Psalms 45:7

Thou lovest righteousness,.... Either righteous persons, whom his countenance beholds, on whom his eyes are, and from whom they are never withdrawn, and with whom he is exceedingly delighted: or

Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. From praising the King the Psalmist passes to the royal marriage. THE SECOND PART.

Thou dost not only do that which is good, and avoid that which is evil; which even bad princes and men may do, and sometimes actually do, for politic or prudential reasons; but thou dost this sincerely, and from an inward principle, even from a true love to God, and goodness, and from an implacable hatred against all wickedness. Therefore; so this particle is commonly used. And so it denoteth, either, 1. The reward of Christ’ s righteous administration of his kingdom. So the sense is, Because thou hast given so many and great proofs of thy love to righteousness, and of thy hatred of sin, and that not only by the constant course of thy life, but also by thy death and passion, therefore God hath raised and exalted thee far above all men and angels, to a state of joy and endless glory at his right hand; which is fitly expressed by the oil of gladness. For anointing doth not always signify the conferring of inward gifts or endowments, but sometimes only notes the designation or inauguration of a person to some high dignity or employment, as , and elsewhere. Or, 2. The final cause or end of Christ’ s unction. So the sense is, To that end, i.e. that thou mightest love righteousness, and hate wickedness, and govern thyself and thy kingdom accordingly, God hath anointed thee, &c., i.e. hath endowed thee with all the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, , in an eminent and peculiar manner, to the comfort and refreshment of thine own and all thy people’ s hearts; and hath solemnly called thee to be the Priest and Prophet and King of all his people. But the former sense seems to be the truest, and is for substance the same thing which is said in other words, . God, thy God, according to thy human nature, , though in respect of thy Divine nature thou art his fellow, , and his equal, Phil. it. 6, and one with him, . The oil of gladness; so called here, as also ; partly because it not only makes the countenance fresh and pleasant, , but also rejoiceth the heart, ; and partly because it was a token of gladness, and used in feasts and other solemn occasions of rejoicing; of which see . Above thy fellows, i.e. above all them who partake with thee in this unction; either, 1. Above all that ever were anointed for priests, or prophets, or kings. Or, 2. Above all believers, who also have received this same unction, ,27, and are made priests and kings unto God, .

Psalms 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.Ver. 7. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedhess] Solomon did so for a great while (nay, Nero’ s first five years were such that Trajan was wont to say that none ever attained to the perfection of them), but Christ continually; neither can he do otherwise, Haec vere heroica est nemesis. See Matthew 3:10-12 John 5:30 Matthew 12:18-20. Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed] i.e. For which purpose God hath anointed thee his Messiah, or Christ, Psalms 2:2. With the oil of gladness] Quia totus mundus in unctione Christi et eius missione laetabitur, saith Kimchi; so called because the whole world should be cheered up by the unction and mission of Messiah; he received the Spirit without measure, that of his fulness we might all receive, and grace for grace, righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Above thy fellows] i.e. Ex reliquorum regum numero eximendus, above all earthly potentates (Beza); the best whereof (as David, Josiah) had their faults and flaws; or rather, above thy saints, thy fellow brethren by grace, and co-heirs of glory; they have Plenitudinem Vasis, but thou, Fontis ; neither only art thou anointed Prae consortibus, above thy fellows, but Pro consortibus, for those thy fellows, as some render it, and it is very comfortable.

(7) The oil of gladness.—Comp. “oil of joy,” Isaiah 61:3. Here too it may be merely employed as a figure of happiness, but the bath and, no doubt, subsequent anointing, formed part of the Oriental marriage proceedings. (See Arabian Nights, passim.) Fellows—i.e., the paranymphs, or attendants on the bridegroom.

Verse 7. Oil of gladness] As an evidence that all causes of mourning, sorrow, and death, were at an end; as in the state of mourning the ancients did not anoint themselves. I have mentioned above that the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, Hebrews 1:8-9, quotes Psalms 45:6-7, of this Psalm. I shall subjoin the substance of what I have written on these verses in that place: - "Verse 8. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever. - If this be said of the Son of God, i.e., Jesus Christ, then Jesus Christ must be God; and indeed the design of the apostle is to prove this. The words here quoted are taken from Psalms 45:6-7, which the ancient Chaldee paraphrast, and the most intelligent rabbins, refer to the Messiah. On the third verse of this Psalm, 'Thou art fairer than the children of men,' the Targum says: 'Thy beauty, מלכא משיחא malca Meshicha, O King Messiah, is greater than the children of men.' Aben Ezra says: 'This Psalm speaks of David, or rather of his Son the Messiah, for this is his name, Ezekiel 34:24: And David my servant shall be a prince over them for ever.' Other rabbins confirm this opinion. "This verse is very properly considered a proof, and indeed a strong one, of the divinity of Christ; but some late versions of the New Testament have endeavoured to avoid the evidence of this proof by translating the word thus: 'God is thy throne for ever and ever;' and if this version be correct, it is certain that the text can be no proof of the doctrine. Mr. Wakefield vindicates this translation at large in his History of Opinions; and ὁΘεος being the nominative case is supposed to be sufficient justification of this version. In answer to this it may be stated that the nominative case is often used for the vocative, particularly by the Attics, and the whole scope of the place requires it should be so used here; and with due deference to all of a contrary opinion, the original Hebrew cannot be consistently translated any other way; כסאך אלהים עולם ועד kisacha Elohim olam vaed, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and to eternity.' It is in both worlds, and extends over all time, and will exist through all endless duration. To this our Lord seems to refer, Matthew 28:18: 'All power is given unto me, both in HEAVEN and EARTH.' My throne, i.e., my dominion, extends from the creation to the consummation of all things. These I have made, and these I uphold; and from the end of the world, throughout eternity, I shall have the same glory - sovereign unlimited power and authority, which I had with the Father before the world began; John 17:5. I may add that none of the ancient Versions has understood it in the way contended for by those who deny the Godhead of Christ, either in the Psalm from which it is taken, or in this place where it is quoted.

7. Thou lovest &c.] Or, as R.V., Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. “I have loved justice and hated iniquity, and therefore I die in exile” were the last memorable words of Gregory VII. Milman, Hist. of Lat. Christianity, iv. 138. therefore] The willing conformity of the king to the will of God is rewarded with special tokens of His favour. God, thy God] The rendering, O God, thy God is unquestionably wrong. God, thy God in the Elohistic Psalms is the equivalent of Jehovah thy God elsewhere. Cp. Psalms 43:4; Psalms 50:7. hath anointed thee &c.] The reference is not to anointing as the symbol of consecration to the office of king, but to the use of oil on occasions of festivity (Psalms 23:5; Psalms 104:15). Thus ‘the oil of gladness’ is contrasted with mourning (Isaiah 61:3 : cp. 2 Samuel 12:20; 2 Samuel 14:2). The rejoicings of the marriage festival are meant. Cp. Son 3:11. thy fellows] Other kings, to none of whom has equal happiness been granted. Cp. Psalms 89:27 b.

Thou lovest righteousness ... - See this verse explained in the notes at Hebrews 1:9, where it is applied to the Messiah. The word “God” is rendered in the margin “O God”; “O God, thy God, hath anointed thee,” etc.

6, 7. From the king in war, (Psalms 45:3-5,) the poet now turns to the king in peace—his rank and the quality and perpetuity of his government.