1A thanksgiving for victory, 7with confidence of further success.
0To the 1chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 See the first annotation at Psalm 4 in the title.
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 2the request of his lips. 3Selah.
2 That is, that which he has uttered and desired of Thee in his prayer.
3 See Psalm 3 on verse 2.
3For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
4He asked 4life of thee, and 5thou gavest it him, even 6length of days for ever and ever.
4 When he was in danger of it by his enemies. Understand with God’s gracious blessing; compared with Psalm 30:5; 133:3.
5 Other, thou hast given him length of days, etc.
6 That is, a long life. Compare Deut. 30:20. This has partly respect unto David, who died in a good old age, according to the body, but chiefly it has reference to the Messiah, David’s seed according to the flesh (see Isa. 53:10) and further again unto David and all the members of Christ , whereas they have eternal life through faith in Him.
5His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
6For thou hast made him most 7blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy 8countenance.
7 Compare Gen. 12 on verse 2; Isa. 19:24; Ezek. 34:26.
8 See Num. 6 on verse 25; Num. 6 on verse 26; Psalm 16:11.
7For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be 9moved.
9 As Psalm 15:5.
8Thine hand shall 10find out 11all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
10 That is, meet with, seize on and punish.
11 Other, shall find vengeance for all, etc., or, shall be sufficient for all thine enemies, namely, to quell and subdue the same.
9Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine 12anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
12 That is, of Thy angry face, namely, when Thou shalt look upon, judge and punish them in wrath. Compare Gen. 32:20; Lev. 17:10; 20:6; Psalm 34:16; Jer. 3:12; 4:26; Lam. 4:16. Observe that the face of God is taken here for His anger, and in verse 7 for His favor. Compare Psalm 25:18, 19.
10Their 13fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their 14seed from among the children of men.
13 That is, the fruit of their body (as the Scripture speaks), namely, their children; otherwise by the fruit of a man’s hand is understood that which he obtains or conquers by his labor, Prov. 31:16, 31.
14 That is, their children or posterity.
11For they intended evil against 15thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
15 God accounts this done unto Himself what is done unto His people. See Gen. 20 on verse 6.
12Therefore shalt thou make them turn their 16back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy 17strings against the face of them.
16 Hebr. shoulder or dike, mount, that is, a raised or prominent place, which Thou shalt set them as a butt (target) to aim at (and) to hit them straight in the face.
17 Hebr. cords, that is, the string of the bow. Understand: to arrange the arrows upon Thy bow.
13Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.