Psalm chapter 21
English Standard Version
1O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! 2You have given him his heart 's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. 4He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. 6For you make him most blessed forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence. 7For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. 9You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. 10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. 11Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. 12For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows. 13Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
New International Version
1For the director of music. A psalm of David. The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give! 2You have granted him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. 3You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days, for ever and ever. 5Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. 6Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
7For the king trusts in the Lord; through the unfailing love of the Most High he will not be shaken. 8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes. 9When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and his fire will consume them. 10You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. 11Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.
New American Standard Bible
1Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice! 2You have given him his heart’s desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah 3For You meet him with the blessings of good things; You set a crown of pure gold on his head. 4He asked for life from You, You gave it to him, Length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great through Your salvation, Splendor and majesty You place upon him. 6For You make him most blessed forever; You make him joyful with the joy of Your presence. 7For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the faithfulness of the Most High he will not be shaken. 8Your hand will find all your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate you. 9You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath, And fire will devour them. 10You will eliminate their descendants from the earth, And their children from among the sons of mankind. 11Though they intended evil against You And devised a plot, They will not succeed. 12For You will make them turn their back; You will take aim at their faces with Your bowstrings. 13Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength; We will sing and praise Your power.
Christian Standard Bible
2You have given him his heart’s desire and have not denied the request of his lips. Selah 3For you meet him with rich blessings; you place a crown of pure gold on his head. 4He asked you for life, and you gave it to him— length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him. 6You give him blessings forever; you cheer him with joy in your presence.
7For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken. 8Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. 9You will make them burn like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord will engulf them in his wrath, and fire will devour them. 10You will wipe their progeny from the earth and their offspring from the human race. 11Though they intend to harm you and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.
New Living Translation
3You welcomed him back with success and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head. 4He asked you to preserve his life, and you granted his request. The days of his life stretch on forever. 5Your victory brings him great honor, and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty. 6You have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence. 7For the king trusts in the Lord. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling.
8You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you. 9You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear. The Lord will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them. 10You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants. 11Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. 12For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them. 13Rise up, O Lord, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.
King James Version
New King James Version
3For You meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold upon his head. 4 He asked life from You, and You gave it to him— Length of days forever and ever. 5His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him. 6For You have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence. 7For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the mercy of the Most High he shall not be moved. 8Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You. 9You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger; The Lord shall swallow them up in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them. 10Their offspring You shall destroy from the earth, And their descendants from among the sons of men. 11For they intended evil against You; They devised a plot which they are not able to perform. 12Therefore You will make them turn their back; You will make ready Your arrows on Your string toward their faces. 13Be exalted, O Lord, in Your own strength! We will sing and praise Your power.
What does Psalm chapter 21 mean?
Psalm 21 pairs with Psalm 20, which seems to come before David entered a battle. This song celebrates victory and expresses confidence in future success.This praise of God begins by expressing the king's victory and his appreciation for God's favor. Verse 4 makes a reference to "length of days forever and ever," which seems to be a reference to the Messiah. In 2 Samuel 7:11–16, the Lord promises to establish David's descendant(s) on the throne for all time. It was these guarantees from God, and the success he obtained, that made David and his people confident in God's goodness and faithfulness (Psalm 21:1–7).
The second half of the psalm anticipates future victories for king David. These are credited to God, as the one who "swallows up" enemies of His chosen people. As part of this celebration, Scripture reminds us that following in the sinful footsteps of our ancestors is no excuse. Those who continue the sins of their parents can expect to face God's judgment. This passage also uses a vivid illustration of how David's enemies will flee him. They will respond as drastically as would someone having a drawn bow pointed directly into their face. This is the depth of faith the people express in God's power and plans (Psalm 21:8–13).
