Psalm 45 Introduction

Structure and Formatting

Psalm 45 is a royal psalm written for a king’s wedding day. At the same time, it is a Messianic psalm that looks forward to the reign of Jesus Christ. [Hebrews 1:8–9](../001/008.md) applies Psalm 45:6–7 to Jesus. See the discussion of the types of psalms in the introduction to the book of Psalms. 1. The psalmist’s self-introduction (1) 2. Praise for the king as God’s representative who maintains justice (2–8) 3. Transition from the king to the bride (9) 4. Exhortation to the king’s bride (10–17)The superscription to this psalm identifies it as a “maskil.” See the discussion of that term in the introduction to Psalms.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Psalm

Whose wedding was this?

Psalm 45 is a royal wedding song for a historical king, composed for an actual court marriage. This king was probably a descendant of David, and he was certainly loyal to Yahweh, but the psalmist does not name him, so it is uncertain exactly which king he is describing. The exalted language about the king’s eternal throne and perfectly just rule has led both ancient and modern interpreters to see this psalm as deliberately shaped to point beyond that occasion to God’s ultimate King. Because Hebrews 1:8–9 applies Psalm 45:6–7 to Christ, both Jewish and Christian traditions have often treated the psalm as Messianic, seeing the historical king and his bride as a type or foreshadowing of the ultimate King and his people. So we recommend that you not suggest in a note or in the text of your translation for which king the psalmist may have composed this wedding song.

Why does the psalmist call the king “God” in verse 6?

As a note to this verse suggests, the Hebrew term that is often translated as “God” in other contexts was also a respectful form of address for judges. Since this verse speaks of the king as upholding justice, that title would be appropriate for him in this context. That is one likely explanation of why the psalmist uses this term. However, other interpreters suggest that the phrase “Your throne, God” could mean “Your throne of God,” that is, “your divinely ordained throne.” Translators might represent this as “The kingdom that God has given you.” One other possibility is that the psalmist could be addressing God directly but briefly in this sentence and then returning to address the king through the end of verse 9, after which he addresses the bride. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to follow the interpretation that it does. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to follow the interpretation suggested in these notes.

Note 1 topic: translate-unknown

לַ⁠מְנַצֵּ֣חַ

(la⁠mənaʦʦēaḩ)

The word translated as chief musician likely refers to the person in charge of music for worship. Some languages may have a term for a music leader. See how you translated the term “chief musician” in the superscription to Psalm 4. Alternate translation: [For the leader of worship music] or [For the music director]

Note 2 topic: translate-transliterate

מַ֝שְׂכִּ֗יל

(maskil)

The superscription to this psalm identifies it as a maskil. Since the meaning of this word is not certain, you may wish to represent it in its Hebrew form and spell it the way it sounds in your language. See the discussion of that term in the Introduction to Psalms.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לִ⁠בְנֵי־קֹ֑רַח

(li⁠ⱱənēy-qoraḩ)

See how you translated the expression “the sons of Korah” in the superscription to Psalm 42. Alternate translation: [the descendants of Korah] or [the Korahites]

Note 4 topic: translate-plural

שִׁ֣יר יְדִידֹֽת

(shir yədīdot)

The superscription to this wedding psalm uses the plural form loves to refer to the love of the king for his new wife and the love of the queen for her new husband. It may be more natural in your language to use the singular form. Alternate translation: [A love song]