Psalms 45:8

(Heb.: 45:9-10) The song of that which is lovely here reaches the height towards which it aspires from the beginning. It has portrayed the lovely king as a man, as a hero, and as a divine ruler; now it describes him as a bridegroom on the day of his nuptials. The sequence of the thoughts and of the figures corresponds to the history of the future. When Babylon is fallen, and the hero riding upon a white horse, upon whom is inscribed the name "King of kings and Lord of lords," shall have smitten the hostile nations with the sword that goeth out of His mouth, there then follows the marriage of the Lamb, for which the way has been prepared by these avenging victories (Rev 19:7.). It is this final ga'mos which the Psalm, as a song of the congregation, when the light was dawning upon the Old Testament church, sees by anticipation, and as it were goes forth to meet it, rejoicing to behold it afar off. The king's garments are so thoroughly scented with costly spices that they seem to be altogether woven out of them. And מנּי out of the ivory palaces enchant him. This מנּי has been taken mostly, according to Isa 59:18 (cf. also Isa 52:6), as a repetition of the מן: "out of ivory palaces, whence they enchant thee." But this repetition serves no special purpose. Although the apocopated plural in ı̂, instead of ı̂m, is controvertible in Biblical Hebrew (vid., on Psa 22:17; Sa2 22:44), still there is the venture that in this instance מנּי is equivalent to מנּים, the music of stringed instruments (Psa 150:4); and if in connection with any Psalm at all, surely we may venture in connection with this Psalm, which in other respects has such an Aramaic or North-Palestinian colouring, to acknowledge this apocope, here perhaps chosen on account of the rhythm. In accordance with our histori…

This psalm is an illustrious prophecy of Messiah the Prince: it is all over gospel, and points at him only, as a bridegroom espousing the church to himself and as a king ruling in it and ruling for it. It is probable that our Saviour has reference to this psalm when he compares the kingdom of heaven, more than once, to a nuptial solemnity, the solemnity of a royal nuptial, Mat 22:2; Mat 25:1. We have no reason to think it has any reference to Solomon's marriage with Pharaoh's daughter; if I thought that it had reference to any other than the mystical marriage between Christ and his church, I would rather apply it to some of David's marriages, because he was a man of war, such a one as the bridegroom here is described to be, which Solomon was not. But I take it to be purely and only meant of Jesus Christ; of him speaks the prophet this, of him and of no other man; and to him (Psa 45:6, Psa 45:7) it is applied in the New Testament (Heb 1:8), nor can it be understood of any other. The preface speaks the excellency of the song (Psa 45:1). The psalm speaks, I. Of the royal bridegroom, who is Christ. 1. The transcendent excellency of his person (Psa 45:2). 2. The glory of his victories (Psa 45:3-5). 3. The righteousness of his government (Psa 45:6, Psa 45:7). 4. The splendour of his court (Psa 45:8, Psa 45:9). II. Of the royal bride, which is the church. 1. Her consent gained (Psa 45:10, Psa 45:11). 2. The nuptials solemnized (Psa 45:12-15). 3. The issue of this marriage (Psa 45:16, Psa 45:17). In singing this psalm our hearts must be filled with high thoughts of Christ, with an entire submission to and satisfaction in his government, and with an earnest desire of the enlarging and perpetuating of his church in the world. To the chief musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of…

45:8 Fine spices mixed with oil create distinctive perfumes. • The king’s palaces were wood paneled with ivory inlays (cp. 6:4; Amos 3:15).