divine favor.
  7. Psalms 21:7It explains the basis of such security: the king's trust rests in God, and it's this relationship, sustained by mercy, that guarantees he will never be shaken.
  8. Psalms 21:8The tone shifts toward the enemies: the same hand that protects the king is described as reaching, without exception, all who hate him.
  9. Psalms 21:9Comparing the punishment of enemies to a blazing oven was a common image of total destruction in the ancient world, the same kind of language found in other Near Eastern texts describing the fury of victorious kings over defeated enemies.
  10. Psalms 21:10It describes a complete destruction, which in the war language of the time included even the enemy's offspring, so that the threat would not repeat itself later.
  11. Psalms 21:11It explains the reason for the punishment: the enemies plotted a wicked scheme against God Himself, and the psalm assures that this scheme will not succeed.
  12. Psalms 21:12It's the image of an archer taking aim right at the face of the enemy who is fleeing, not a surprise blow from behind, but a decisive, head-on victory with no chance of retaliation.
  13. Psalms 21:13The psalm closes asking that God Himself be exalted in His strength, promising that the people's response will be to sing and praise that power.

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