Psalm 21


Psalm 21 is the 21st psalm from the Book of Psalms. It is internally accredited to David.
This psalm is a psalm of thanksgiving. It focuses on the imagery of a king, who is often credited with being an example of the moral state of a kingdom in the Old Testament.

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 21:
VerseHebrew
1לַֽ֜מְנַצֵּ֗חַ מִזְמ֥וֹר לְדָוִֽד
2יְהֹוָ֗ה בְּעָזְּךָ֥ יִשְׂמַח־מֶ֑לֶךְ וּ֜בִֽישׁוּעָֽתְךָ֗ מַ֘ה־יָּ֥גֶל מְאֹֽד
3נְֽנַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ
4כִּי־תְ֖קַדְּמֶֽנּוּ בִּרְכ֣וֹת ט֑וֹב תָּשִׁ֥ית לְ֜רֹאשׁ֗וֹ עֲטֶ֣רֶת פָּֽז
5שָׁאַ֣ל מִ֖מְּךָ נָתַ֣תָּה לּ֑וֹ אֹ֥רֶךְ יָ֜מִ֗ים עוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד
6גָּד֣וֹל כְּ֖בוֹדוֹ בִּישֽׁוּעָתֶ֑ךָ ה֥וֹד וְ֜הָדָר תְּשַׁוֶּ֥ה עָלָֽיו
7כִּֽי־תְשִׁיתֵ֣הוּ בְרָכ֣וֹת לָעַ֑ד תְּחַדֵּ֥הוּ בְ֜שִׂמְחָ֗ה אֶת־פָּנֶֽיךָ
8כִּֽי־הַ֖מֶּלֶךְ בֹּטֵ֣חַ בַּֽיהֹוָ֑ה וּבְחֶ֥סֶד עֶ֜לְי֗וֹן בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט
9תִּמְצָ֣א יָֽ֖דְךָ לְכָל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ יְ֜מִֽינְךָ תִּמְצָ֥א שׂנְאֶֽיךָ
10כְּתַנּ֥וּר אֵשׁ֘ לְעֵ֪ת פָּ֫נֶ֥יךָ יְ֖הֹוָה בְּאַפּ֣וֹ יְבַלְּעֵ֑ם וְתֹֽאכְלֵ֥ם אֵֽשׁ
11פִּרְיָֽמוֹ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ תְּאַבֵּ֑ד וְ֜זַרְעָ֗ם מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם
12כִּֽי־נָט֣וּ עָלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה חָֽשְׁב֥וּ מְ֜זִמָּ֗ה בַּל־יוּכָֽלוּ
13כִּֽי־תְשִׁיתֵ֣מוֹ שֶׁ֑כֶם בְּמֵֽיתָרֶ֥יךָ תְ֜כוֹנֵ֗ן עַל־פְּנֵיהֶֽם
14ר֣וּמָה יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּעֻזֶּ֑ךָ נָשִׁ֥ירָה וּֽ֜נְזַמְּרָה גְּבוּרָתֶֽךָ

King James Version

  1. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
  2. Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
  3. For thou preventest him with the blessings of goodness: thou settest a crown of pure gold on his head.
  4. He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever.
  5. His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.
  6. For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.
  7. For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.
  8. Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.
  9. 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.
  10. Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.
  11. For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.
  12. Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
  13. Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

    Themes

Commentary by the theologian John Calvin relates this psalm to the belief that God had appointed a succession of rulers on Earth, starting with David and eventually leading to the messiah, who Calvin identified as Jesus. Calvin also implies that this psalm does not refer to a specific king, but to all kings.

Uses

This psalm has also been used as the name of the church ministry, known as "Psalm 21 Church" or "Psalm 21 Kingdom Heritage", in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia since 2004.
Verses 1-4 are used as the source material for "O Lord Make Thy Servant Elizabeth" by William Byrd.