You have granted his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
Parallel translations
- WEB You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
- KJV Thou hast given him his heart’s desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.
- NKJV You have given him his heart’s desire, And have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
- NASB You have given him his heart’s desire, And You have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
- NLT For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. Interlude
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
God has given the king his heart's desire and not withheld his request. The prayers of Psalm 20 are answered.
Overview
The very petitions offered for the king ('your heart's desire,' Ps 20:4) are now declared fulfilled. God has answered fully, withholding nothing. 'Selah' marks a pause to reflect on God's generous faithfulness. The king whose every God-honoring request is granted foreshadows the Messiah, whom the Father always hears (John 11:42).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 37:4Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
- Ps 20:4–5May He give you the desires of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
- Ps 2:8–9Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
- Isa 49:6–12He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
- Heb 7:25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
- Ps 92:11My eyes see the downfall of my enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 21:2 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
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