Psalm 21:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.

NIV: Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.

NASB: Your hand will find all your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate you.

CSB: Your hand will capture all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you.

NLT: You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you.

KJV: Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

NKJV: Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You.

The congregation expresses confidence in David's military success. He will find out his enemies and those who hate him. "Find out," in this context, includes the idea of "disposing of" something. No enemy will be able to withstand David's power.

The right hand is a term used in Scripture to signify power or strength. There may be a messianic implication here, as well. Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of David, will dispose of all His enemies, those who hate Him. When He returns to earth, singlehandedly He will dispose of those who support the beast and the false prophet. He will overwhelmingly defeat these evil leaders, who dupe millions of people in the tribulation: the seven-year period that follows the rapture.

Jude 1:14–15 promises that Jesus will return "with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Revelation 19:15–21 pictures the return of Jesus as He strikes down the nations and throws the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire.

Psalm 21:8–13 contains the people's address to King David. They express their confidence that he will win future battles because they believe the Lord will swallow up his enemies. This section is similar to the closing section of Psalm 20. Psalm 18:50, 2 Samuel 7:16, and Genesis 12:1–3 guarantee the continuance of the nation of Israel and David's descendants. Psalm 21 ends with a swelling chorus of praise.

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.