Psalm 45 is the 45th psalm of the

Book of Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

, beginning in English in the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

: "My heart is inditing a good matter". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...

and Latin

Vulgate The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 44. In Latin, it is known as "Eructavit cor meum". It was composed by the sons of Korach on (or "according to") the ''shoshanim''–either a musical instrument or the tune to which the psalm should be sung. The psalm has been interpreted as an

epithalamium An epithalamium (; Latin form of Greek ἐπιθαλάμιον ''epithalamion'' from ἐπί ''epi'' "upon," and θάλαμος ''thalamos'' nuptial chamber) is a poem written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber. This form ...

, or wedding song, written to a king on the day of his marriage to a foreign woman, and is one of the

royal psalms Hermann Gunkel categorized ten psalms by their subject matter of kingship as royal psalms. Specifically, the royal psalms deal with the spiritual role of kings in the worship of Yahweh. Aside from that single qualification, there is nothing else wh ...

. The psalm forms a regular part of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

and other Protestant liturgies.

Background

According to classical Jewish sources, Psalm 45 refers to the

Jewish Messiah The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or ...

. According to Metzudot, a classical Jewish commentary, the king mentioned in verse 2 is the Jewish Messiah. Christian scholars frequently interpret the psalm as a Messianic prophecy.

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

explains the prophecy as referring to Jesus as both the future king and a bridegroom of the church. In

Hebrews The terms ''Hebrews'' (Hebrew: / , Modern: ' / ', Tiberian: ' / '; ISO 259-3: ' / ') and ''Hebrew people'' are mostly considered synonymous with the Semitic-speaking Israelites, especially in the pre-monarchic period when they were still no ...

1:8–9, verses 6–7 of this psalm are quoted as allusions to

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

Themes

Shoshanim (roses) can refer to either a musical instrument shaped like a rose (''shoshana'' in Hebrew), or the tune to which the psalm should be sung.

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...

proposes that the term refers to Torah scholars, and interprets the rest of the psalm according to the scholars' efforts in and reward for

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("com ...

. Jesuit writer

Mitchell Dahood Mitchell Dahood ( Anaconda, Montana, 1922- Rome 8 March 1982) was an American Jesuit Hebraist and Bible scholar. Dahood grew up in Concord, New Hampshire, and studied at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He moved to Rome in 1957 where he be ...

asserts that the psalm is an

, or a wedding song, written to a king on the day of his marriage to a foreign woman, and is one of the

.. ''Die Bibel mit Erklärungen'' states that Psalm 45 is the only example of profane poetry in the Psalms and was composed and sung by a minstrel or cult prophets on the occasion of the marriage of the king. In the 19th century,

Franz Delitzsch Franz Delitzsch (23 February 1813, in Leipzig – 4 March 1890, in Leipzig) was a German Lutheran theologian and Hebraist. Delitzsch wrote many commentaries on books of the Bible, Jewish antiquities, Biblical psychology, as well as a history of ...

argued that the poem was written on the occasion of

Jehoram of Judah Jehoram of Judah (, ) or Joram (; el, Ἰωράμ, Ioram; la, Joram or Ioram), was the fifth king of Judah, and the son of king Jehoshaphat. Jehoram rose to the throne at the age of 32 and reigned for 8 years (, ), although he was ill during hi ...

's marriage to

Athaliah Athaliah ( el, Γοθολία ''Gotholía''; la, Athalia) was the daughter of either king Omri, or of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel of Israel, the queen consort of Judah as the wife of King Jehoram, a descendant of King David, and later quee ...

;

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

and Alexander Kirkpatrick both maintained that it referred rather to the marriage of

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

with an

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian princess.

Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 – 31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers". He wa ...

, however, rejects these interpretations, stating: "Maschil, an instructive ode, not an idle lay, or a romancing ballad, but a Psalm of holy teaching, didactic and doctrinal. This proves that it is to be spiritually understood. … This is no wedding song of earthly nuptials, but an Epithalamium for the Heavenly Bridegroom and his elect spouse." More recently,

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

ern scholar Charles R. Krahmalkov posits that the wedding of

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

and

Ahab Ahab (; akk, 𒀀𒄩𒀊𒁍 ''Aḫâbbu'' 'a-ḫa-ab-bu'' grc-koi, Ἀχαάβ ''Achaáb''; la, Achab) was the seventh king of Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), Israel, the son and successor of King Omri and the husband of Jezebel of Sidon, ...

was the likely occasion, reading verse 14 as originally referring not to a "King's daughter who is within" but a "daughter of the King of the Phoenicians (''Pōnnīma'')". Verse 14 in the Hebrew, "All the glory of the king's daughter is within", encapsulates the import of ''

tzniut ''Tzniut'' ( he, צניעות , , ; " modesty" or " privacy"; ) describes both the character trait of modesty and discretion, as well as a group of Jewish laws pertaining to conduct. The concept is most important within Orthodox Judaism. D ...

'' (modesty) in Judaism. The

Midrash Tanhuma Midrash Tanhuma ( he, מִדְרָשׁ תַּנְחוּמָא) is the name given to three different collections of Pentateuch aggadot; two are extant, while the third is known only through citations. These midrashim, although bearing the name of ...

teaches on this verse, "If a woman remains modestly at home, she is worthy that both her husband and children are '' Kohanim Gedolim'' ho wear golden clothes"

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 45:

King James Version

# My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. # Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. # Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. # And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. # Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. # Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. # Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. # All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. # Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. # Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; # So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. # And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. # The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. # She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. # With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. # Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. # I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Revised Standard Version

The verse marking for this psalm in the

Revised Standard Version The Revised Standard Version (RSV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1952 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. This translation itself is a revision of the Ameri ...

(RSV) differs from that used in other translations..

Uses

Judaism

In the ''Siddur Avodas Yisrael'', Psalm 45 is recited as a Song of the Day on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

Chayei Sarah and Shabbat

Pekudei Pekudei, Pekude, Pekudey, P'kude, or P'qude (—Hebrew language, Hebrew for "amounts of," the second word, and the Incipit, first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 23rd weekly Torah portion (, ''parashah'') in the annual Judaism, Jewish cyc ...

. This psalm is said as a general prayer for the end of the exile and the coming of the

Mashiach The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or Hig ...

New Testament

Verses 6 and 7 are quoted in the

Epistle to the Hebrews The Epistle to the Hebrews ( grc, Πρὸς Ἑβραίους, Pros Hebraious, to the Hebrews) is one of the books of the New Testament. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle. Mos ...

1:8–9.

Catholic Church

Since the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, monasteries have traditionally performed this psalm during the celebration of Monday

matins Matins (also Mattins) is a canonical hour in Christian liturgy, originally sung during the darkness of early morning. The earliest use of the term was in reference to the canonical hour, also called the vigil, which was originally celebrated by ...

, according to the Rule of

St. Benedict Benedict of Nursia ( la, Benedictus Nursiae; it, Benedetto da Norcia; 2 March AD 480 – 21 March AD 548) was an Christianity in Italy, Italian Christian monk, writer, and theologian who is venerated in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Ortho ...

(530). In modern times in the Liturgy of the Hours, Psalm 45 is sung or recited, in two parts, at

Vespers Vespers is a service of evening prayer, one of the canonical hours in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic (both Latin liturgical rites, Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern), Lutheranism, Lutheran, and Anglican ...

on Monday of the second week of the four-weekly cycle, and at the midday office on Saturday of the fourth week. The portion of the Psalm which refers to the 'Queen, in gold of Ophir' is also one of the set readings for mass on the Feast of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Tow ...

of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

Book of Common Prayer

In the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

's ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

'', this psalm is appointed to be read on the morning of the ninth day of the month.Church of England
Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter
as printed by

John Baskerville John Baskerville (baptised 28 January 1707 – 8 January 1775) was an English businessman, in areas including japanning and papier-mâché, but he is best remembered as a printer and type designer. He was also responsible for inventing "wov ...

in 1762, pp. 196ff

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz Heinrich Schütz (; 6 November 1672) was a German early Baroque composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He ...

wrote a setting of a paraphrase of Psalm 45 in German, "Mein Herz dichtet ein Lied mit Fleiß",

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

142, for the ''

Becker Psalter The ''Becker Psalter'' is a German metrical psalter authored by the Leipzig theologian Cornelius Becker and first published by Jakob Apel in Leipzig in 1602 under the title ''Der Psalter Davids Gesangweis''. Several composers set the psalms contai ...

'', published first in 1628.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

* * * Text of Psalm 45 according to th
1928 Psalter

text in Hebrew and English, mechon-mamre.org
For the leader; according to "Lilies." A maskil of the Korahites. A love song. / My heart is stirred by a noble theme
text and footnotes, usccb.org United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

introduction and text, biblestudytools.com
Psalm 45
enduringword.com
Psalm 45 / Refrain: Behold our defender, O God, and look upon the face of your anointed.

Psalm 45
at biblegateway.com
Hymns for Psalm 45
hymnary.org {{Psalms 045 Phoenicians in the Hebrew Bible