What does Psalm 45:4 mean?

The immediate subject of these verses is a king of Israel, on the occasion of a wedding (Psalm 45:1–3). As expected, the psalmist praises the king's appearance, speech, and military prowess. A second layer of meaning occurs when looking at God's promises to David, regarding the line of kings (2 Samuel 7:12–13, 16). While the psalmist likely did not have the Messiah in mind when these words were written, many portions of the psalm prophetically describe Jesus Christ.

This verse portrays a mighty warrior. The image depicts a champion of truth, meekness, and righteousness. The New Testament attributes these virtues to Jesus. John 1:17 says, "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Jesus declared that He is truth (John 14:6). He calls sinners to find rest in Him, affirming, "I am gentle [meek] and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29). He is also completely righteous. The apostle Paul declares that He knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and the apostle Peter affirms that Jesus was like a lamb "without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:19) and says plainly, "He committed no sin" (1 Peter 2:22). Even Pontius Pilate, who turned Jesus over to an angry crowd for crucifixion, asked concerning Jesus, "What evil has he done?" (Matthews 27:23). Revelation 19:11–16 shows Jesus, the true, meek, righteous king riding a white horse and executing judgment on His enemies at His second coming.

Later verses of this psalm will be cited by New Testament writers (Hebrews 1:8–9) in connection with Jesus' ministry.