Psalm 21

¹O Lord , the king rejoices in the strength you give;[#tn Heb “in your strength.” The translation interprets the pronominal suffix as subjective, rather than merely descriptive (or attributive).]

he takes great delight in the deliverance you provide.

²You grant him his heart’s desire;[#tn The translation assumes the perfect verbal forms in v. 2 are generalizing, stating factually what God typically does for the king. Another option is to take them as present perfects, “you have granted…you have not refused.” See v. 4, which mentions a specific request for a long reign.]

you do not refuse his request. (Selah)

³For you bring him rich blessings;[#tn Or “meet him [with].”; #tn Heb “good.”; #sn You bring him rich blessings. The following context indicates that God’s “blessings” include deliverance/protection, vindication, sustained life, and a long, stable reign (see also Pss 3:8; 24:5).]

you place a golden crown on his head.

⁴He asked you to sustain his life,[#tn Heb “life he asked from you.” Another option is to translate the perfect verbal forms in v. 4 with the present tense, “he asks…you grant.”]

and you have granted him long life and an enduring dynasty.

⁵Your deliverance brings him great honor;[#tn Or “great glory.”]

you give him majestic splendor.

⁶For you grant him lasting blessings;

you give him great joy by allowing him into your presence.

⁷For the king trusts in the Lord ,[#tn The active participle draws attention to the ongoing nature of the action.]

and because of the sovereign Lord ’s faithfulness he is not upended.

⁸You prevail over all your enemies;[#tn The king is now addressed. One could argue that the Lord is still being addressed, but v. 9 militates against this proposal, for there the Lord is mentioned in the third person and appears to be distinct from the addressee (unless, of course, one takes “Lord” in v. 9 as vocative; see the note on “them” in v. 9b). Verse 7 begins this transition to a new addressee by referring to both the king and the Lord in the third person (in vv. 1-6 the Lord is addressed and only the king referred to in the third person).; #tn Heb “your hand finds.” The idiom pictures the king grabbing hold of his enemies and defeating them (see 1 Sam 23:17). The imperfect verbal forms in vv. 8-12 may be translated with the future tense, as long as the future is understood as generalizing.]

your power is too great for those who hate you.

⁹You burn them up like a fiery furnace when you appear;[#tn Heb “you make them like a furnace of fire.” Although many modern translations retain the literal Hebrew, the statement is elliptical. The point is not that he makes them like a furnace, but like an object burned in a furnace (cf. NEB, “at your coming you shall plunge them into a fiery furnace”).; #tn Heb “at the time of your face.” The “face” of the king here refers to his angry presence. See Lam 4:16.]

the Lord angrily devours them;

the fire consumes them.

¹⁰You destroy their offspring from the earth,[#tn Heb “fruit.” The next line makes it clear that offspring is in view.]

their descendants from among the human race.

¹¹Yes, they intend to do you harm;[#tn Or “for.”; #tn Heb “they extend against you harm.” The perfect verbal forms in v. 11 are taken as generalizing, stating factually what the king’s enemies typically do. Another option is to translate with the past tense (“they intended…planned”).]

they dream up a scheme, but they do not succeed.

¹²For you make them retreat[#tn Heb “you make them a shoulder,” i.e., “you make them turn and run, showing the back of their neck and shoulders.”]

when you shoot your arrows at them.

¹³Rise up, O Lord , in strength![#tn Heb “in your strength,” but English idiom does not require the pronoun.sn The psalm concludes with a petition to the Lord, asking him to continue to intervene in strength for the king and nation.]

We will sing and praise your power!