Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 45

My heart is inditing – That is, I am engaged in inditing a good matter, though implying at the same time that it was a work of the heart – a work in which the heart was engaged. It was not a mere production of the intellect; not a mere work of skill; not a mere display of the beauty of song, but a work in which the affections particularly were engaged, and which would express the feelings of the heart: the result or effusion of sincere love. The word rendered “inditing” – רחשׁ râchash – is rendered in the margin, boils or bubbles up.

It means properly to boil up or over, as a fountain; and the idea here is that his heart boiled over with emotions of love; it was full and overflowing; it found expression in the words of this song. The Hebrew word does not occur elsewhere in the Bible.

A good matter – literally, “a good word”; that is, it was something he was about to say that was good; something interesting, pure, important; not only a subject on which his heart was engaged, but also which was worthy of attention.

I speak of the things which I have made – literally, “I say my works to the king.” That is, My work – that which I meditate and am about to compose – pertains to the king.

Touching the king – He is to be the main subject of my song. (Compare the notes at Isaiah 5:1). If the remarks made in the introduction to the psalm are correct, then the “king” here referred to was the future Messiah – the great personage to whom all the writers of the Old Testament looked forward, and whose glory they were so anxious to see and to describe. (Compare the notes at 1 Peter 1:10–12).

My tongue is the pen of a ready writer – Let my tongue in speaking of him be as the pen of a rapid writer. That is, let my tongue rapidly and freely express my thoughts and feelings. The word rendered “pen” – עט ‛êṭ – means a stylus, usually made of iron, used for the purpose of inscribing letters on lead or wax. (See the notes at Job 19:24). The idea is that the psalmist’s mind was full of his subject, and that he desired to express his thoughts in warm, free, gushing language – the language of overflowing emotion.

You are fairer than the children of men—That is, You are more fair and comely than men; your comeliness is greater than that which is found among men. In other words, You are beautiful beyond any human standard or comparison. The language, indeed, would not necessarily imply that he was not a man, but it means that among all who dwell on the earth there was no one to be found who could be compared with him. The Hebrew word rendered “you are fairer”—יפיפית yāp^eyāpiytha—is a very unusual term.

It is properly a reduplication of the word meaning “beautiful,” and thus means to be very beautiful. It would be well expressed by the phrase “Beautiful—beautiful—are you above the children of men.” It is the language of surprise—of a sudden impression of beauty—beauty as it strikes at the first glance, such as the eye had never seen before.

The impression here is that produced by the general appearance or aspect of him who is seen as king. Afterward, the attention is more particularly directed to the “grace that is poured into his lips.” The language here would well express the emotions often felt by a young convert when he is first made to see the beauty of the character of the Lord Jesus as a Saviour: “Beautiful; beautiful, above all men.”

Grace is poured into your lips—The word here rendered “is poured” properly means to pour, to pour out as liquids—water, or melted metal (Genesis 28:18; 2 Kings 4:4). The meaning here is that grace seemed to be spread over his lips, or that this was strikingly manifest on his lips.

The word grace properly means favor; and then it is used in the general sense of benignity, kindness, mildness, gentleness, benevolence. The reference here is to his manner of speaking, as corresponding with the beauty of his person, and as that which particularly attracted the attention of the psalmist: the mildness, the gentleness, the kindness, the persuasive eloquence of his words. It is hardly necessary to remark that this, in an eminent degree, was applicable to the Lord Jesus.

Thus it is said (Luke 4:22), And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. So (John 7:46): Never man spake like this man. (Matthew 13:54; Luke 2:47).

Therefore God has blessed you forever—In connection with this moral beauty—this beauty of character—God will bless you to all eternity. Since he has endowed you with such gifts and graces, he will continue to bless you, forever. In other words, it is impossible that one who is thus endowed should ever be an object of the divine displeasure.

Gird thy sword upon thy thigh - That is, arm or prepare yourself for battle and conquest. The Messiah is introduced here as a conquering king: one who is about to go forward to subdue the nations to himself, and one who is about to set up a permanent kingdom.

O most mighty - That is, Hero; Warrior; Conqueror.

With thy glory and thy majesty - With the glory and majesty appropriate to you, or which properly belong to you. This is at the same time the expression of a wish on the part of the author of the psalm, and a prophetic description. The psalmist desired that he would thus go forth to the conquest of the world; and saw that he would do it. Compare Psalm 45:5-6. It is needless to remark that this is easily and naturally applicable to the Messiah—the Lord Jesus—as going forth for the subjugation of the world to the authority of God. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:25 and 1 Corinthians 15:28. See also, in reference to the figure used here, Isaiah 49:2; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; and Revelation 19:15.

And in thy majesty ride prosperously - Margin, “Prosper you, ride you.” The majesty referred to here is the glory or magnificence that befitted a prince of such rank, going forth to such deeds. The prayer is that he would go forth with the pomp and glory fitting for one in that station.

The word used here, rendered in the margin as “prosper you,” properly means to go over or through, to pass over, and may be correctly rendered here as “pass on”; that is, move forward to conquest.

The word “ride” refers to the way in which warriors usually went forth to conquest in a chariot of war. The idea is that of one equipped for war, and with the glory appropriate to his rank as king, going forth to victory.

This language is often employed in the Scriptures to describe the Messiah as a conquering king.

Because of truth - On account of truth, or in the cause of truth. This means that the great purpose of his conquests would be to establish a kingdom based on truth, in contradistinction to the existing kingdom of darkness, which is based on error and falsehood. The object of his conquests was to secure the reign of truth over the minds of people .

And meekness and righteousness - Literally, “humility-righteousness,” or, “humble right.” It would be a kingdom or a conquest of righteousness, not established, as most kingdoms are, by pride, arrogance, and mere power. Instead, it would be a dominion where humility, meekness, and gentleness would be at the foundation—that on which the whole superstructure would be reared.

Its characteristic would be righteousness or justice. This righteousness and justice, however, would not be asserted and established by mere power or by the pride of conquest, but would be established and maintained by meekness or gentleness. It would be a kingdom not of outward pomp and power, but the reign of the gentle virtues in the heart.

And thy right hand - This refers to the instrument of martial power and success, that which, in war, wields the sword and the spear. Shall teach thee. This means it shall guide you, or lead you to the performance of terrible things.

Terrible things - Fearful deeds; things that are suited to excite astonishment or wonder. They were such things as would be regarded as distinguished achievements in war, indicating extraordinary valor; such conquests as would strike the world with amazement.

We have here, therefore, a description of the Messiah as going forth to the great conquest of the world. At the same time, we have this intimation of the nature of his kingdom: however great the power that would be exerted in securing its conquests, it would be founded on truth: it would be a kingdom where righteousness would prevail, and whose essential characteristic would be gentleness and peace.

Thine arrows are sharp in the heart ... — literally, Thine arrows are sharp — the people under thee shall fall — in the heart of the enemies of the king. The process of thought in the verse seems to be this:

1. The arrows are seen as sharp or penetrating.
2. The people are seen falling as those arrows are shot forth.
3. It is seen that those who fall are the enemies of the king, and that the arrows have pierced the heart.

The word "sharp" is applied to the arrows as denoting that they were adapted to pierce. Sometimes arrows are blunted, or have a thick head, being more adapted to strike with force than to wound by penetrating. The bow and arrow were common instruments in ancient wars and were mainly used by those who went out to battle in a chariot.

Compare 1 Kings 22:34; 2 Kings 9:21–24. Regarding the Messiah, the reference here is, of course, to the truth, and to the power of that truth in penetrating the hearts of people. Compare the notes at Hebrews 4:12.

In the heart of the king’s enemies — That is, the truths stated by the Messiah, the conquering king, would penetrate deep into the soul and slay the sinner, the enemy of the king (that is, of the Messiah). The idea is that truth would produce an effect on the sinner's hopes, self-confidence, and life as a sinner, similar to what an arrow does when it penetrates the heart. Compare Romans 7:9: For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. See also the notes at Romans 7:10-11.

Whereby the people fall under thee — As the effect of the arrows; as the effect of truth. The representation is that of victory. As represented here, it is the victory of truth: a conquest by subjecting people to the authority and reign of God.