The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. The king rejoices in your strength, Yahweh! How greatly he rejoices in your salvation!
- BSB For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he exults in Your salvation!
- NKJV The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
- NASB Lord, in Your strength the king will be glad, And in Your salvation how greatly he will rejoice!
- NLT How the king rejoices in your strength, O Lord! He shouts with joy because you give him victory.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The king rejoices greatly in the Lord's strength and salvation. His joy is rooted in God's saving power, not his own.
Overview
Companion to Psalm 20's prayer before battle, Psalm 21 celebrates the victory God granted. The king's gladness is directed wholly to the Lord, whose strength won the triumph. This joy in God's salvation anticipates the Messiah, who rejoices in the deliverance accomplished by the Father and shares that joy with his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Matt 2:2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
- Heb 12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Ps 28:7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
- Ps 62:7In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
- Ps 59:16–17But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
- Ps 2:6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
- Ps 63:11But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
- Ps 99:4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
- Ps 95:1O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.
- Ps 20:5–6We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
- Ps 20:9Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call.
- Ps 71:17O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
- Ps 118:14–15The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
- Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 21:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.