21 1 David in the person of the people praiseth God for the victory, attributing it to God, and not to the strength of man. Wherein the holy Ghost directeth the faithful to Christ, who is the perfection of this kingdom.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 The King shall [a]rejoice in thy strength, O Lord: yea how greatly shall he rejoice in thy salvation?
2 Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not denied him the request of his lips. Selah.
3 For thou [b]didst prevent him with liberal blessings, and didst set a crown of pure gold upon his head.
4 [c]He asked life of thee, and thou gavest him a long life forever and ever.
5 His glory is great in thy salvation: dignity and honor hast thou laid upon him.
6 For thou hast set him as [d]blessings forever: thou hast made him glad with the joy of thy countenance.
7 Because the king trusteth in the Lord, and in the mercy of the most high, he shall not slide.
8 [e]Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies, and thy right hand shall find out them that hate thee.
9 Thou shalt make them like a fiery oven in time of thine anger: the Lord shall destroy them in his [f]wrath, and the fire shall devour them.
10 Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from the children of men.
11 For they [g]intended evil against thee, and imagined mischief, but they shall not prevail.
12 Therefore shalt thou put them [h]apart, and the strings of thy bow shalt thou make ready against their faces.
13 [i]Be thou exalted, O Lord, in thy strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.
Footnotes
- Psalm 21:1 When he shall overcome his enemies, and so be assured of his vocation.
- Psalm 21:3 Thou declarest thy liberal favor toward him before he prayed.
- Psalm 21:4 David did not only obtain life, but also assurance that his posterity should reign forever.
- Psalm 21:6 Thou hast made him thy blessings to others, and a perpetual example of thy favor forever.
- Psalm 21:8 Here he describeth the power of Christ’s kingdom against the enemies thereof.
- Psalm 21:9 This teacheth us patiently to endure the cross till God destroy the adversary.
- Psalm 21:11 They laid as it were their nets to make God’s power to give place to their wicked enterprises.
- Psalm 21:12 As a mark to shoot at.
- Psalm 21:13 Maintain thy Church against thine adversaries, that we may have ample occasion to praise thy Name.