Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 45:16
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
16. Instead of thy fathers &c.] The wish does not, as is sometimes said, imply a long line of royal ancestors, and therefore exclude the reference of the Psalm to Solomon, but rather the reverse. If he cannot boast of a long ancestry, may he at least be famous for a numerous and distinguished posterity.
whom thou mayest &c.] Better, whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth (R.V.). We might render in all the land, and compare Solomon’s governors (1Ki 4:7 ff.), and the ‘princes of the provinces’ in the Northern Kingdom (1Ki 20:14-15), and Rehoboam’s settlement of his sons in different fortified cities (2Ch 11:23). But the reference to subject and allied peoples ( Psa 45:5 ; Psa 45:17) makes it probable that in all the earth is right. Cp. Psa 2:8; Psa 72:8 ff.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
16, 17. Concluding wishes and anticipations addressed to the king.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children – Instead of thy fame – thy celebrity – thy distinction – being derived from thine illustrious predecessors, it will be derived hereafter rather from thy sons; from the fact that they will be made princes and rulers in the earth. In our translation, this would seem to be an address to the bridal-queen, as if to console her for leaving the home of her illustrious ancestors, by the assurance that she would have children of her own, who would be still more illustrious. The connection, however, and the original; at least, in the Masoretic pointing, demands that this should be understood as an address to the king himself – the main subject in the poem, as in Psa 45:2-9. The idea is, that he would derive his dignity and honor ultimately, not so much from his ancestors as his descendants; that those who would be born unto him would be more illustrious, and would have a wider dominion, than any who had gone before him in the line in which he was descended. It is not easy or practicable to apply this to Solomon, or to any other Hebrew prince; it is not difficult to apply it to the Messiah, and to the fact that those who would be descended spiritually from him, and who would ultimately be regarded as deriving true rank and honor from him, would far surpass in dignity all those who, in the line of kings, had been his predecessors.
Whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth – Not merely assigning to them provinces, to be governed as a part of the, empire, but in all lands, or where thy dominion shall be acknowledged all over the world. The image here is derived, undoubtedly, from the custom prevailing among kings of assigning portions of an empire as provinces to their sons. The meaning, however, considered as referring to the Messiah, is, that his luster and dignity on earth would not be derived from a distinguished earthly ancestry, or from an illustrious line of kings from whom he was descended, but from the fact that those who would derive their authority from him would yet possess the world, and that this their authority under him would extend to all lands. Compare the notes at Dan 7:14, notes at Dan 7:27.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 45:16
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children.
Christian succession
An intelligent grasp of this truth is fatal to pessimists, who go about the country crying failure in the Church and the final defeat of Israel. King Jesus and His bride are the objects of the prophecy. Unto them were born apostles whose successors are filling the whole earth with princes who have power with God and men.
I. Removals are implied–a thought too painful for publicity if treated in the absence of Christian promise. Did death end all, it would be sad indeed; but under the light of the Gospel death is translated into the realm of departure. By these removals we lose the friendships of time and staled alone waiting for new and untried friends. We lose the benefit of tried friendship so that life is a scene of unending and unanswered questioning. And yet we are confronted by this law in every department of fruit-bearing life. If we walk in natures garden we find the same law dismissing all that is beautiful and fruitful; when once the work is done the fruits appear and are crowded off to give place to others. The Christian removal is always enlargement of influence. Paul ministered to a few hundred while in the flesh, but on taking his departure, ministered to the nations of the earth with increasing influence age after age. But there is blessing to us who succeed them. It is necessary to the highest order of life that there be discipline in care and thought, not that a few think for the race, and work for all, but that all work, think, and feel responsible for results. Thank God, then, though Abraham died, his faith lives for others to exercise–if Elijah goes up, Elisha can part the Jordan. And when the fathers go, God is calling children to take their place.
II. Privilege of the children. Wave on wave roils in from the ocean world and breaks on the same rocks ignorant of their successors power. The baptism of summer glory finds the bare poles where last spring found them. It cannot retain the summer glory and meadows beauty. But it is our privilege to begin where the fathers retire, and from the outlook of centuries look out over the field before entering the fight. Ours to take the battle where the warfare of centuries has carried it and then on to victory, entering into the conquests of our fathers with the advantage of their experience. History records the wonders of the three hundred cavalrymen in the Theban army, who were always successful. They fought under a vow of eternal loyalty. They were known as The Sacred Battalion, the Band of Lovers. Has not the Church greater claims upon us as legatees?
III. Possibilities. Princes in all the earth. The gift of a child or convert is the gift of possibilities. Mayest implies attention, interest in, a work for the new-comer. If princes, we must study the child, his disposition, methods of thought, adaptations to different kinds of work. You can recall readily business firms, where the death of the head would close the house; not because there are no sons, but the sons have no knowledge of the fathers business. Do you not call to mind churches where ten deaths would close the church? For these ten have given all the money; another ten have done all the praying, all because no part is assigned the children, and they are ill-fitted to take up the work. Socrates once said, Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim–Fellow citizens, why do ye turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to whom one day you must relinquish it all? If our children are to be princes they must have some part in the work, some responsibilities. Let all pray, give, do and plan, then all will have an interest and grow therein. (H. W. Bolton, D. D.)
Fathers and children
In our fathers we live in the past; in our children we live in the future. For what we are and for what we have we are indebted to the past; the future as it springs from us will take its shape from the mould of doctrine and life into which we deliver it. It will reflect our image as we reproduce the lineaments of our ancestry. It is true in life as it is true in science that progress starts from record. There are two lights that shine upon our path; there is the steady light of experience shining from behind, and there is the fitful splendour of genius flashing upon the prospect before us. Both kinds of irradiation are equally necessary; the one to assure us of the ground we have won, the other to beckon us on to new conquests; and while we eagerly welcome any revelation of what is to come, we must not treat with neglect or even irreverence the genius of the past. We have here a responsibility equally divided between those who bequeath an estate and those who inherit it. The character and value of the estate will depend on the fathers; the improvement of it will rest with the children. The wisdom of parents may make their offspring princes; the neglect or folly of parents may make them slaves. On the other hand, the disobedience and wickedness of children may prevent them from coming to honour, and pervert rank to infamy and wealth to penury. Between the estate and the heir lies the great problem of education. Shall we make what we possess meet for the inheritance of our children? We have principles, doctrines, facts, and institutions. These are a vast patrimony. We received them from our fathers; we are about to transmit them to our children. They are not strictly the same as when they first came into our possession; the minds of a generation have been engaged upon them; they have been tested by the new exigencies of current life–some of them not surviving the test have perished, others live on in new forms of application; others have received additions which have expanded their use; a few are absolutely unchangeable, the revelation of God in Christ, the supremacy of truth, the principle of righteousness extending from the person to the community, the responsibility of conduct, these and such-like verities are the regulating forces of progress; they preserve the generations of men from drift; they are unalterable and indestructible. To make these treasures meet for the inheritance of our children let us bring them into view; they are invested and surrounded by semblances, they are hidden beneath prejudices, their just value is traversed by the false estimates of custom and traditions: let us separate the false from the true, and make our children see them as they are. There are men who seek to guide the thought of the age who would separate righteousness from God and divide life from Christ. There is a doctrine in circulation that would degrade the mind of man to the animal limits; there is a conspiracy of licence against the purity of family life. There is a greed that makes no other reckoning than its own dividends; the happiness of families., the fruits of industry, the morality of trade, the simplicity and the rights of defenceless races–all must go to feed the rapacious lust of gain; and the nature of these monstrous errors, and the scandal and the hideousness of these crimes are concealed beneath the engaging raiment of fiction; they come into our homes dressed in the costume of civilization, and claiming even the sanctions of religion. It is a momentous question, How shall we guard our children from enemies which walk in darkness? We cannot organize a crusade against the literature we are now condemning. We must neutralize the poison of books by creating a new class of readers. We have power over the young. What an enormous responsibility is ours, as a nation, as Churches, as heads of families! We have in our hands the public opinion of the future. We have institutions in which the youth of these islands are taught to think, to choose the principles upon which the business of life should be carried on, and the faith which should be the rule of their conduct and the hope of their aspirations. A profounder saying never came from the lips of man than the dictum of Solomon, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The lessons of wisdom, however attractively set and earnestly delivered, will be of small avail to the child unless they come to his mind with the authority of the great Power who is above us all. A childs mind is in intimate sympathy with God. There is uppermost a religious nature during the years of childhood; the faith is without question, the fear without torments, the love without guile, and the imagination is quick to shape to itself the Father who is in heaven. Our Lord makes these qualities the cardinal conditions and signs of discipleship (Mar 10:15). And to take a child and induct him into the knowledge of life, of its duties and responsibilities, its dangers and its guards, its fellowships and the secrets of its success, without bringing God into it, without making Him the foundation of it all, anything more fatal to the morality, the greatness, nay to the existence of this nation I cannot conceive! Thank God for the conversion of a father or a child in a family circle, but we want to revolutionize the basis of family life. Enter the house of that working man; he will tell you that he joined a Band of Hope when he was a boy; that he grew up faithful to his pledge; that on the principles of that association he married, and is bringing up a family; that under his fathers roof there was no home; there never had been a home within his recollection, for his father was the victim of drink. Instead of the father, here is the son, himself a father, building up a family, and not dragging it down; ruling his children and training them in the fear of the Lord; a citizen, and not a pauper, contributing to the wealth of his country, and not a burden upon her rates. Imagine the influences radiating from a home like this; imagine many such homes in the same street, in the same town, in the same country; every home a centre of order, a pattern of sobriety, a model of industry, and an ornament of religion. (E. E. Jenkins, LL. D.)
Young men–the nation and the Church of the future
The strength of a chain is the strength of each link, and the character of society is taken from the character of the individuals that compose it; therefore, on you, as constituent elements of the Church and the nation of the future, there does lie a solemn responsibility.
I. If you would properly prepare yourselves for your future position, you must give yourselves now to the cultivation of personal piety. I place this at the foundation, because it is of supreme and permanent importance.
II. You must cultivate intelligence. Even now there are symptoms of the most unmistakable kind that a crisis in the history of divine truth is approaching, and we would have our young men gird themselves to meet it. We find them for the most part trifling their time away in pursuits which, at the best, are but an excuse for idleness; and among too many, everything that would lead to reflection, and stimulate to thought, is accounted dull and stupid. I want you to be thinkers as well as readers; nay, thinkers rather than readers; for the mental disease of the age is just literary indigestion. Thus conducting your studies, you will thoroughly furnish yourselves as men of God, and will be enabled to stand undaunted before all comers.
III. A third thing indispensably required, if you would meet the claims of the future on you, is courage. By this I mean moral courage; the heroism, not of the warrior, but of the man who has learned to run the gauntlet of ridicule and scorn, and to follow the leadings of duty in the face of every obstacle. The large proportion of the rising race are growing up in moral weakness. How few of them can meet temptation with a direct negative! Be strong then, and quit you like men. Never mind though you may seem to stand alone; he who has God on his side is always in a majority; and he is never alone who can say, the Father is with me. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
The generations old and new
I. The connectedness of the generations. What we do for our children in respect of training, example and teaching is not wholly subject to their caprice. Through the strange bond which unites the generations they cannot altogether reject what is imparted any more than the ground can reject the seed cast into it. The thought that our labour and influence in rich effect may flow in the veins of the generation that comes after us removes the sadness of reflection upon the brevity of life. We may accept with cheerfulness the saying of Goethe: A consciousness that our labour tends in some way to the lasting benefit of others makes the rolling years endurable.
II. The relation of the young to the old. As the sun in his setting behind the western horizon ofttimes casts a wondrous purple glow over the east whence he arose, making the glory of the evening of richer beauty than the brilliance of the noon, so does the generation whose life declines behind the everlasting hills shed its glow upon the generation just arising, suffusing it with a glory not from itself. Our glory lies in the achievements of our fathers. What, then, ought to be the attitude of the young toward the old?
1. Reverence. This spirit lies at the root of all nobility, purity, and strength of character. The glory of the past is summed up in our elders. There is that in the old which calls for reverence.
(1) An old man is a book of life–an epitome of lifes experience. If one should come to us from the weird mystery of the Arctic regions, or from the dim twilight of the dense and tropical forest, with what awe we should regard him t He is a man who has seen strange sights which we have not seen, and partaken of experiences beyond our imagination. Such is the old man to the young one. He has heard lifes many voices, tasted its sweets and bitters, wrestled with its temptations, bowed under its sorrows, and discovered its illusions. He is a book of life, in which we ought to read with reverence.
(2) He is a book of God. The record of human life is also a Divine record. This is true of the life that is evil; it is much more true of the life of pure goodness. As the star catches the light from some other world, and sends it down to illumine other spheres, so the good man has caught in his life the light of God, and flings it forth to enlighten younger minds around him. As such a revealer of God the old man commands our reverence.
2. Patience. You touch the heirloom with very gentle hand. It stands for you as the treasury of many sacred traditions of family history. So should the old forms of religious teaching. We may not be able to subscribe to every form of teaching we received; but let us remember that what was handed down to us made a noble woman of our mother and a monument of integrity of our father. It may not have been wholly true; it, certainly was net wholly false, and therefore Cannot be dismissed with a smile. We ought to be careful in the transfer of truth from old forms into new. You cannot empty the ointment from one vase into another without risk of losing some drops of the precious liquid. So there is always risk in adapting truth to its newer shapes lest we should lose some of its spirit. The old forms change and decay; but the spirit of truth is eternal, and for its sake, lest it should flee from careless and unhallowed touch, we should be patient with its dying body.
3. Humility. Our fathers were great; they Who come after us will be greater. The revelation of God is a progressive unveiling. The pilgrim father with exultant insight said, God has much more light to break from His holy Word. The world will not always grow with such painful slowness. Moral and spiritual forces will doubtless gain impetus, and will bear our world more quickly to her divine end. Meantime it is for those who are young to toil humbly, recognizing the labours of their fathers, and thankful if they may, in their generation, but add a share to the work which shall fulfil the Divine will.
III. The relation of the old to the young. Every grave is also a cradle, every death is also a birth. He who puts a bud beside every withered leaf places a child beside the old man and a young man in the sepulchre of his father. In this way does God renew the life of the world. The attitude of the passing generation to the one succeeding it may be expressed under the same terms as the relationship we have already considered.
1. Reverence. It is most solemn to think of the germs of possibility that lie in the child: awful powers of good or evil lie enfolded within the little soul sent to dwell in our home for a while. Old men, having tasted the bitter disappointments of life, grow pessimistic, cold, cynical, and lose the clearness of their early visions. This can hardly be escaped; but let us be slow to impose these unhealthy influences on the fresh hopes of the young. The Church which checks the ardour of its young members by the half-cynical reminder of its illusions and failures, will thus put the frosty finger on the tender spring buds, and will doom them to die in an unnatural and wintry decay. For the hope of the world and of the Church, when the ancient blood is chilled and the pulse enfeebled, we must look to the strong pulse, the warm impulse, and the high hopes of youth. Your young men shall see visions.
2. Humility. Every generation passes away in disappointment. It has not realized its hopes, nor done the work it desired to do. Yet it is hard to confess this, and before death to see the work pass into younger hands and younger shoulders assume the responsibilities that have been ours. Our wisdom ties in humility. (Anon.)
Children instead of fathers
We can understand, by taking up the attitude of the Jewish mind, how very much there was in such a promise to occasion delight; but to our modern ears there is not the same sort of delight in the benediction which speaks of posterity. We might almost be disposed to challenge the value of the promise. From the standpoint of home we go back, and our hearts are touched with tender memories. We remember that once venerable figure. We remember how, when we wore but children, he, forgetting the pressures and the anxieties of life, stooped to play with us in our infant hours. We recall how it was that wisdom allied with sympathy came to our aid, and how we found in him who bare the name of father a most venerable and trusted friend. And then we are told that we shall find in this cradle an adequate substitute for all that he was. Where is the benediction of such a change? And yet it is a blessing. We live under laws which are inevitable, invariable. The hour must come when we are obliged to accept the responsibility which the death of those who were dear has thrust upon us. Necessity, kindly nurse, stern mother, that cultivates human wit, that develops human character, forces us into situations where we are bound to become men. But it is not only in the order of the home that this prevails. It suggests to us that it is true in the order of the nation, of the community, and of the Church. There were fathers in Israel as well as fathers of our flesh–men who, in the days when we were young, and the first flush of our youthful enthusiasm was upon us, were hailed, as young life only knows how to hail, with an enthusiastic devotion and admiration. Can the cries of the cradle be an adequate substitute for the eloquent words which caused our hearts to burn? or shall we find in the unfurnished brain of the child anything like an adequate substitute and compensation for the well-furnished mind and the large sources of knowledge and learning which were ever consecrated to the welfare of the Church? And yet the very law of necessity which makes us see a benediction in the compulsion of work and gain in the responsibilities which are thrust upon, us, may well also remind us that the ways of God are always beneficent. Larger, stronger, more tender because more stern is that love which says, Instead of thy fathers thou shalt have children. Instead of waiting and watching for the words of leaders, you must be prepared to become leaders yourselves. And it is well for Churches as it is well for men, it is well for nations as it is well for individuals that these things should be; for in the order of God, as He works His great work, He changes His implements. He lays aside the stonemason when the stone is set, that the sculptor may begin to adorn the temple of God. Elisha must follow Elijah; Joshua must take the place of Moses; and if we are wise, we shall understand that men reared in a younger generation, acclimatized, so to speak, for the efforts and difficulties of war by the new surroundings of fresh and progressive education, are fitted to take the place of trust if only they will be faithful to their God. They have opportunities of discharging before God and His Church that service which is called for, and of achieving in their day and in their generation the deliverance of the Lords people. And thus from the standpoint, then, of the communities as well as from the standpoint of home this benediction is realized, Instead of thy fathers thou shelf have children. There is this principle, then, underlying. There is a benediction in responsibility; but responsibility may fail to bring us its blessing unless we are ready for it. As the blessing of peace only rested in the homes where the Son of Peace was found, so the benediction of responsibility only abides where the fit spirit awakes to meet it. And what spirit should this be? The answer is, that we must have the spirit of courage, the spirit of trust, the spirit of love. Mr.:Ruskin has said that that land is base where the children are always trying to be men, and the men are always trying to keep them children, and that land is noble in which the children are ready to remain children, and the men are helping them to become men. If the land is base in which the children desire to become men, and the men seek to keep them ever as children, is not that land, that Church, that community base in which the men fail in the reverence with which they should accept and in the courage with which they should meet responsibilities as they drop from the hand of Providence into theirs? What else should be our readiness? Faith. The bride who went forth, went forth with that leal courage which became her decision, went forth also with the faith that there was work for her to do. Her trust was to be seen in absolute forgetfulness of the fathers house–Forget thy fathers house: put it aside; your trust now must be, as your work must be, in the work of the home to which you are called. There must be faith–ah! who can measure it? The past to be forgotten! we say. This is just our difficulty. Does it mean that we are so to set aside what has gone as to gather from it no lessons, and receive from it no impulse, and to carry forward from it no authority? Oh, not so. There is a way in which the past must be remembered, because you are men of the past. In your blood there flows the blood of preceding generations. You cannot falsify your heritage. With Churches and communities it is the same. You are born with a certain function and a certain destiny. In the Church it is the same. All the great heritage of the past, the noble traditions, the splendid freedom, and the venerable antiquity, the wondrous catholicity, and the strong loyalty to her Masters words which has belonged to that Church in all ages, is part of our heritage, and we cannot refuse it. Accept it and live by the spirit of it. Translate its spirit into the action of to-day. The third spirit that we want for bearing this responsibility is love. Forget also thine own people and thy fathers house. Anothers name is signed upon you, and to the work of that other your life must be consecrated. What is wanted here for us–for all, by whatever name they may be called, in Church or State–first and most, and last and best of all, is that the spirit with which we undertake the responsibilities which fall upon us shall be the spirit of those whose lives are merged in His, so that it is no longer I, but Christ that liveth in me. (Bishop Boyd Carpenter.)
The perpetuity of the Church
One generation shall come and go after another, but still, like an evergreen tree, which in spite of the constant decay of some of its leaves always preserves its verdant hue, so the Church shall exist till the latest ages, ever growing older, and yet never losing its youth; its members constantly dying, itself perpetually alive. Or, to vary the figure, as when upon the battlefield the brave soldier falls, another stands forward to fill his place, and the line closes in and rushes on anew to conflict; so the battle of the Church with the world ever goes on, bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, and it shall never cease, until the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Men may slay its members, but they cannot kill the Church; death may take them individually away, but he cannot destroy it, for it is like the Lord who found it, immortal and indestructible. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
The responsibility of the young
It is in the power of the young of the land thus either to put back the shadow on the dial of the nation and of the Church by more than ten degrees, or to advance it in a like proportion. If they rise to their true and holy labour, if they meet worthily the claims of the age upon them, they will most assuredly do the latter; but if they lose sight of the solemn trust which is committed to their keeping, and waste their energies on trifles, they will as surely do the former. Men laughed at old Trebonius doing honour to his scholars when he entered school; but when at length Martin Luther rose up from among them to emancipate Europe from the bondage of the Papacy, the laugh was all upon his side; and it were well if the young men of our own day would do practical homage to their own future career, by preparing themselves for the honour which may be theirs if they will only worthily discharge the duties to which they are called. I am anxious that they should realize that they have the character of the Church and of the State to keep; and that each man of them should act as if the whole thing depended upon him. I desire that they should feel that they are to receive as a legacy the reputation and the labour of their fathers; and that they should educate themselves so that both shall be safe in their hands. Yea, I would charge it upon them as their guilt and crime, if in any degree the wheels of progress shall be retarded, or the labour of their fathers undone, in their day. If Britains glory wane, if the Churchs triumphs cease, young men of these days, the greater share of the blame must be yours. This responsibility is fixed upon you, and you cannot shake it off. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.—
How children become princes
I. The perpetuation of religious life. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children. It is in a succession of godly families we see the channel along which the water of life flows in unfailing fulness and beauty. The children of parents who love the truth and honour God are likely to take and keep the features which distinguish the character of the parents. Godliness is not nearly so difficult to those who come into the world with blood and brain favourable to righteousness as it is to those who come into the world with blood and brain favourable to unrighteousness. But in addition to all that is gained by birth there is the influence of precept and example.
II. The dignity of religious life. Whom thou mayest make princes. The grandest man is he who has most of the spirit of Christ. When we bring together those who most faithfully reflect His character we have all that is choicest in the race. Nor is it in resemblance to Christ only that princely dignity is manifested. The graces and virtues of religion are often as stepping-stones to high positions in the Church and the world. How many there are, tradesmen, manufacturers, merchants, officers of government, who began life in hardship and poverty, and confess that it is the grace of God which has made them what they are. He raiseth the poor out of the dust, that He may set him with princes.
III. The diffusion of religious life. Whom thou mayest make princes. We have an almost literal fulfilment of these words in the history of our foreign possessions. The men who have laid the foundation of great Anglo-Saxon nationalities in different parts of the world have many of them been good men. When we think of the Pilgrim Fathers who sought in America the freedom to worship God which was denied in England; of the religious forces which have done so much to shape and enrich the grandly developing life of Canada and Australia; of the godly soldiers and civilians who have laboured for the enlightenment of India, we recognize the providence of God in sending to those wide tracts of earth men with empires in their brains, and who by their heroism, industry, and religion have caused the wilderness to become like the garden of the Lord. How pleasing also it is to think of those who have preached, and of those who are preaching, Christ in heathen lands, Princes in all the earth. Has not Coke still a princely power in Antigua and all its neighbouring isles; and John Hunt in Fiji; Carey in India and Moffatt in Africa? (Jabez Marrat.)
Christs princes
What sort of princes are those of Christs making?
I. They are princes born. Born of water and of the Spirit. There are two things, you see. Both are included in what is called born again, or born from above. Johns baptism and Christs baptism bring the two together in figure. Dont separate the two parts; get rid of your sins, and begin new heavenly lives, and you are born again. Breathe the air, then, as princely creatures; Christ makes you princes in the earth.
II. They are princes by getting a royal education. It is a good thing in education to get a good school-book to learn from. It is better still to get a good teacher to teach from the good text-book. Now, Christ provides both things in the princely education which He gives to His own. This Book of God is in all Christs schools, and there are none of Christs princes made to do princely work here without it. The Holy Spirit is the teacher, and He is the most excellent teacher. What is the first quality in a teacher–I mean moral quality? Now, teachers are qualified for their work as they have a mothers patience, a mothers gentleness, a mothers love. There is no teacher so gentle as the Holy. Spirit, none so patient, so full of love, as He.
III. They are princes by training in royal work. The proper end for which princes are being educated is to rule, to take care of others, and manage them; to order and guide subjects for their good. But the first subject that any Christian prince gets to rule is his own spirit. A person who cannot rule his spirit is compared to a city the walls of which are broken down, so that the wild beasts can run in at the breaches where they like. We are to rule ourselves by letting Christ rule us. Being His subjects, we are also His princes. Apart from the general idea of ruling, there are three kinds of work that princes made by Christ get to do. The first is prayer, the second is patience, the third is peace-making.
IV. They have a crown in prospect. All princes dont come actually to be crowned with earthly crowns; but this is one of the fine things about Christs princes, they will all be crowned, and all wear their crowns in heaven. Some crowns are made of leaves, fading leaves, but this crown never withers. Some crowns are made of gold, and glitter and shine for a time, yet must perish at last; but this will shine for ever. (John Edmund, D. D.)
The unbroken line of true nobles
Our text begins with Instead. It is a sad word; it means we must lose some if others are to come in their stead. Would it not be pleasanter to keep the old workers? What a grand Old Guard the veterans would make. But no, they must go, and others must come instead. We are apt to think them very slow in coming, and too frequent is the fear that they who come will be but very poor substitutes for those who are gone. As Rehoboam for Solomon, etc. But the word instead has a note of gladness in it also. It means, that if we fall there is another to fill up the gap. And sometimes the change is for the better. As Samuel instead of Eli. Courage, our sons may be superior to ourselves. There is room for it, and let us hope they will be. Note in the text–
I. Its gracious recompense. Compare the psalm from which it is taken. The bride was commanded to forget her own people and her fathers house. But her loss shall be made up to her. And the law of our text holds good in reference to the separations caused by death in the midst of the Church. If good men are taken, the like will be given, perhaps better.
II. Its eminent fulfilment. All along, there have been changes, but in Gods garden, as in ours, plants of this year have been succeeded by those of the next.
III. Its happy encouragement. It says, shall be. Lean on the Divine shall. Do not give way to distrust about the future, for Jesus lives and walks among the golden candlesticks, trimming all the lamps, and shining through them. We are not taking a leap into the dark; we are not shooting Niagara; we are marching into light.
IV. Its practical requirements.
1. If we stand instead of our fathers, what manner of persons ought we to be? See what noble men have been before us. Look back to your spiritual ancestry, your fathers after the spirit, your predecessors in the faith of the Lord Jesus. But shall we be craven sons of heroic sires?
2. If others are to come instead of us what are we doing for them? The Church ought to look to the tuition, the training and the culture of her children. It is said that Alexander gathered together his valiant army principally through training children from their very birth to the pursuits of war. These born soldiers grew up knowing of nothing, and caring for nothing but for Alexander, Macedon, and battle. Thus would we, by Gods grace, train our sons to live alone for Christ, His truth, and the souls whom He hath redeemed. Now, looking to my young friends, I would ask of them, Are you prepared to take your fathers place? Let none of you suppose that because you come of pious parents you will be saved. I stand amongst you like an officer in the midst of his troop, and as one and another falls, I bid you close up your ranks. May the text be true for us. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 16. Instead of thy fathers shalt be thy children] This is the third part, or prophetic declaration relative to the numerous and powerful issue of this marriage. Instead of the kindred, which thou hast left behind in Egypt, thou shalt have numerous children. This cannot refer either to Solomon, or to the daughter of Pharaoh; for there is no evidence that he ever had a child by Pharaoh’s daughter; and it is very certain that Rehoboam, Solomon’s successor, was not son to the daughter of Pharaoh; nor did any princes of that line ever occupy a foreign throne; nor by successive generations ever continue the remembrance of Solomon and his Egyptian queen. The children mentioned here are generally supposed to mean the apostles and their successors in the Christian ministry; founding Churches all over the world, by whom the Christian name becomes a memorial through all the earth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Having directed his speech to the bride, he now returns to the bridegroom, as may be gathered both from the Hebrew words, which are of the masculine gender; and from the next verse, which unquestionably belongs unto him; yet so that he supposeth the bride to be concerned and partaker with him in the privilege here mentioned, and the children to be common to them both. And therefore this verse and Psalm cannot be understood of Solomon, and his marriage with Pharaohs daughter, because he had no children by her, and but very few by all his wives and concubines; and his children were so far from exceeding their parents in the largeness of their dominions, or being made princes in al the earth, as is here said, that they enjoyed but a small part of their fathers dominions, and that with many tribulations, and but for a short time. But this was most truly and fully accomplished in Christ; who instead of his fathers of the Jewish nation; from whom he descended, and by whom he was forsaken and rejected, (which here seems to be implied, and elsewhere is expressly affirmed,) had a numerous posterity of Gentile Christians of all the nations of the earth, which here and elsewhere are called princes and kings, because of their great power with God and with men, because they subdued a very great part of the world to the obedience of Christ, and ruled them in his name and stead.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
16. As earthly monarchs governwidely extended empires by viceroys, this glorious king isrepresented as supplying all the principalities of earth with princesof his own numerous progeny.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,…. This is an address, not to the church, the queen, the King’s daughter, spoken to and of in the preceding verses, but to the King Messiah himself, who was of the Jewish fathers, according to the flesh, Ro 9:4; and though he was rejected by that people, yet he had children; not only the apostles, who are sometimes so called, whom he set on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, in a doctrinal way, and sent into all the world to preach his Gospel; and which being attended with his mighty power, made them triumphant conquerors everywhere; but also a numerous progeny among the Gentiles: all the elect of God are his children, and he stands in the revelation of the everlasting Father to them, they being given unto him as such; and he being concerned in their adoption, by which they become children, and in their regeneration by which they appear to be such. Here the children of God, scattered abroad in the Gentile world, as distinct from the Jews, seem to be meant;
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth; these children are princes, being the sons of a King; they look like princes, and have the spirit of such; they are treated as princes, fed, clothed, and attended on as such; and are, as princes, heirs of a kingdom: but then, they are not so originally, they are “made princes”; not by themselves, but by Christ, and who even makes them kings and priests unto God and his father: and that “in all the earth”; not with respect to earthly things: they are not made the princes of this world; but while they are on earth they are translated into the kingdom of Christ, and have a kingdom which never can be moved; and besides, they shall reign with Christ on earth a thousand years: moreover, this may have respect to the several parts of the world where they shall be, even in all parts of the world, especially in the latter day; see Isa 43:5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(Heb.: 45:17-18) All this has its first and most natural meaning in relation to contemporary history but without being at variance with the reference of the Psalm to the King Messiah, as used by the church. Just as the kings of Judah and of Israel allowed their sons to share in their dominion (2Sa 8:18; 1Ki 4:7, cf. 2Ch 11:23; 1Ki 20:15), so out of the loving relationship of the daughter of Zion and of the virgins of her train to the King Messiah there spring up children, to whom the regal glory of the house of David which culminates in Him is transferred, – a royal race among which He divides the dominion of the earth (vid., Psa 149:1-9); for He makes His own people “kings and priests, and they shall reign on the earth” (Rev 5:10). Those children are to be understood here which, according to Psa 110:1-7, are born to Him as the dew out of the womb of the morning’s dawn – the every-youthful nation, by which He conquers and rules the world. When, therefore, the poet says that he will remember the name of the king throughout all generations, this is based upon the twofold assumption, that he regards himself as a member of an imperishable church (Sir. 37:25), and that he regards the king as a person worthy to be praised by the church of every age. Elsewhere Jahve’s praise is called a praise that lives through all generations (Psa 102:13; Psa 135:13); here the king is the object of the everlasting praise of the church, and, beginning with the church, of the nations also. First of all Israel, whom the psalmist represents, is called upon to declare with praise the name of the Messiah from generation to generation. But it does not rest with Israel alone. The nations are thereby roused up to do the same thing. The end of the covenant history is that Israel and the nations together praise this love-worthy, heroic, and divine King: “His name shall endure for ever; as long as the sun shall His name bud, and all nations shall be blessed in Him (and) shall praise Him” (Psa 72:17).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children This also serves to show the glory and transcendent excellence of this kingdom, namely, that the children will not be inferior in dignity to their fathers, and that the nobility of the race will not be diminished after the death of Solomon; for the children which shall be born to him will equal those who had preceded them in the most excellent virtues. Then it is added, that they shall be princes in all the earth, because the empire shall enjoy such an extent of dominion on every side, that it might easily be divided into many kingdoms. It is easy to gather, that this prophecy is spoken expressly concerning Christ; for so far were the sons of Solomon from having a kingdom of such an extent, as to divide it into provinces among them, that his first successor retained only a small portion of his kingdom. There were none of his true and lawful successors who attained the same power which he had enjoyed, but being princes only over one tribe and a half of the people, they were, on this account, shut up within narrow limits, and, as we say, had their wings clipped. (173) But at the coming of Christ, who appeared at the close of the ancient Church, and the beginning of the new dispensation, it is an undoubted truth, that children were begotten by him, who were inferior in no respect to their fathers, either in number or in excellence, and whom he set as rulers over the whole world. In the estimation of the world, the ignominy of the cross obscures the glory of the Church; but when we consider how wonderfully it has increased, and how much it has been distinguished by spiritual gifts, we must confess that it is not without cause that her glory is in this passage celebrated in such sublime language. It ought, however, to be observed, that the sovereignty, of which mention is here made, consists not in the persons of men, but refers to the head. According to a frequent mode of expression in the Word of God, the dominion and power which belong properly to the head, and are applicable peculiarly to Christ alone, are in many places ascribed to his members. We know that those who occupy eminent stations in the Church, and who rule in the name of Christ, do not exercise a lordly dominion, but rather act as servants. As, however, Christ has committed to them his Gospel, which is the scepter of his kingdom, and intrusted it as it were to their keeping, they exercise, in some sort, his power. And, indeed, Christ, by his ministers, has subdued to his dominion the whole world, and has erected as many principalities under his authority as there have been churches gathered to him in divers nations by their preaching.
(173) “ Et (comme on dit) ont eu les ailes rongnees.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(16) Whom thou mayest make princes.Historical illustrations have been found in 1Ki. 22:26, where Joash, Davids son, appears as a governor or a prince of a city (comp. Zep. 1:8), and in the division of his realm into principalities by Solomon. (1Ki. 4:7.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
16, 17. From the wedded pair the poet turns to the illustrious progeny.
Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children A proverbial expression for a renowned posterity. The children shall excel their fathers, who will derive more honour from having such sons than from all their titles of grandeur and royalty.
Princes in all the earth The diffusion of the royal family in their proper rank and character will give a world wide fame to the dynasty. Such shall be the glory of the sons and daughters born to God in the Church.
Thy name remembered in all generations Literally, in every generation and generation, that is, perpetually, without intermission.
People praise thee for ever and ever Literally, to eternity and perpetuity. This applies to Christ and his Church only. The language is too lofty and emphatic for any literal application, even giving the most liberal allowance for the oriental imagination. Thus shall Christ be glorified in his Church. To recapitulate, he shall be glorified in the beauty of his person and the grace of his words, Psa 45:2; for the might and majesty of his victories as the “captain of our salvation,” Psa 45:3-5; for the righteousness and holiness of his government, Psa 45:6-7; for his magnificence as the bridegroom of the Church, Psa 45:8-9; for the beauty, purity and excellence of his bride, the Church, Psa 45:10-15; and, as a culminating joy, for the noble character of the converts “princes in all the earth” which shall be born to him in the Church, through whom, in an exalted measure, “shall be made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, the manifold wisdom of God,” in moral government and redemption.
Eph 3:10; 2Th 1:10. Amen and amen.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Concluding Promises To The King ( Psa 45:16 ).
Psa 45:16
‘Instead of your fathers will be your children,
Whom you will make princes in all the earth.
I will make your name to be remembered in all generations,
Therefore will the peoples give you thanks for ever and ever.’
The final urging to the king is that he should concentrate his thoughts on his prospective children. These will replace his ancestors, and in contrast will be made princes in all the earth. Compare what was said about the sons of David in Psa 122:5. The king’s sons regularly had a say in ruling under their father.
This will then enable the writer (or God) to make the king’s name remembered to all generations, although note the possible gentle transition into God’s final promise made to him (Who else could promise this?). God will ensure that his name is remembered for ever, and that people will thank him for ever and ever. This last could only really be true of the Coming king who would rule over the everlasting kingdom (2Sa 7:13; 2Sa 7:16).
It is often said that it is difficult to apply this last verse to the Messianic concept of the Psalm, but that is only so if the application is interpreted too strictly. However, if we remember that Isaiah said of the future Messiah that ‘He would see His seed’ (Isa 53:10), it fits in admirably. The bride will produce princely sons for her bridegroom (who will in fact then become part of the bride). We can compare how the woman arrayed with the sun in Rev 12:1, who was symbolic of Israel, also had children who were themselves Israel (Rev 12:17).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 45:16. Instead of thy fathers, &c. i.e. “Instead of the patriarchs, of their descent from whom the Jews were apt to boast, shall be pastors and ecclesiastical rulers throughout the world, and, at length, the temporal princes and governors thereof shall own thee for their mother.” Houbigant renders the last verse very properly, in my judgment, after the Chaldee, They, that is, thy children, shall make thy name to be remembered.
REFLECTIONS.1st, This Psalm is written especially concerning him who is the lily of the valley, and those faithful ones, who, by a marriage-union with him, partake of his beauty and fragrance. This is the epithalamium composed on this royal nuptial, A song of loves; the mutual love of Christ and his church; or, of the beloved virgins; sung by those faithful believers in honour of their august bridegroom, whose praise shall never cease from their lips, when in glory they shall follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth.
The author introduces his bridal ode with a preface concerning the person. My heart is inditing a good matter; yea, the best subject that ever employed a poet’s thought, the grace and glory of our Immanuel: is inditing, or bubbling as a fountain; his heart was big with the sacred theme, and ready to burst, like the fountain from its overflowing reservoir: deeply in thought he first digested and arranged the matter, then uttered his song. I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: Jesus is the grand object in his view, his person, grace, and government: I speak, not under the influence of mere poetic genius, but inspired by that eternal Spirit of truth and holiness, who dictates as I utter: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer; delight in the glorious subject gives freedom to the tongue, and fluency to the pen; and deeply may the song be engraven on every heart, and kindle still the sacred flame of love as it descends to latest ages! Note; They who know the excellence of Jesus, delight to think of him, speak of him, write of him; a sweet favour of Christ is in all their words and works, and this subject can never be exhausted to eternity.
2nd, We have a glorious description of the divine and adored Redeemer, appearing in the flesh for the salvation of the faithful, and the ruin of his enemies.
1. His beauty is described. Thou art fairer than the children of men: not considered in his uncreated beauty, nor, I apprehend, respecting his human form and countenance as man, but with regard to the transcendant excellencies which he possesses as Redeemer and Son of God, which render him the chief of ten thousand, and altogether lovely. Thus every faithful soul regards him as the grand object of his warmest affections; and, though he hath neither form nor comeliness to others, he can say, whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is nothing upon earth I desire in comparison of thee.
2. His words are as sweet and kind, as his person, as Mediator, is amiable. Grace is poured into thy lips; the gospel of grace, which was delivered unto him, and which he declared to men, containing those rich and inestimable promises of pardon, grace, consolation, and glory, the report of which makes his feet beautiful upon the mountains.
3. The blessing of God is upon him for ever. It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell, that out of the plenitude which he had received he might dispense to his faithful people according to their necessities, be their fountain of blessing, their eternal excellence, and the joy of many generations. Blessed and happy are they who out of his fulness receive, and grace for grace.
4. Victory attends his chariot-wheels: he comes to conquer his faithful people’s enemies, and to rescue the prey from the mighty; first bringing them from slavery, then making them partners of his throne. The Psalmist addresses him, therefore, as ready to go forth to battle against the powers of darkness: Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty; that sword of the Spirit, even the word of God; by the preaching and power of which, at last the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ: and in this warfare he appears with glory and majesty; not to the eye of sense; in that he was despicable; but they who regarded him as the only-begotten of the Father, beheld his glory; nor did his excellent majesty ever appear more distinguished than when covered with clotted gore, and streaming down with blood; he spoiled on the cross principalities and powers, making a shew of them openly. And in thy majesty ride prosperously: this is the church’s prayer, that he would go forth conquering and to conquer, and triumph in the heart of every believer, as he hath overcome for them; and this because of truth, and meekness, and righteousness; by means of these, by his word of truth, the promise which supported him in his sufferings; or the gospel, through which the saints overcome; because of meekness, either his own, which enabled him patiently to endure our punishment, or that which he works in his believing people under all their trials; because of righteousness, that which he hath wrought out in his own person; or that internal holiness of heart which he works in his people, whereby they are strengthened against all the temptations of sin and Satan: thus entering the lists, thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things; thy omnipotent arm shall prevail over all the combined powers of earth and hell. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies, whereby the people shall fall under thee; either those who, though once enemies, subdued by mighty grace, and pierced with deep conviction, fall down at the Redeemer’s feet as humble supplicants for mercy; or those who, obstinately impenitent, and standing out against the warnings of his word, and the calls of his gospel, are broken under the rod of his judgments, and, pierced with the arrows of his eternal wrath, find it in vain to struggle with Omnipotence. Note; (1.) The sharpest convictions of sin are gracious wounds, designed not to destroy, but to recover us. (2.) When, by Divine Grace, the majestic Saviour takes possession of the heart, corruption must fall before his mighty sword. (3.) Wo to the sinner’s soul against which the arrows of vengeance are ready on the string.
3rdly, The Psalmist, having set forth the king Messiah victorious over his foes, here describes him on his exalted throne, in robes of majesty, and graced with most magnificent attendants.
1. His throne and righteous administration are remarked. Thy throne, O God; no less a personage than the eternal Jehovah; not a creature of the highest rank, but the self-existent Creator, whom angels adore, and whose kingdom ruleth over all; and eternal as universal, for ever and ever: equitable in all his administrations, the scepre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre; none shall have cause to complain. Thou lovest righteousness, or righteous persons; those who, under the influence of faith and love, walk after his own blessed pattern and precepts, and hatest wickedness of all sorts, and those who practise it; and will, in condign punishment, make his hatred of it appear to all eternity.
2. The appointment of Christ to his mediatorial kingdom is observed. Therefore God, even thy God, Joh 20:17 who appointed him for the work of redemption, and was the head of Christ and his God, as incarnate, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness; all spiritual gifts and graces, without measure, were bestowed upon the man Jesus, that he might be every way qualified for the undertaking whereunto he was appointed; and have in all things the pre-eminence in the surpassing excellence of his human nature, as well as in the transcendant dignity to which he was advanced above his fellows.
3. His royal apparel is mentioned. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; alluding to the ingredients of the holy oil, Exo 30:23.
4. His court appears magnificently splendid. Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women; the children of God are sons and daughters of the eternal king, and their highest honour is to be attendants on his exalted Son; seeing that by him they obtain this glorious relation, becoming children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. And as particular believers, virgin souls of royal extraction, appear his attendants, his church sits as a queen at his right hand in gold of Ophir, adorned with gifts and graces more pure and precious than the finest gold. We may say of him, with infinitely greater propriety than the queen of Sheba did of Solomon’s servants, Happy are they that stand continually before thee; for a greater than Solomon is here.
4thly, As the former part related to the king, the latter particularly respects the queen, the Lamb’s wife; and the is called daughter, either referring to her relation to God’s dear Son, or as a term of tender and affectionate regard.
1. A solemn injunction is given her. Hearken, consider, incline thine ear: thou art no longer thine own, thy husband’s will must be thy law; hearken to it with attention, consider it with delight, and incline to it with cheerfulness; forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house; let no attachment beside engage thy heart, for the whole belongs to him. They who would be Christ’s spouse must be separated for him from whatever here below would ensnare and draw away their affections. So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: this is an argument for her faithful adherence to him alone; the delight he would take in her, and the happiness thence resulting. Another is drawn from his right and authority over her: He is thy Lord; thy master, to whom obedience is so highly due; and therefore worship thou him, as thy maker, as well as thy husband and thy Redeemer, who is most high in the glory of God the Father, equal as touching his godhead, and therefore to be adored with equal honour. Note; (1.) We cannot entertain too high thoughts of the glory of our divine Lord: the humiliation of the man must never lessen in our eye the essential deity of the Son. (2.) None can call Christ their bridegroom, whose fidelity and love do not evidence the truth of their relation. (3.) The Lord’s delight is those who love and serve him; no beauty in his eye like the beauty of holiness.
2. The conversion of the Gentiles under her is foretold. The daughter of Tyre, the nearest bordering heathen nation, shall be there with a gift, offering up herself and her goods for the support of the Gospel; even the rich among the people; not only the lower ranks in life, but even kings shall intreat thy favour; desire to be admitted into the communion and fellowship of the Gospel, which in a measure has been, and yet shall be, more eminently fulfilled in its season.
3. Her beautiful apparel and admission into her husband’s palace are observed. The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her soul is adorned with every divine and gracious disposition; her clothing is of wrought gold; a shining profession, and exemplary conduct, mark all her steps. She shall be brought unto the king, conducted by the hand of grace, and prepared for her high estate, in raiment of needlework, in the richest garments of humility, purity, and love: the virgins her companions; the souls preserved in purity, unspotted from the world, that follow her in all holy ordinances and godly conversation, shall be brought unto thee, to the eternal enjoyment of thy presence and love. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought, amid congratulating angels, themselves lost in wonder, gratitude, and praise; and no marvel! when they shall enter into the king’s palace; the heaven of heavens, the place where his throne of glory stands; and where, next to his own, thrones are prepared for them, that they may reign with him eternally. May my poor soul be numbered among these virgin fellows!
4. The progeny of the Redeemer is promised to be many and illustrious. Instead of thy fathers, the Jewish stock from whence he sprung, shall be thy children, of the Gentile world; whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth; for his dominion shall be from sea to sea; the very isles of the Gentiles shall come in unto him: and from all these nations he shall have a faithful people to reign with him as kings and priests for ever. In consequence of this spread of the Gospel, the Father engages to make his memorial everlasting. I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations, by maintaining a perpetual succession of faithful men: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever: while the sun and the moon endureth, there shall be a church to praise him; and when these bright luminaries are extinguished, the praises of our Jesus shall continue the burden of the never-ceasing long of eternity. Amen, and Amen.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
What a vast multitude of souls begotten to Christ will appear in that day! So numerous, indeed, that even the Redeemer himself is represented, under the spirit of prophecy, as if expressing his astonishment, as he did at the centurion’s faith in the day of his flesh, – Who hath begotten me these? Isa 49:18-23 ; Mat 8:10 . All the redeemed of Christ, both Jews and Gentiles, are said to be made kings and priests unto God and his Father. Rev 1:6 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 45:16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
Ver. 16. Instead of thy fathers, &c. ] The Church shall still bring forth children to her husband Christ, and there shall be a succession of his name, Psa 72:17 .
Whom then mayest make princes
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 45:16-17
16In place of your fathers will be your sons;
You shall make them princes in all the earth.
17I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.
Psa 45:16-17 The UBS Handbook, p. 429, has a good summary.
The poet concludes by addressing the king, promising him that he will have many sons who will, like his ancestors, also be kings and rule over the whole earth.
Psa 45:17 is a way of asserting that this Psalm will be around for a long time and keep the memory of the king alive.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. Why is it thought this is a royal wedding song?
2. Does Psa 45:6 refer to the Israeli king?
3. Why is it thought the bride is not from Israel?
4. Explain Psa 45:16-17 in your own words.
5. Define Your throne, O God and explain how Heb 1:8-9 is using it.
6. Why is this Psalm thought to be Messianic?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
thy . . . thy. Hebrew text, these pronouns are masculine; but the Syriac reads them feminine. In this case they agree with and perfect the Structure above.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 45:16-17
Psa 45:16-17
THE CONCLUSION
“Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
Whom thou shalt make princes in all the earth.
I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:
Therefore shall the peoples give thee thanks forever and ever.”
These verses speak of the everlasting dominion of the Holy One who sits upon the “Throne of David” at the right hand of God Himself.
“In all the earth … all generations … forever and ever.” The universal, eternal kingdom of God alone fits such particulars as these.
“Thy children made princes in all the earth.” All of God’s children are “kings and priests unto God” (Rev 1:6) Also Peter wrote: “Ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, etc.” (1Pe 2:9). The ability to make kings and royal princes “in all the earth” has never pertained to any one other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is most appropriate, therefore, that this incredibly beautiful Messianic Psalm should conclude, as Leupold noted, “On this fine note that He who is being commemorated deserves to be extolled forever and ever and is deserving of His people’s praises as long as the sun and the moon endure.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 45:16. This verse could not apply literally to Christ for he had no descendants. (Isa 53:8 and Act 8:33.) But he was to have spiritual seed who were to be made princes. This was fulfilled when his disciples became kings according to 1Co 4:8; 1Pe 2:9; Rev 5:10.
Psa 45:17. The perpetuity of Christ’s reign is clearly predicted here. For ever and ever has the same application as Dan 2:44.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Instead: Psa 22:30, Mat 19:29, Mar 10:29, Mar 10:30, Phi 3:7, Phi 3:8
children: Isa 49:21, Isa 49:22, Isa 54:1-5, Isa 60:1-5, Gal 4:26, Gal 4:27
princes: 1Pe 2:9, Rev 1:6, Rev 5:10, Rev 20:6
Reciprocal: 2Sa 24:23 – as a king Psa 102:18 – the people Psa 102:28 – The children Psa 113:8 – General Son 7:2 – thy belly Isa 53:10 – he shall see Dan 7:18 – the saints Rom 7:4 – that we
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 45:16. Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, &c. Having directed his speech to the bride, he now returns to the bridegroom, as may be gathered both from the Hebrew words, which are of the masculine gender, and from the next verse, which unquestionably belongs unto him. And therefore this cannot be understood of Solomon, and his marriage with Pharaohs daughter, because he had no children by her, and but very few by all his wives and concubines; and his children were so far from being made princes in all the earth, that they enjoyed but a small part of their fathers dominions, but this was fully accomplished in Christ; who, instead of his fathers of the Jewish nation, had a numerous posterity of Christians of all the nations of the earth, which here and elsewhere are called princes and kings, because of their great power with God and with men.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
45:16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy {m} children, whom thou mayest make princes {n} in all the earth.
(m) They will have greater graces than their fathers.
(n) He signifies the great compass of Christ’s kingdom, which will be sufficient to enrich all his members.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. Benediction on the couple 45:16-17
The memory of the king’s ancestors would pale in comparison with that of his descendants. The king’s sons would become famous princes who would occupy positions of authority far and wide because of the king’s righteous rule. He would also enjoy a lasting reputation and the eternal gratitude of his subjects.
"There can be little doubt that this psalm was in the mind of John as he wrote Rev 19:6-21. As he looked forward to the marriage of Christ, the Lamb, in heaven, he recalled how the bride clothed herself with acts of righteousness in preparation for Him (Rev 19:6-8). Then John described the royal groom going forth to battle in righteousness (Rev 19:11-21). Psalms 45, then, is typological of the greater Davidic King, Jesus Christ." [Note: Ross, p. 828.]
"Words like these spoken at an ancient eastern wedding would be considered polite exaggeration, but when applied to Jesus Christ, they aren’t strong enough!" [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 182.]
We who are believers should rejoice in our glorious King who will one day experience full union with His bride, the church (Eph 5:23-32). He is worthy of our praise because He is completely true, humble, and righteous. We should also submit to His authority in view of who He is. We can look forward with great anticipation to our union with Him and our glorious future with Him from then on. His kingdom will endure forever, and everyone will honor His name throughout eternity.