Psalms 21: Thanksgiving for the King's Victory

A crown of gold and answered prayers after Psalms 20's request.

Psalms 21: The King Rejoices in Victory

This chapter answers the request made in Psalms 20, celebrating that the king's heart's desire has been granted and a crown of pure gold set on his head, with length of days given him forever and ever.


To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

\\21:1\\To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

\\21:2\\Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.

\\21:3\\For thou hast met him with the blessings of goodness: thou hast set a crown of pure gold on his head.

\\21:4\\He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it to him, even length of days for ever and ever.

\\21:5\\His glory is great in thy salvation: honor and majesty hast thou laid upon him.

\\21:6\\For thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

\\21:7\\For the king trusteth in the LORD, and through the mercy of the most High he shall not be moved.

\\21:8\\Thy hand shall find out all thy enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee.

\\21:9\\Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thy anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

\\21:10\\Their fruit shalt thou destroy from the earth, and their seed from among the children of men.

\\21:11\\For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.

\\21:12\\Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back, when thou shalt make ready thy arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.

\\21:13\\Be thou exalted, LORD, in thy own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

The tone turns from celebration to warning as David describes God's hand finding out all His enemies, a reversal of fortune similar to <a href="/bible/wbt/psalms/chapter-10/2">Psalms 10:2</a>, closing with a call to praise the LORD's strength before the sorrowful <a href="/bible/wbt/psalms/chapter-22">Psalms 22</a>.