Psalm 21:6

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

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) Most blessed.—Literally, blessings. The idiom is similar to that in Psalm 1:1.

With thy countenance.—Rather, In thy presence. (Comp. Psalm 16:11.)

Benson Commentary

Psalm 21:6. Thou hast made him blessed for ever — Hebrew, תשׁיתהו ברכות, teshitheehu berachoth, Thou hast set him to be blessings for ever; that is, to be the author of all felicity to his subjects and servants: see Galatians 3:8, where we learn, that Christ, by his death and passion, having removed the curse, became the fountain of all blessedness to his people, in time and in eternity; being himself the blessing promised to Abraham, and the chief subject of the patriarchal benedictions. Thou hast made him exceeding glad — Thus Christ says of himself, Psalm 16:9-11, My heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; in thy presence is fulness of joy, &c., and the psalmist says of him, Psalm 45:7, Thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

21:1-6 Happy the people whose king makes God's strength his confidence, and God's salvation his joy; who is pleased with all the advancements of God kingdom, and trusts God to support him in all he does for the service of it. All our blessings are blessings of goodness, and are owing, not to any merit of ours, but only to God's goodness. But when God's blessings come sooner, and prove richer than we imagine; when they are given before we prayed for them, before we were ready for them, nay, when we feared the contrary; then it may be truly said that he prevented, or went before us, with them. Nothing indeed prevented, or went before Christ, but to mankind never was any favour more preventing than our redemption by Christ. Thou hast made him to be a universal, everlasting blessing to the world, in whom the families of the earth are, and shall be blessed; and so thou hast made him exceeding glad with the countenance thou hast given to his undertaking, and to him in the prosecution of it. The Spirit of prophecy rises from what related to the king, to that which is peculiar to Christ; none other is blessed for ever, much less a blessing for ever.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For thou hast made him most blessed for ever - Margin, as in Hebrew, "set him" to be "blessings." The expression in our translation, as it is now commonly understood, would mean that God had made him "happy" or "prosperous." This does not seem to be the sense of the original. The idea is, that he had made him a blessing to mankind or to the world; or, that he had made him to be a source of blessing to others. Blessings would descend through him; and though in the consciousness of this fact he would be "happy," and in that sense be "blessed," yet the idea is rather that blessings would be imparted or scattered through him. Blessings would abound to others through his own reign; blessings through the reigns of those who should succeed him in the throne; blessings would be imparted to men as far as the import of the promise extended, that is, forever, Psalm 21:4. The word "forever" here undoubtedly, as it was used by the Spirit of inspiration, was designed to refer to the eternal blessings which would descend on mankind through the Messiah, the illustrious descendant of David. How far David himself understood this, is not material inquiry. He was undoubtedly directed by the Spirit of inspiration to use such language as would fairly and properly express this. It is right, therefore, for us so to regard it, and so to interpret and apply it.

Thou hast made him exceeding glad - Margin, as in Hebrew, "gladded him with joy." The Hebrew phrase means, as it is expressed in our translation, that he had been made very glad, or very happy. The favors of God to him, alike in his protection and in the promises which had been made in reference to the future, were such as to make him happy in the highest degree.

With thy countenance - With thy favor. By lifting the light of thy countenance upon him; or, as we should express it, by "smiling" upon him. See the notes at Psalm 4:6.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. made him most blessed—or set him "to be blessings," as Abraham (Ge 12:2).

with thy countenance—by sight of thee (Ps 16:11), or by Thy favor expressed by the light of Thy countenance (Nu 6:25), or both.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thou hast made him most blessed, Heb. thou hast set (or, made, as this verb is used, Psalm 40:5 89:42 91:9 Lamentations 3:45) him blessings; i.e. either,

1. The author or instrument of manifold blessings to the world, and especially to thy people; which David was in a good measure, but Christ much more truly and eminently. Although this may not seem very suitable to the context, which only speaks of the blessing conferred by God upon this king, and not at all of the blessings flowing from him to others. Or,

2. The great example of all blessings, whom the Israelites in all ages shall propound to themselves, in all their forms and pronunciations of blessings. They shall say, God make thee as blessed as this king, either David or the Messias; compare Genesis 12:2 48:20; or rather most blessed, as we translate it; the abstract form and the plural number being here used emphatically, as they commonly are, as Ezekiel 34:26 Psalm 5:10 19:10 35:6, to note a man in whom all sorts of blessings are united and met together, filled with blessings, and as it were a man of blessings, made up altogether of blessings, as Christ upon a like reason was called a man of sorrows, Isaiah 53:3. And possibly the word man may be understood here, as it is in many other places, as I have showed before, and the place rendered thus, thou hast made him a man of blessings. Forever; of which See Poole "Psalm 21:4".

With thy countenance, to wit, smiling upon him, as it must necessarily be understood from the foregoing words, i.e. by thy grace and favour manifested and imparted to his soul, and by the effects of it in saving him from all his enemies and calamities.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

For thou hast made him most blessed for ever,.... Not as God, for as such he is over all blessed for ever, and not made so; but as man and Mediator; the words may be rendered, "thou hast set him to be blessings for ever" (z); which design the blessings which are laid up in Christ for his people, and which he imparts unto, them, and they are blessed with in him; so that he is made a blessing, or rather blessings to them; such as redemption to free them from, bondage, righteousness to justify them, sanctification to make them holy, wisdom to direct and guide them, and strength to assist and support them; through whom they have the forgiveness of sins, by whom they have peace with God, and from whom they receive all their joy and comfort, and at last eternal life and happiness; and all these are for ever, they are irreversible blessings, are never repented of, nor taken away: or this blessedness may be understood of that which Christ himself enjoys as man; which lies in his human nature being exalted to union with the Son of God; in being heard and helped in the day of salvation; in being raised from the dead, and glory given him; in being set at God's right hand, angels, authorities, and powers, being subject to him; and in seeing the travail of his soul with satisfaction: the particular instance of his blessedness follows;

thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance; the glorious presence of God in heaven; Christ having done his work on earth ascended to heaven, where he was received by his Father with a cheerful countenance, was made to sit down on the same throne with him, being well pleased with his obedience, righteousness, and sacrifice; and being now in the presence of God, in which is fulness of joy, and at his right hand, where are pleasures for evermore, the human nature of Christ is filled with an excess of joy; the words may be rendered, "thou hast made" or "wilt make him glad with joy (a), with thy countenance"; see Psalm 16:11.

(z) "posuisti vel pones eum benedictiones", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus; so Ainsworth, Cocceius, Gejerus. (a) "laetificabis eum in laetitia", Pagninus, Montanus, Michaelis; so Junius & Tremellius, Gejerus.

Geneva Study Bible

For thou hast made him most {d} blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance.

(d) You have made him your blessings to others, and a perpetual example of your favour forever.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. R.V. For thou makest him most blessed for ever:

Thou makest him glad with joy in thy presence.

Lit. thou makest him blessings, the possessor and the medium of blessing. Cp. Genesis 12:2. The victory is a pledge of Divine favour and fellowship, an evidence that the king walks in the light of Jehovah’s countenance. Cp. Psalm 4:6; Psalm 16:11; Psalm 89:15; Psalm 140:13.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - For thou hast made him most blessed for ever; literally, for thou settest him to be blessings for ever. Thou makest him, i.e., to be a perennial source of blessings to men. As all mankind were blessed in Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18), i.e. in his seed, so were they all blessed in David' s seed. Thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance; i.e. with thy favour and protection, so frequently and so markedly extended to him. Psalm 21:6

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 21:6-7) The help of God turns to his honour, and paves the way for him to honour, it enables him-this is the meaning of. Psalm 21:6 - to maintain and strengthen his kingship with fame and glory. שׁוּה על used, as in Psalm 89:20, of divine investiture and endowment. To make blessings, or a fulness of blessing, is a stronger form of expressing God's words to Abram, Genesis 12:2 : thou shalt be a blessing i.e., a possessor of blessing thyself, and a medium of blessing to others. Joy in connection with (את as in Psalm 16:11) the countenance of God, is joy in delightful and most intimate fellowship with Him. חדּה, from חדה, which occurs once in Exodus 18:9, has in Arabic, with reference to nomad life, the meaning "to cheer the beasts of burden with a song and urge them on to a quicker pace," and in Hebrew, as in Aramaic, the general signification "to cheer, enliven."