Psalm 45:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.

NIV: Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.

NASB: Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.

CSB: Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.

NLT: Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet.

KJV: Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

NKJV: Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies; The peoples fall under You.

The initial motivation for this psalm was the wedding of an earthly king (Psalm 45:1, 9). This includes many compliments and praises, some of which seem like exaggerations for effect (Psalm 45:2–4). However, God promised the line of kings proceeding from David would never end (2 Samuel 7:12–13, 16). That means these words also apply, prophetically, to the ultimate King: the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The following two verses, in fact, will be cited in the New Testament for that very reason (Hebrews 1:8–9).

At His return to earth to vanquish His enemies and establish His kingdom on earth, Jesus will slay His enemies. Revelation 19:15 says, "From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty." No weapon that is raised against King Jesus will prevail. All the armies of the wicked one, the Devil, are no match for Jesus.

Psalm 2 predicts the marshalling of the Devil's forces in the end time as world armies assemble to battle against God (Revelation 19:19–21; 20:7–15). They intend to usurp the Lord from His throne, but their militaristic scheme only causes the Lord to laugh. Psalm 2:5 describes the Lord as speaking to them in His fury. He tells the raging nations: "As for me, I have set [Jesus] on Zion, my holy hill" (Psalm 2:6).

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.

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.