Psalms 21

THe king shall joy in thy strength a, O LORD, and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoyce?

Thou hast given him his hearts desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. Selah. b Conferred upon him, and put forth by thee, on his behalf against his Enemies.

For thou preventest him Or, didst prevent him, Crowning him with manifold blessings, both more and sooner, than he either desired or expected, surprizing him with the Gift of the Kingdom, and with many happy Successes. with the blessings of goodness (i. e.) With excellent Blessings. Or with abundance (as this Word both in Hebrew and Greek is sometimes used, as Psal. 84. 6. Rom. 15. 29. 2 Cor. 9. 5, 6.) of Good.; thou settest a crown of pure gold Either, 1. in token of Victory. Or rather 2. As an Ensign of Royal Majesty conferred upon him. on his head.

He asked life of thee He asked only the Preservation of that short and mortal Life, which was oft exposed to utmost Perils., and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever Either, 1. In his Posterity, in whom Parents are commonly said to Live. Thou gavest the Kingdom not only to himself for a season, as thou didst to Saul, but to him, and to his seed for ever. Or rather, 2. In his Person; For this giving Answers to David's asking. And the thing which David asked of God, was not the Kingdom (wherein God had prevented his Prayers, and granted what David durst not have presumed to ask) but only Life, or the saving and prolonging of his Life, which his Enemies designed to take away. Thou gavest him a long Life and Reign here, and after that thou didst translate him to thy Heavenly Kingdom, to live with thee for ever. But this was more eminently fulfilled in Christ, who asked of his Fathers Life, or to be saved from Death, Heb, 5. 7. though with Submission to his Will: But his Father, though he saw it fit and necessary to take away his temporal Life, yet he instantly gave him another, and that far more noble instead of it, even the perfect Possession of an everlasting and most glorious Life, both in his Soul and Body, at his right hand..

His glory His same or renown in the World. is great in thy salvation By reason of those great and glorious Deliverances, which thou hast wrought both for him, and by him.: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him Or, fitted to him, or upon him, as the Hebrew Verb signifies, or made it adequate to him. Thou hast given him a large and noble Soul, very capable of and fit for that high and Honourable estate, to which thou hast advanced him, and thou hast given him Honour and Power, suitable to so excellent a Person, and to such rich Endowments

For thou hast made him most blessed Heb. thou hast set (or, made, as this Verb is used, Psal. 40. 5. and 89. 42. and 91. 9. Lam. 3. 45.) him Blessings, (e. i.) Either, 1. The Author or Instrument of manifold Blessings to the World, and especially to thy People: which David was in a good measure, but Christ much more truly and eminently. Although this may not seem very suitable to the Context, which only speaks of the Blessing conferred by God upon this King, and not at all of the Blessings flowing from him to others. Or 2. The great example of all Blessings, whom the Israelites in all Ages shall propound to themselves, in all their Forms and Pronunciations of Blessings, They shall say, God make thee as blessed as this King Either David or the Messias. Compare Gen. 12. 2 and 48. 20. or rather most Blessed, as we translate it, the abstract Form, and the plural Number being here used emphatically, as they commonly are, as Ezek. 34. 26. Psal. 5. 10. and 19. 10. and 35. 6. to Note a man in whom all sorts of Blessings are united and met together, filled with Blessings, and as it were a man of Blessings, made up altogether of Blessings, as Christ upon a like Reason was called a man of Sorrows, Isa. 53. 3. And possibly the Word Man, may be understood here, as it is in many other places, as I have showed before, and the place rendred thus, Thou hast made him a Man of Blessings. for ever Of which see on v. 4.: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance To wit, smiling upon him, as it must necessarily be understood from the foregoing Words, (i. e.) By thy Grace and Favour manifested, and imparted to his Soul, and by the Effects of it, in saving him from all his Enemies and Calamities..

For the king trusteth in the LORD: and through the mercy of the most High, he shall not be moved Or removed from his Kingdom, as Saul was..

Thine hand shall find out all thine Enemies When they seek to hide themselves or flee away from thee, should discover and overtake and destroy them, Or, shall be sufficient (as this Verb sometimes signifies, as Numb. 11. 22. Iudg. 21. 14.) for all thi... e Fnemies, To wit, to Conquer them; thou shall need no forreign Succours to help thee., thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven Or, Thou shalt put them, (as the Hebrew word Properly signifies) as it were into (So there is only an Ellipsis of the Preposition Beth, which is most frequent) a fiery Oven, (i. e.) Like Wood, which when it is cast in there, is quickly consurned. in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up (i. e.) Destroy them, as this Phrase is oft used, as 2 Sam. 20. 19, 20. Psal. 56. 1, 2. Prov. 1. 12. in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Their fruit Either, 1. The fruit of their Labours. Or rather, 2. Their seed or Children, as it is explained in the next Branch, oft called a Man's Fruit, as Deut. 28. 4. Psal. 127. 3. and 132. 11. Lament. 2. 20. God will take away both Root and Branch, the Parents and all that wicked Race. shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

For they intended evil against thee (i. e.) Against God, not directly but by Consequence, because it was against David, whom God had anointed, and against the Lords people, whose injuries God takes as done to himself, Zech. 2. 8.: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform Such Supplements are usual after this Verb, as Exod. 8. 18. Psal. 101. 5. an... 139. 6. Isa. 1. 13. Or, for which they were unable or insufficient. Or, but they did not prevail, as this Verb signifies, Psal. 13. 4. and 129. 2. This Glause seems to be added to teach us this great and necessary Lesson, that men are justly punished by God for their wicked Intentions, although they be hindred from the Execution of them, contrary to what some Jewish Doctors, and others have taught..

Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back (i. e.) Flee away at the first sight of thee, whereby also they will be a fit mark for thine Arrows. Or, Thou shalt set them, as a Butt to shoot at, as the like Phrase is used, Deut. 7. 10. Iob. 7 20. and 16. 12., when thou shalt make ready thine arrows upon thy strings, against the face of them Or, against them, the word Face being oft redundant.?

Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength By thy own Power, or by the manifestation thereof, whereby thou wiltst have the whole Glory of the work.: so will we sing and praise thy Power.