The king shall have joy in Your strength, O Lord; And in Your 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!
- KJV The king shall joy in thy strength, O LORD; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
- BSB For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength. How greatly he exults in Your salvation!
- 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 2:2“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”
- Heb 12:2looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Ps 28:7Yahweh is my strength and my shield. My heart has trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices. With my song I will thank him.
- Ps 62:7With God is my salvation and my honor. The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
- Ps 59:16–17But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress.
- Ps 2:6“Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”
- Ps 63:11But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
- Ps 99:4The King’s strength also loves justice. You do establish equity. You execute justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Ps 95:1Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
- Ps 20:5–6We will triumph in your salvation. In the name of our God, we will set up our banners. May Yahweh grant all your requests.
- Ps 20:9Save, Yahweh! Let the King answer us when we call!
- Ps 71:17God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
- Ps 118:14–15Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation.
- Isa 9:6–7For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.