The King Rejoices in Your Strength

The king rejoices in your strength, LORD!How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!

The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

The psalm opens with the king rejoicing, but the source of his joy is the LORD's strength and salvation, not his own. The verse says it twice, first that he rejoices and then how greatly.

Also read Psalm 20:5-6, Psalm 2:6, Psalm 63:11, Psalm 20:9

You have given him his heart’s desire,and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.

God has given the king his heart's desire and has not withheld the request of his lips. The verse links the inner wish and the spoken request, and says both were answered.

Also read Hebrews 7:25, Psalm 2:8-9, Isaiah 49:6-12, Psalm 37:4

For you meet him with the blessings of goodness.You set a crown of fine gold on his head.

For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.

The king is met with the blessings of goodness, and God sets a crown of fine gold on his head. The crown is presented as something given, not something taken. The KJV has thou preventest him here, older English for going before or meeting him.

Also read Revelation 19:12, Hebrews 2:9, Psalm 59:10, Ephesians 1:3

He asked life of you and you gave it to him,even length of days forever and ever.

He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.

The king asked for life and received it, and more than he asked: length of days forever and ever. The verse is a record of a prayer that was answered.

Also read Psalm 119:77, Psalm 89:29, Revelation 1:18, Psalm 91:16

His glory is great in your salvation.You lay honor and majesty on him.

His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

The king's glory is great, but it comes through God's salvation. Honor and majesty are laid on him by God, so they are described as gifts rather than achievements.

Also read Revelation 5:8-13, John 17:5, Psalm 96:6, 1 Chronicles 17:11-15

For you make him most blessed forever.You make him glad with joy in your presence.

For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

Blessing and joy are placed together here. The king is made most blessed forever, and his gladness is found in God's presence.

Also read Psalm 4:6-7, Luke 2:10-11, Luke 2:30-32, 1 Chronicles 17:27

For the king trusts in the LORD.Through the loving kindness of the Most High, he shall not be moved.

For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

This is the centre of the psalm. Everything given in verses 1 to 6 rests on one fact: the king trusts in the LORD. Because of the loving kindness of the Most High, he will not be moved.

Also read Psalm 16:8, 1 Samuel 30:6, Deuteronomy 32:8-9, Psalm 91:2

Your hand will find out all of your enemies.Your right hand will find out those who hate you.

Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

The psalm turns to the future and to enemies. Your hand will find out all your enemies, and your right hand those who hate you. Nobody who hates the king will stay hidden.

Also read Isaiah 10:10, 1 Samuel 31:3, 1 Corinthians 15:25, Psalm 18:1

You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger.The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath.The fire shall devour them.

Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

The judgment is described with fire: a fiery furnace, the LORD swallowing them up in his wrath, fire that devours. It is the harshest language in the psalm, and it is stated without softening.

Also read Nahum 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, Psalm 106:17, Psalm 56:1-2

You will destroy their descendants from the earth,their posterity from among the children of men.

Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

The destruction reaches past the enemies themselves to their descendants. The verse describes their posterity removed from among the children of men.

Also read Job 18:16-19, Job 20:28, 1 Kings 13:34, Psalm 109:13

For they intended evil against you.They plotted evil against you which cannot succeed.

For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.

Also read Matthew 2:8, Isaiah 7:6-7, Matthew 2:16, Psalm 10:2

For you will make them turn their back,when you aim drawn bows at their face.

Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.

The enemies are made to turn their backs, with drawn bows aimed at their faces. The picture is of a battle ended by retreat.

Also read Psalm 44:10, Psalm 18:40, Job 7:20, Psalm 56:9

Be exalted, LORD, in your strength,so we will sing and praise your power.

Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

The last verse speaks to God directly and asks him to be exalted in his strength. It returns to the strength of verse 1 and ends with the people, we, singing and praising his power.

Also read Psalm 57:5, Psalm 113:5, Revelation 11:17, Revelation 15:3-4