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1My heart is stirred by a beautiful song.[#tn Heb “[with] a good word.” The “good word” probably refers here to the song that follows.]
I say, “I have composed this special song for the king;
my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”
2You are the most handsome of all men![#tn Heb “you are handsome from the sons of man.” The preposition “from” is used in a comparative (“more than”) sense. The peculiar verb form יָפְיָפִיתָ (yafyafita) is probably the result of dittography of yod-pe (יפ) and should be emended to יָפִיתָ (yafita). See GKC 152 §55.e.]
You speak in an impressive and fitting manner!
For this reason God grants you continual blessings.
3Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior![#tn Or “mighty one.”]
Appear in your majestic splendor!
4Appear in your majesty and be victorious![#tn Heb “and your majesty, be successful.” The syntax is awkward. The phrase “and your majesty” at the beginning of the verse may be accidentally repeated (dittography); it appears at the end of v. 3.]
Ride forth for the sake of what is right,
on behalf of justice!
Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts!
5Your arrows are sharp
and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.
Nations fall at your feet.
6Your throne, O God, is permanent.[#sn The king’s throne here symbolizes his rule.; #tn Or “forever and ever.”sn O God. The king is clearly the addressee here, as in vv. 2-5 and 7-9. Rather than taking the statement at face value, many prefer to emend the text because the concept of deifying the earthly king is foreign to ancient Israelite thinking (cf. NEB “your throne is like God’s throne, eternal”). However, it is preferable to retain the text and take this statement as another instance of the royal hyperbole that permeates the royal psalms. Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. God energizes the king for battle and accomplishes justice through him. A similar use of hyperbole appears in Isa 9:6, where the ideal Davidic king of the eschaton is given the title “Mighty God” (see the note on this phrase there). Ancient Near Eastern art and literature picture gods training kings for battle, bestowing special weapons, and intervening in battle. According to Egyptian propaganda, the Hittites described Rameses II as follows: “No man is he who is among us, It is Seth great-of-strength, Baal in person; Not deeds of man are these his doings, They are of one who is unique” (see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2:67). Ps 45:6 and Isa 9:6 probably envision a similar kind of response when friends and foes alike look at the Davidic king in full battle regalia. When the king’s enemies oppose him on the battlefield, they are, as it were, fighting against God himself.]
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
7You love justice and hate evil.[#sn To love justice means to actively promote it.; #sn To hate evil means to actively oppose it.]
For this reason God, your God has anointed you
with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.
8All your garments are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.[#tn The words “perfumed with” are supplied in the translation for clarification.]
From the luxurious palaces comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.
9Princesses are among your honored guests,[#tn Heb “daughters of kings.”; #tn Heb “valuable ones.” The form is feminine plural.]
your bride stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.
10Listen, O princess![#tn Heb “daughter.” The Hebrew noun בת (“daughter”) can sometimes refer to a young woman in a general sense (see H. Haag, TDOT 2:334).sn Listen, O princess. The poet now addresses the bride.]
Observe and pay attention!
Forget your homeland and your family!
11Then the king will be attracted by your beauty.[#tn After the preceding imperatives, the jussive verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive is best understood as introducing a purpose (“so that the king might desire your beauty”) or result clause (see the present translation and cf. also NASB). The point seems to be this: The bride might tend to be homesick, which in turn might cause her to mourn and diminish her attractiveness. She needs to overcome this temptation to unhappiness and enter into the marriage with joy. Then the king will be drawn to her natural beauty.; #tn Or “desire.”]
After all, he is your master! Submit to him!
12Rich people from Tyre[#map For location see Map1-A2; Map2-G2; Map4-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.]
will seek your favor by bringing a gift.
13The princess looks absolutely magnificent,[#tn Heb “[the] daughter of a king.”; #tn Heb “[is] completely glorious.”]
decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold.
14In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.
Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,
are led before you.
15They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession
and enter the royal palace.
16Your sons will carry on the dynasty of your ancestors;[#tn The pronoun is second masculine singular, indicating the king is being addressed from this point to the end of the psalm.; #tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as jussive and the statement interpreted as a prayer, “May your sons carry on the dynasty of your ancestors!” The next line could then be taken as a relative clause, “[your sons] whom you will make princes throughout the land.”; #tn Heb “in place of your fathers will be your sons.”]
you will make them princes throughout the land.
17I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years,[#tn Heb “I will cause your name to be remembered in every generation and generation.” The cohortative verbal form expresses the poet’s resolve. The king’s “name” stands here for his reputation and character, which the poet praised in vv. 2-7.]
then the nations will praise you forever.