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.
Psalm 45:1–5 begins the psalmist's joyful song of admiration. He extols his king as handsome, mighty, and victorious. Although a descendant of David is likely the main object of this adoration, the description fits Jesus, the King of kings. The following passage makes this identification clear.
The psalm begins with the exaggeration for effect common to love songs and works celebrating an earthly king. The groom is described as handsome, powerful, and graceful. The psalm also speaks of an eternal throne—this connects to prophecies about the Messiah (2 Samuel 7:12–13; Hebrews 1:8–9). The Bible often uses marriage images to explain the relationship between Christ and the church, including songs such as this.
