Psalm 21:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.

NIV: Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.

NASB: His glory is great through Your salvation, Splendor and majesty You place upon him.

CSB: His glory is great through your victory; you confer majesty and splendor on him.

NLT: Your victory brings him great honor, and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty.

KJV: His glory is great in thy salvation: honour and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

NKJV: His glory is great in Your salvation; Honor and majesty You have placed upon him.

David rejoices in the glory the Lord bestowed on him through victories over his enemies. David does not take credit for this honor. Rather, the glory of the king is great through the Lord's salvation. In fulfillment of the promise in the covenant He made with David, the Lord gave David rest from all his enemies (2 Samuel 7:11). David humbly acknowledged that the Lord delivered him from his enemies and bestowed splendor and majesty on him.

Certainly, the Lord Jesus, the Son of David, was delivered from death by the power of God the Father. Ephesians 1:20 affirms that God the Father (along with the rest of the Trinity) raised Jesus from the dead. The following verses in Ephesians describe the glory, splendor, and majesty that the Father bestowed on Jesus when He delivered Him from death. He seated Jesus at His right hand "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name" (Ephesians 1:20–21). He subjected all things to Him and made Him head of the church (Ephesians 1:22–23). No one else in the universe compares with Jesus, the Son of David, in glory, splendor, and majesty!

Psalm 21:1–7, much like the first part of Psalm 20, records the praise David and the congregation offer to the Lord for granting David victory over his enemy. This section precedes the congregation's confidence in what the Lord will do through David. Second Samuel 7:1–17 provides a background to these verses by reporting the covenant God made with David. Part of the covenant was an assurance that God would subdue David's enemies.

Psalm 21 opens and closes with praise to the Lord for the strength He gave David and his army for gaining a victory over the enemy. In verses 1–7 David and the people extol God for answering their prayer and for giving David rich blessings. They rejoice in knowing the Lord is present, and they express their trust in the Lord. They feel safe knowing the Lord's love is unfailing. The people of the congregation voice their assurance that King David will defeat his enemies. David's enemies may plan evil and devise mischief against him, but they will not succeed. David will rout them, and his arrows will strike them. The closing verse of Psalm 21 is a prayer by David and the congregation—it is also a pledge to sing and praise the Lord God for His power.

This psalm is likely a follow-up to Psalm 20. In Psalm 20 the congregation of Israel and David prayed for victory in an upcoming battle. Psalm 21 offers thanks for the victory and expresses David's joy over the strength from the Lord that secured the victory. David also anticipates victory in future encounters. Second Samuel 7:4–16 contains the covenant God made with David.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.