NOTES for Psa 45

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¹My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

²Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

³Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

⁴And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

⁵Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

⁶Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

⁷Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

⁹Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

¹¹So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

¹²And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.

¹³The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

¹⁴She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

¹⁵With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.

¹⁶Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

¹⁷I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

This hymn is not dedicated to an earthly king, nor is the praise it offers addressed to him. The Bible certainly speaks repeatedly of respect for earthly rulers, recognition of their leading position among the people, and the importance of their public service. All this is true, but no earthly king can compare with the Heavenly King.

Yet earthly images express what is above the earth. Our comparisons cannot convey the whole essence of the Incomprehensible One, but they can at least remotely suggest His attributes to us. That is why the image of an earthly King was chosen to express the strength and might of the Almighty.

Here, however, we see not only the praise of the One who created the world and now governs it, but also a prophecy of the King-Messiah who is yet to appear in the world. In the days when the psalms were composed, nations submitted to earthly kings after being conquered by weapons; later, however, the nations will receive another King because they will have been conquered by His sacrificial love.

Other notes

For Psa 45:1-11

¹My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

²Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

³Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

⁴And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

⁵Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

⁶Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

⁷Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

⁹Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

¹⁰Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

¹¹So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

God is called a refuge and strength, a reliable fortress that protects against every calamity. With Him, there is nothing to fear... Read more

God is called a refuge and strength, a reliable fortress that protects against every calamity. With Him, there is nothing to fear: neither natural disasters nor the turmoil of nations mentioned alongside them, which can be no less destructive.

But then the psalmist notes that the Lord has ended wars. More than that, He has destroyed the weapons that people love so much. Here is an early mention of disarmament! What lies behind these words? Are they an eyewitness’s testimony to the ending of one of the ancient world’s constant and interminable wars? Or do we have before us a prophecy whose fulfillment is still to come?

Does the prophecy not warn us that the Lord can intervene in our quarrels in order to end them and establish His justice? But might such intervention prove harsh and unbearable for us? It is not by chance that the psalmist speaks of the devastations... wrought by the Lord.

Yet these same words may also be an appeal to us: with God’s help, make peace and put an end to your squabbles. Otherwise you will bring about a situation in which none of you is victorious.

For Psa 45:7-8

⁷Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

⁸All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

Why "sing"? Well, glorify, praise, pray, finally... Why "sing"? Read more

Why "sing"? Well, glorify, praise, pray, finally... Why "sing"?

And how does singing differ from speaking? Correct: by music. And music is rhythm and melody, that is, what is not expressed in words, what is not verbalized. You have probably heard scientists say that in our brain the left hemisphere is responsible for logical, verbal thinking, while the right is responsible for imaginal, nonverbal thinking. Speech is produced by the left hemisphere, and music by the right. There is more logic in speech, and more emotion in music. Thus singing brings both hemispheres of our brain into action, our whole reason and our emotional sphere besides. We are included in prayer much more fully when we sing. It is no accident that blessed Augustine said, "The one who sings prays twice."

But we must not forget the last words of today's passage: "sing with understanding." Our emotional sphere must be included in prayer, but it must not overwhelm everything. God is Reason to a far greater degree than emotion, and communion with Him is first of all reasonable, though also emotional.

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