Psalm 45:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

NIV: All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.

NASB: The King’s daughter is all glorious within; Her clothing is interwoven with gold.

CSB: In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold.

NLT: The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown.

KJV: The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

NKJV: The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold.

The psalmist describes the king's bride (Psalm 45:1) as she enters the king's presence. She wears an embroidered gown that is interwoven with gold. Gold represents value and purity. An especially valued type of gold was mentioned earlier in this psalm (Psalm 45:9). The wedding of a king inspired this passage, and it also reflects the Bible's frequent use of wedding imagery to explain Christ's relationship to the church (John 3:29; Revelation 21:9; 22:17).

The King of kings, Jesus, valued His bride, the Church, so much that He died to redeem her (Ephesians 5:24–27). He esteemed her salvation more valuable than the whole world (Mark 8:36). The apostle Peter declares in 1 Peter 1:18–19: "knowing that you were not ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ…" Also, Jesus has bestowed on the members of His Church the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21), and Peter explains that by obeying the truth believers have purified their souls (1 Peter 1:22). When Jesus takes His bride from the earth, she will be characterized by "splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing" (Ephesians 5:27).

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.

This psalm is often identified as a marriage song, likely ascribing praise to a descendant of David. However, its praise transcends a mortal ruler and his wedding. There are messianic interpretations, noted in the New Testament (Hebrews 1:8–9). These references provide another layer of meaning, as they praise the King of kings, Jesus Christ.

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.